Digest>Archives> June 1998

Keeper's Corner

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Shop Talk

We have a very nice 1999 Oregonian Calendar in stock. However, quantities are very limited. It retails for $9.95 plus $4.95 shipping as item #93390. It features 11 lighthouses and one lightship. It can be ordered from Lighthouse Depot, P.O. Box 427, Wells, Maine 04090, or by calling 1-800-758-1444.

Just released is the new Maine Lighthouse Map & Guide, which is a complete guide to all of Maine's 65 beautiful lighthouses. This is a fold out map, just like any other road map, except it has the locations of each lighthouse with directions. It also includes a brief history of each lighthouse and best viewing areas. It is available from Lighthouse Depot as item #93349 for $4.95 plus $2.90 postage. This is really a neat item and a must have if travelling the coast of Maine. To order by phone call 1-800-758-1444 or by mail from Lighthouse Depot, P.O. Box 427, Wells, Maine 04090.

The Lighthouse Society of Great Britain has a new computer CD available called Lighthouse Encyclopedia. It is the first comprehensive data CD ever, and contains over 650 entries of lighthouses in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with locations, characteristics, maps, histories, photos and much more. It contains over 350 photos including many never before published engineering drawings from the historic Trinity House archives. It also contains an entire novel, The Keepers by Ken Tretheway and lots of other information too lengthy to mention here. It is suitable for Windows 95 only and not for MacIntosh computers. It is available as Item #93400 for $54.95 plus $4.95 shipping from Lighthouse Depot by calling 1-800-758-1444.

The Virginia Shores of the Atlantic coast were the scenes of numerous shipwrecks during the days of the old United States Life-Saving Service from 1875 to 1915. An interesting book that covers that period of time by Richard & Julie Pouliot is called Shipwrecks on the Virginia Coast and the Men of the Life-Saving Service. The book is available from Lighthouse Depot for $18.95 as Item #91852 by calling 1-800-758-1444.

Potpourri

Prior to press time Maryland's Piney Point Lighthouse was looking for helpers to work at the lighthouse on weekends this summer. For information you can call them at #301-769-2222.

A recent editorial in the Jackson Michigan Citizen Patriot newspaper supported Michigan as a site for a National Lighthouse Museum. The end of the editorial read as follows, "We hope Michigan wins. But if it gets out-muscled, let this be our consolation prize: the museum is already in place-scattered along hundreds of lovely miles of Great Lakes shoreline."

The tiny borough of Barnegat Light, NJ, recently had its welcome sign stolen. The 3 x 4 foot sign reads, "Welcome to Barnegat Light" with a replica of the Barnegat Lighthouse painted on it. Hopefully, the sign will be returned.

The National Park Service reports on the studies relevant to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are now available on the Internet at - www.nps.gov/caha/lighthousereports.htm

OOPS! We goofed.

We recently stated that the Special Event Piece for this year's Harbour Lights autograph signing of the Roosevelt Island Lighthouse is $30.00 each. This was incorrect. Although this was the original price release from Harbour Lights, they later lowered the price. The correct price is $25.00. This replica is only available at an autograph signing by a Harbour Lights representative or a Bill Younger autograph signing. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused.

Now available is Dalene's Catalog of United States First Day Covers. It contains nearly 200 pages, is spiral bound, with more than 800 covers described and 775 of them illustrated. This is truly the most comprehensive book available today of US Lighthouse postage stamp first day covers. It is available for $20 plus $3 postage from the Lighthouse Stamp Society, 8612 W. Warren Lane, Lakewood, CO 80227-2352.

The United States Life-Saving Service Heritage Association will hold its third annual meeting this October 1-3, in Manteo, Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Registration for members is $60, and $90 for non members. This meeting includes tours of some of the famous life-saving stations of the Outer Banks and various lectures. For additional information, or to join the group, you can contact them at USLSSHA, P.O. Box 75, Caledonia, MI 49316.

Harry Salter, a former keeper on Duxbury Pier Light in Massachusetts has a small 13 page booklet available called Bug Light. It is about his remembrances of being station there and is an interesting and enjoyable story. It sells for $3.00 per copy plus $1.00 for postage. You can obtain a copy by writing to him direct at - Harry Salter, 29 Oldfield Drive, Kingston, MA 02364. He also has another interesting booklet on his life on a Tug Boat, which also sells for $3.00.

In Memory

John J. Krause Jr., 89, of Baltimore, Maryland, has died. He joined the United States Lighthouse Service in 1929, and served in many capacities, including servicing the Concord Point Lighthouse. While in the Lighthouse Service, he rode out a hurricane on a lightship off Diamond Shoals. For this he received a commendation from President Franklin Roosevelt. Over the years, he donated several artifacts to the Concord Point Lighthouse. When the Lighthouse Service was merged into the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939, he continued on with the Guard until his retirement in 1954.

Restoration

A $390,000 renovation project has begun at New Jersey's East Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse, originally named Maurice River Light, was believed to have been first lit December 1849. A fire in July of 1971 nearly destroyed the structure. The Maurice River Historical Society took on the project of restoring the lighthouse in 1972. They have had their share of work cut out for them, especially with an ongoing vandalism problem. They hope to have the current restoration project mostly completed by this year's annual August open house.

The "Lighthouse 98" project is underway at the Westport Maritime Museum in Washington State. The museum is building a housing unit for the seventeen foot high lens from the Destruction Island Lighthouse, to be completed in time for the 100th anniversary of the lighthouse this June 30th. The lens was removed by the Coast Guard in 1995, until a suitable home could be found for it. For additional information you can call them at #360-268-0078.

Mary Daubenspeck is no longer the official owner of the old Keepers Quarters of Massachusett's Nauset Lighthouse which she has owned for the past 16 years. She has donated the house to the federal government. The house will now come under the ownership of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Under an agreement, however, she can continue to live in the house for the next 25 years. The home, now threatened by erosion, is only 27 feet from the eroding cliff and will be moved within weeks. The lighthouse itself was moved a year and half ago. If it had not been moved, it would have toppled over the cliff about a year ago.

The State of Ohio will now take over ownership of Marblehead Lighthouse. The lighthouse will come under the control of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, which will spend more than $1 million to restore the lighthouse, handle erosion problems, and provide additional visitor amenities.

New York's South Street Seaport Museum wants to restore the old Titanic Memorial Lighthouse. It seems that our recent story has drawn some attention to the nearly forgotten lighthouse. The museum wants to restore the old brick facing, iron catwalks, and again connect the metal ball to the Naval Observatory in Washington, DC. When that's done, people could again check their watches at noon, just the way people did years ago, said the president of the museum.

The University of Connecticut has assured us that the Avery Point Lighthouse will not be torn down. However, it estimated that $100,000 will be required to restore the old beacon, money which it does not have. We again appeal to readers to send a donation to restore this lighthouse. So far, donations have been few and we need your help. Tax deductible donations can be sent to the New England Lighthouse Foundation, P.O. Box 889, Wells, Maine 04090.

The Board of Trustees of Florida's St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum has agreed to work in conjunction with the Southern Oceans Archaeological Research on a nautical archaeological project called the St. Augustine Maritime Survey. This project involves the research and investigation of several significant shipwreck sites located off St. Augustine's coast. "Nothing could be more appropriate than a lighthouse researching the history of shipping," said Kathy Fleming, St. Augustine Lighthouse Museum Executive Director. "After all, lighthouses exist in part because of maritime disasters. The Southern Oceans Project gives us the potential not only to locate 19th century shipwrecks recorded in the Keepers Logs, but also to study our early maritime heritage."

Ha-Ha

The headline in the Brighton Argus newspaper in Brighton, Michigan read, "Lake Chemung named a great lake!" The sub-headline read, "President signs bill declaring Chemung the sixth Great Lake, replacing Lake Champlain." The story, complete with a photo of the lake stated that now that Lake Chemung is a Great Lake, some changes are expected to take place around the lake. "For starters, we need to put some lighthouses up," said Genoa Township Supervisor Bob Murray. He went on to say, "You can't be a Great Lake unless you have some lighthouses, so we're expecting to put up about 10 or 20 of them in the next year." By the way, the date of the newspaper was April 1, 1998.

A New Jersey radio station, WJRZ, played the ultimate radio show this past April 1st, one that Orson Welles would have been proud of. In a live broadcast, the station stated that Barnegat Lighthouse was being moved to a new location across the inlet to Island Beach State Park. Local officials were interviewed as the sound of news crews' helicopters were heard in the background. By the time the radio station told its audience that the whole thing was an April Fools' joke, it was too late for the many people who rushed out to the lighthouse, cameras in hand to take photos of the lighthouse being moved.

Events & Tours

Lake Michigan Car Ferry Service is offering a variety of travel packages to several of Michigan's desirable destinations. The vacation travel package combines a cruise on the 410 foot S.S. Badger, and are now available during the spring and fall seasons. Lake Michigan has always been a barrier to vacation travel between Michigan and Wisconsin, especially to see lighthouses. The S.S. Badger provides a fun and easy way to travel across the Lake, avoiding the hassels of driving. The 410 foot S.S. Badger was originally launched in 1952 and can accommodate over 600 passengers, and 180 automobiles, plus an array of bicycles, motorcycles, and motor homes. For additional information, you can call them at 1-800-841-4243, or visit their web site at - www.ssbadger.com.

This story appeared in the June 1998 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

All contents copyright © 1995-2024 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.


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