Digest>Archives> Jul/Aug 2014

Keeper’s Korner

Tidbits and Editorial Comments from the Tower

By Timothy Harrison

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70th Anniversary of D-Day Lighthouse

“Blacksod, Blacksod calling . . . Here is the weather report for June 3, 1944.” In the history of mankind, few weather forecasts have carried such immense weight as was sent that day by lighthouse keeper Ted Sweeney from the Blacksod Lighthouse on the west coast of Ireland. Sweeney’s weather report convinced General Eisenhower to delay the invasion of Normandy by 24 hours. The decision averted a military catastrophe and changed the course of the Second World War and within a year the evil Nazi regime had been defeated.

Money for Mark

The Island Heritage Trust, which owns Maine’s Deer Island Thorofare Lighthouse, has received a $5,000 grant toward the $26,000 that they need to paint the light tower. Also known as Mark Island Lighthouse, the light tower is the only structure left standing at the site; sadly, all the other buildings were destroyed many years ago. Donations can be made to the Island Heritage Trust, P.O. Box 42, Deer Isle, ME 04627. (Photo by Ron Foster.)

Wisconsin’s Coast Guard City

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin has been designated as a “Coast Guard City,” one of only 16 cities in the nation to have such a designation, and it’s the first city in Wisconsin to be bestowed with the honor. The city is the home to the very distinctive Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Lighthouses.

Sanibel’s 130th

Florida’s Sanibel Island Lighthouse turned 130 years old this year. A celebration was held at the recently restored lighthouse this past April.

Movers Chosen

International Chimney Co. had been chosen to move the Gay Head Lighthouse back from the eroding bluff on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. They were the sole responder to a request for proposals and their bid came in at between 1.2 million and $1.4 million.

Remembering Carol J. Montroy

Carol June Montroy has passed away at the age of 93 this past April 15. She was born on June 8, 1920 in Ogdensburg, NY. On March 28, 1943 she married Richard James Montroy. In 1947 when they had trouble finding housing, the couple rented the Ogdensburg Harbor Lighthouse, which had been vacate for a number of years. They paid rent of $5.00 per month to live in the historic structure with their daughter. Unfortunately the lighthouse had no running water. The old pipes had rusted through and attempts to drill a well were unsuccessful. So the couple had to lug all their water for baths and toilets to the lighthouse. At the age of 86, Carol Montroy wrote a book, Lighthouse Keeping, My Memories that detailed her life at the lighthouse. Her husband had preceded her in death. Our condolences go out to her family and friends.

Esposito Street Sign

The late Joe Esposito Sr., an ardent lighthouse preservationist and former longtime caretaker of the Staten Island Lighthouse, has been honored with a new street sign in his name at the corner of Buel Avenue and Husson Street in Dongan Hills, which is a neighborhood located in New York City’s borough of Staten Island. Esposito, who passed away in 2005, was also the founder of Lighthouse Research for Preservation as well as a supporter of having a National Lighthouse Museum established at the former Lighthouse Depot site on Staten Island. He was also instrumental in saving the Romer Shoals Lighthouse from being demolished by the Coast Guard. During his career he also built a number of replica models of lighthouses, one of which will be on display in National Lighthouse Museum.

Georgetown Lens to Museum

The 4th order Fresnel lens that was removed many years ago from South Carolina’s Georgetown Lighthouse and has been in the possession of the Coast Guard will now go on display at the South Carolina Maritime Museum in Georgetown, South Carolina. The museum has obtained a 10 year loan agreement from the Coast Guard and they were required to obtain insurance on the lens for the insanely high value amount of $250,000. It’s obvious that the insurance companies are getting a financial windfall from the extremely high values that the Coast Guard is placing on Fresnel lenses.

Steel Tower at Nobska Comes Down

The Coast Guard has announced that they are removing the ugly 120-foot tall steel erector set style at Nobska Point Lighthouse in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The tower is no longer in use and is not needed. Although there are some who feel the old tower should remain because of its historical significance to the station, most agree that it took away from the beauty of the location. The keeper’s house at Nobska Point Lighthouse was supposed to be restored by the Coast Guard in 2013, but instead they decided to excess the lighthouse under the National Historic Preservation Act. For some strange reason, tours of the tower for 2014 season have been cancelled.

Michigan City Painted

The 1904 Michigan City East Pierhead Lighthouse in Michigan City, Indiana has undergone a $160,000 paint job. Half of the money to paint the tower came from the Michigan City Redevelopment Commission and the other half came from the Michigan City Port Authority. To learn more about the lighthouse, you can refer to your July, 2009 edition of Lighthouse Digest in the story titled, “Michigan City’s Love Affair with its Lighthouse.” The story can also be found in the on-line archives at www.LighthouseDigest.com

Saved From Wrecking Ball

The Port Dover West Pier Lighthouse on northeastern Lake Erie at the mouth of the Lynn River in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada has been saved from the wrecking ball now that Norfolk County is assuming ownership of the historic lighthouse. The lighthouse is located on the south end of the west pier in Port Dover and was once the front range light of a range set, but the rear range light on a skeleton tower was discontinued a number of years ago.

Gone

Another slice of history has been destroyed. In spite of the fact that they said they would like to have seen it preserved, the Coast Guard took down the old tank tower at Windmill Point Lighthouse on Lake Champlain in Vermont. Fortunately, Rob Clark, the private owner of the lighthouse, was able to convince the Coast Guard to leave the base and the top ten feet of the tower with him so he could eventually restore it and put it back on display. Also, thanks to Rob Clark’s efforts, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont stepped in to intervene, and the similar tank towers at nearby Isle La Motte and Spilt Rock Lighthouse, both also on Lake Champlain, have met a reprieve. With a little restoration work, both of those tank towers could easily be saved and should not be demolished. Shown here, in a photo by Jeremy D’Entremont, is the tank tower at Isle La Motte Lighthouse.

Wiberg Releases Delaware Lights Paintings

Maritime artist Jack Wiberg has released eight new paintings of lighthouses of the Delaware Bay. They are Cape May, Harbor of Refuge, Delaware Breakwater, Brandywine Shoal, Miah Maull, Fourteen Foot Bank, and Ship John Shoal. Prints of the paintings will be available for purchase. To learn more, you can go to his web site at www.wiberartgallery.com.

$3.2 Million for Faux Lighthouse

This faux lighthouse in Guntersville, Alabama is on the market for $3.2 million. The eight-story structure and attached home is 18,000 square feet and has six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, an elevator, office, and formal dining room. The owner is selling because it is too much to maintain.

Iconic Faux Demolished

The nearly 60 plus year old lighthouse facsimile that stood at the southern entrance to Waldameer Park and Water World in Erie, Pennsylvania is now gone. It was built in the 1950s by the late Lawrence Gehrlein of Larry’s Welding. The larger-than-life structure was admired for years by many. But, when it recently started to lean, a close inspection revealed that the interior was too far gone to be restored, so it was demolished.

Crisp Point Volunteer is Lost

Michael Warren (1961-2014) a dedicated volunteer of Michigan’s Crisp Point Light Historical Society has passed away. Mike and his family became members of the group in 1998 and Mike was elected vice-president in 2010. Our condolences go out to his wife Margaret and daughters Lindsey and Marissa as well others who knew him so well.

Wives and Daughters: Keepers of the Light

The above is the title of a new exhibit opening July 17 at the Santa Barbara Musuem in Santa Barbara, California. The focus of the exhibit, designed under direction of author and historian Willard Thompson, will focus on Julia F. Williams who was a lighthouse keeper for 40 years.

Catanosa Honored

Phyliss Catanosa was recently honored with a New Jersey Historic Preservation Award for her efforts, which started back in 1963, to save, restore, and open to the public the historic Hereford Inlet Lighthouse in North Wildwood, New Jersey. The application for the award that was put together by others to nominate her totaled over 100 pages of old photographs, newspaper clippings, and narrative text. The lighthouse, once in a state of rapid deterioration, was once in danger of being lost. Phyliss Catanosa is to be congratulated for her years of dedication and hard work. The finished product that we see there today is a testament of what good leadership can accomplish.

Lolong Point Relit

The Philippines Coast Guard has reported that the 99-foot tall Lolong Point Lighthouse on Panay Island at the northeast corner of Catanduanes Province has been relighted after being dark for eight years after being damaged by a super typhoon. We have been unable to get a photo of the lighthouse.

Crisp Point Washout

As can be seen in this photo courtesy of Ben Musielak, the road to Michigan’s remote Crisp Point Lighthouse was washed out this past spring, which delayed opening the lighthouse for the season.

500 Years and Counting

The year 2014 marks the 500th Anniversary of Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority for England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar. They were officially incorporated by Royal Charter on May 20, 1514. Our Anniversary greetings go out to our friends across the “Pond.”

Harbour Lights Collectors Alert – FREE Guide Offered

Although Harbour Lights has gone out of business, there are still many active collectors. Rich Feltner has created a “Complete Guide for Harbour Lights Lighthouses” that he is offering FREE of charge to anyone who wants one; all you need to do is e-mail him your request. This massive undertaking will be sent by Rich as PDF files. Volume 1 contains lighthouse-related documentation. Volume 2 includes all Harbour Lights and associated products. Volume 3 lists variances for Harbour Lights products. Volume 4 has past and current Secondary Market Prices relevant to Harbour Light’s many variances and non-variance lighthouses. Volume 5 deals with the “elusive” Seahorse locations. Volume 6 contains personal stories of lighthouse-related experiences, military humor, and military jokes that were provided by both collectors and non-collectors. You can email your request to Rich Feltner at flacoastie@embarqmail.com.

Circle of Stones Moved

The famous Circle of Stones from the original base of North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras Lighthouse that are engraved with the names of the keepers of the light have been moved back from the eroding shoreline to a safer location near the lighthouse. The move was thanks in part to a massive grassroots movement that called for saving the stones and moving them.

150th Celebration

The Elbow Reef Lighthouse in Elbow Cay, Abaco, Bahama, the only lighthouse in the world to be manually operated and fueled with Kerosene is 150 years old, an event that will be celebrated at the lighthouse on June 24th of this year. The lighthouse is also known as the Elbow Reef Lighthouse and the Hope Town Lighthouse.

Pequot Restoration

The 89-foot tall 1801 New London Harbor Lighthouse in New London, Connecticut is getting a $150,000 makeover thanks to the New London Maritime Society and volunteers, who have stepped forward to make the restoration possible. The lighthouse is sometimes referred to as the Pequot Lighthouse because of the name of the street by the lighthouse and to differentiate it from the New London Harbor Lighthouse.

Doomed History

Many of you may have heard this statement before that shows up on Facebook every so often, but in case you haven’t heard this variation of the old repeating history statement, here it is.” “Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it. Yet those who do study history are doomed to stand by helplessly while everyone else repeats it.”

This story appeared in the Jul/Aug 2014 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.

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