Digest>Archives> Sep/Oct 2014

Keeper’s Korner

Tidbits and Editorial Comments from the Tower

By Timothy Harrison

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Funds Needed - Round Island

Community leaders in Pascagoula, Mississippi are trying to raise approximately $30,000 that is still needed to complete the interior of the Round Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse was toppled by a hurricane in 1998 and rebuilt at a new location in 2013. Once the interior is fully finished, the lighthouse can again be opened to the public.

CG to Repair Penfield Reef

The United States Coast Guard is expected to spend well over $500,000 to repair the Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield, Connecticut. At one time the lighthouse was offered for free, but a bottom-lands agreement could not be reached. Later it was put up for auction, but that did not produce any results. The lighthouse was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy and reportedly much of the external historic fabric of the lighthouse is now gone. The massive repairs are being made so that the lighthouse can be safely serviced by Coast Guard personnel.

Lens Correction

Oops, we goofed. In the July/August issue of Lighthouse Digest we incorrectly stated that this lens was from the Lansing Shoal Lighthouse. However, it is actually the lens from White Shoal Lighthouse that is now on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point Lighthouse in Michigan. We apologize for this error.

Up for Auction

The Round Island Passage Lighthouse near Mackinac Island, Michigan has been offered up for auction to the highest bidder by the General Services Administration. Everyone who visits Mackinac Island passes by the beacon, but it is not to be confused with the Round Island Lighthouse that passengers can also view from the ferry boats.

Paula, The Lighthouse Years

With two stories in this issue of Lighthouse Digest about Tree Point Lighthouse, we’d like to remind our readers about the very interesting and well written book Paula, The Lighthouse Years by Suzan K. Heglin. The book gives a fictional account, based on facts, of life at Tree Point Lighthouse as well as at Guard Island Lighthouse and Point Retreat Lighthouse. Although copies of the print edition of the book are extremely hard to find, it is available on Kindle from Amazon.

Damage at Execution Rocks

Maintaining a lighthouse far out in the water can be a daunting task as the folks at New York’s Execution Rocks Lighthouse recently found out when they discovered that their new roof suffered some damage. Under closer examination, the folks at Historically Significant Structures, the nonprofit that owns the lighthouse, believe that the contractor did not fully comply with the agreement under the installation contract. The contractor has promised to fix the problem.

MLA Conference

Those who attended this year’s Michigan Lighthouse Alliance conference “Sustainability for a Successful Future” posed at the end of the conference for a photo with their certificates. Lighthouse groups from around the Great Lakes were represented at the conference.

City Wants Lens

The City of Marathon Florida wants the 6-foot tall 1st order Fresnel lens, once in use at the Sombrero Key Lighthouse, for display inside its new yet-to-be-completed City Hall. The magnificent lens, considered the jewel of the lighthouse, was removed from the 1878 Sombrero Key Lighthouse in 1983. But getting the lens may not be so easy. Owned by the Coast Guard, the lens is on loan to the Key West Art and Historical Society where it has been on display for many years. It could also cost approximately $50,000 to dismantle, crate, move, and reassemble the lens, plus the City of Marathon would need $1 million in insurance coverage. The city is hoping that the Coast Guard and the folks in Key West, Florida will let the lens go and that the Coast Guard will give them a different lens as a replacement. It all sounds a little far-fetched, but in this day and age, who knows.

Michigan Lighthouse Festival

Marge Ellenberger explains the plans for the first Michigan Lighthouse Festival that she is developing at the recent Michigan Lighthouse Alliance conference. The festival will be held on June 12-14 in Cheboygan, Michigan. For more information go to: www.MichiganLighthouseGuide.com.

Vandals Strike

Some mindless morons spray painted graffiti, some of it vulgar, on the Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. City officials have stated that security cameras will now be installed, but, if the problem persists, the breakwater may have to be closed to the public for good. The police have charge six individuals, two of whom are age 18; the others are ages 17, 19, and 20.

Stars and Lights

David Zapatka, who has actively been involved in the preservation of the Plum Beach Lighthouse in Rhode Island, is an avid photographer. He has now created, through some creative photography with this poster called Stars and Lights, which he is offering for sale. It sure would look great matted and framed for some beautiful décor for any home office. You can order the poster on-line through his web site at www.starsandlighthouses.com

It Should Have Been Jansen

The two photos on page 43 of the July/August edition of Lighthouse Digest showing the kitchen and living room as they once appeared at Lansing Shoal Lighthouse in Michigan should have been credited to Roger Jansen, who was once stationed there with the Coast Guard. We apologize for the error. Roger Jansen is shown here in June of 2011 with the Lansing Shoal Lighthouse behind him while on one of the many excursion tours offered annually by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA).

Senators to be Thanked

Our sincere thanks to Maine’s Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and New York’s Senator Chuck Schumer, who sponsored and introduced legislation in the United States Senate for the designation of National Lighthouse Day. The resolution, that passed by unanimous vote, declared “August 7, 2014 as National Lighthouse and Lighthouse Preservation Day.” However, the resolution fell short of declaring August 7 as National Lighthouse Day in Perpetuity, which is what Lighthouse Digest and others had campaigned for. It seems the Senators were afraid that they couldn’t declare anything in perpetuity, which, to us, makes no sense. We cited examples of Thanksgiving Day, Flag Day, and President’s Day as “days” that had previously been declared in perpetuity. Senator King also submitted a story, “Lighting the Way Along Maine’s Coast,” that appeared in newspapers throughout the state.

Thanks, Michaud and Collins

We also wish to thank Rep. Chris Collins of New York and Rep. Mike Michaud of Maine for starting the petition to have their fellow Members of Congress sign a bipartisan request that the President of the United States issue a Presidential Decree declaring August 7 as National Lighthouse Day. However, in spite of hundreds upon hundreds of e-mails and phone calls sent to Congress, only 56 Members of Congress signed the petition that went to the White House asking for a Presidential Decree declaring August 7 as National Lighthouse Day. Members of Congress, like their colleagues in the Senate, declined to use the word “perpetuity,” but opted instead to request August 7 as National Lighthouse Day without specifically using the year 2014 But the President ignored the request.

CG to Outgrant Nobska

It seems the Coast Guard will outgrant the popular Nobska Point Lighthouse in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Similar to a license agreement, the outgrant would allow a nonprofit to restore the light station and conduct activities at the lighthouse, but the Coast Guard would still own the light station. However, any group that does this will then run the risk of having to apply for ownership in a competing application with other interested parties for the lighthouse when it is declared excess property under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Recently, the City of Falmouth, Massachusetts notified the Coast Guard in writing that they would be interested in the lighthouse. (Photo by Mike Rodrigues.).

Tours to Ballycotton Light

The first ever tours to the Ballycotton Lighthouse located on an island in Ballycotton Bay off the south coast of Ireland are being offered by Ballycotton Island Tours. A 12-passenger ferry boat will take people to the island where they will disembark for a tour of the lighthouse and the other structures on the remote outpost.

Hang On

Shown here is Ron Klebba, Restoration Director for the Harbor Beach Lighthouse Preservation Society, recently scraping and repainting under the gallery deck of the 1885 Harbor Beach Lighthouse on Lake Huron in Harbor Beach, Michigan.

Nearly 400 Lights Took Part

The Amateur Radio Society had operators set up to broadcast from nearly 400 lighthouse sites across the world on August 16 and 17 for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend. This year the nation of Barbados was represented for the first time broadcasting from the South Point Lighthouse. The nations that are leading the pack for the event are the USA with 69 lighthouses, Germany with 57 lighthouse registrants, followed by Australia with 56 and England with 27.

Passing

With the passing of 92-year old Eleanor Settles Lumley on July 6, 2014, the lighthouse world has lost another of the last of the people who were born at and grew up at lighthouses during the era of the U.S. Lighthouse Service. Eleanor was born on April 14, 1922 at the Point Arguello Lighthouse in California where her father Arvel Settles was the lighthouse keeper. She later lived at the Grays Harbor Lighthouse and then at Lime Kiln Lighthouse in Washington state where her father was the keeper from 1935 to 1945. It was at Lime Kiln Lighthouse where she had many of her favorite memories. Our condolences go out to her friends and family. Remembrances of her life can be made to the Friends of Lime Kiln Society, 1567 Westside Rd., Friday Harbor, WA 98250. (Photo of Lime Kiln Lighthouse by Elinor DeWire.)

Terrible Tilly Exhibit

The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum in Cannon Beach, Oregon has a new exhibit titled “The Infamous Terrible Tilly,” about the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. The exhibit includes an original log book and a piece of glass from the original Fresnel lens from the lighthouse. It was considered one of the most difficult lighthouses to equip and maintain. The exhibit will run through December or possibly longer.

Grant for Beavertail

Beavertail Lighthouse is getting $3,500 in federal grant money from the Hurricane Sandy Fund to help repair and stabilize the damaged foundation of the original lighthouse and rebuild the granite steps that lead to the foundation

Damage at Little River

There is no federal or state assistance for the damage caused by Hurricane Arthur at Little River Lighthouse, in Cutler, Maine, the easternmost island lighthouse in the United States of America. The storm ripped the lighthouse boat from the dock, tossed it up in the air, and it came smashing upside down into the ocean and sank it. The16-foot Nautico Catamaran boat with 50hp outboard engine were totaled beyond repair. Trees on the island were snapped and downed like twigs. Although volunteers chained-sawed the downed trees over the walkway that leads between the boathouse and the lighthouse, it will take more money than the small nonprofit group will ever be able to raise on their own to clean up the fallen trees and those that are now leaning dangerously. (Photo by Timothy Harrison.)

Senator Gets Lighthouse Land

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer recently secured the approval needed from the Federal Transit Authority that allowed New York City to take sole control of approximately four acres of land of the former lighthouse depot site on Staten Island that allowed the National Lighthouse Museum to proceed with its opening as well as for the redevelopment of Lighthouse Point.

Free Harbour Lights Guide

In case you missed our previous mention of this, Rich Felter 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 guide saved as PDF files will be sent to you when you email your request to Rich Felter at flacoastie@embarqmail.com

Restoration of Keeper’s House at Perkins Island

The dilapidated keeper’s house at Maine’s Perkins Island Lighthouse will be transformed this autumn to look like it did when it was built. The boarded up keeper’s house, owned by the State of Maine, had fallen into a severe state of disrepair, thanks in part to the indifferent attitude of the Maine Bureau for Parks and Land, which, in this humble editor’s opinion, never really cared about the historic property that they had been entrusted with. The restoration work to be done by the J.B. Leslie Company is being funded nearly 100% by a $50,000 gift from local residents Tom and Jaana Sheehan of Georgetown, Maine who led the movement for project. However, the restoration project will be overseen by the American Lighthouse Foundation and its chapter, The Friends of Perkins Island Lighthouse, in cooperation with the Maine Bureau for Parks and Land. Tom and Jaana Sheehan are to be congratulated and thanked by all for their generous contribution towaed saving this valuable slice of lighthouse history.

Perkins Island Tower to be Painted

In a totally separate project from the restoration of the keeper’s house, the light tower at Maine’s Perkins Island Lighthouse will be painted and the interior of the tower will be restored by the J.B. Leslie Co., the same firm that is restoring the keeper’s house of Perkins Island Lighthouse. The Perkins Island Lighthouse is still owned by the United States Coast Guard. However, in May of 2000 when I was still president of the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), I secured a long-term license from the Coast Guard to and for the American Lighthouse Foundation for the historic preservation of the tower, but not the keeper’s house, which is owned by the State of Maine. After meeting with local residents, in 2002 the Friends of Perkins Island Lighthouse was officially formed as a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, with Rod and Jane Beaulieu at the helm. The tower has been painted by the group in past years, but it requires ongoing work every so many years. According to ALF, the current project will cost $8,500.

St. Marks Lens Removed

The Fresnel lens at Florida’s St. Marks Lighthouse has been removed during the restoration of the lantern room at the lighthouse. The lens has been sent to the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse where it will be restored and then returned to St. Marks for display in the Visitors Center and then reinstalled in the tower.

Presque Isle to Open

Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle Lighthouse will soon be open to the public on a regular basis thanks to changes allowed by the State of Pennsylvania that removed park employees from the keeper’s house, which will now be leased to a nonprofit. The light station will be restored to its 1900s appearance. The lighthouse will be open to the public on a limited basis during restoration.

This story appeared in the Sep/Oct 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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