Digest>Archives> Nov/Dec 2016

Keeper's Korner

Tidbits and Editorial Comments From The Tower

By Timothy Harrison

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Newspaper Clippings

We wish to thank all the loyal readers of Lighthouse Digest who continue to send us newspaper clippings from their local newspapers about lighthouse stories in their area. It is impossible for us to send thank you notes for all of them; however, rest assured, we do appreciate them and encourage you to keep mailing them to us. Many times these stories are extremely important and many are stories that do not appear on the Internet and are used for the basis of future stories. Also, all the clippings are preserved in an archive file for future generations, who may otherwise not even know what a newspaper looks like.

50th Anniversary

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the 56-mile long natural barrier ecosystem that became the Cape Lookout National Seashore, home to the 169-foot tall 1859 Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society helped celebrate the occasion at their Annual Keepers Dinner Weekend this past October 7-8.

New Trail at Marshall Point

There is a new nature and history trail at the Marshall Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde, Maine. The trail was an Eagle Scout Project of 14-year-old Jacob Knowlton, who did all the planning and research as well as the obtaining of all the necessary permits. The trail has eight interpretative signs that are all relevant to the nature and history of the lighthouse.

Lake Lenape Fundraiser

The Friends of Lenape Lighthouse recently held a fundraiser that earned them slightly over $1,100 toward the restoration of the Lake Lenape Lighthouse in Mays Landing, New Jersey. The 1939 structure has been willfully neglected by Atlantic County, New Jersey which owns the historic structure that was once called the singing lighthouse. For more information on the lighthouse, refer to the story, “Mays Landing Lighthouse Faces Uncertain Future” that appeared in the January/February edition of Lighthouse Digest.

USCG Auxiliarist of the Year

Congratulations to Ronald Zwicky of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Auxiliary Flotilla 1-18 in Oahu, Hawaii who was recently named the United States Coast Guard’s Auxiliarist of the Year. Zwicky, who serves as a coxswain, instructor, interpreter and fingerprint technician, logged more than 1,450 hours of Auxiliary support missions ranging from surface patrol operations to public safety boating checks.

Grand Haven Pier To Be Closed – Catwalk Removed

The pier to Michigan’s Grand Haven Pier lighthouses will be closed for about a year as the Army Corps of Engineers conducts a $2.1 million repair to the pier. However, before the work could be started, the historic catwalk leading to the two lighthouses had to be removed at a cost of $84,000. When the pier is restored and repaired, the City of Grand Haven plans to reinstall the catwalk. However, it is estimated that it will cost well over $100,000 to reinstall the catwalk, so fundraising efforts have begun to cover the cost. Donations can be made on line at www.ghcatwalk.org or by mail to Grand Haven Area Community Foundation, Catwalk Fund, 1 S. Harbor Dr., Grand haven, MI 49417.

Half Moon Light Rededicated

The 1858 Half Moon Reef Lighthouse in Port Lavaca Texas was rededicated his past August 8th in a ceremony that also honored the Coast Guard. The lighthouse, which once sat out in the water and now sits adjacent to Bauer Community Center, was recently renovated by the Calhoun County Historical Commission.

New Law to Protect Montauk

The Governor of New York signed a law designed to protect historical landmarks such as the Montauk Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York State. The new law allows the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to take on any project to protect the 1796 lighthouse, which is primarily an erosion control project that will be handled by the Army Corps of Engineers. The press release did not mention where the money was going to come from.

Wrapping A Lighthouse!

The Canadian Government has given the green light to the Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society of the entire lighthouse in plastic is being done to stop water from getting into the masonry. The shrink- wrapping will cost approximately $80,000, which the nonprofit group has. But they will still need to raise the estimated $2 million that will be needed to save the lighthouse.

Greens Ledge Sold

The Greens Ledge Lighthouse off the coast of Norwalk, Connecticut has been sold for $150,000 to a private individual at a government on-line auction. The lighthouse, built in 1902, is also known as Greens Reef Lighthouse.

Addition at St. Augustine

Florida’s St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum is building a new 2,500 square foot Maritime Archaeology & Education Center that is now housed in the former Coast Guard barracks building that will be restored and turned into additional exhibit space. The new structure is costing approximately $865,000 to build.

Keeper’s Son Celebrates

Jens Pedersen returned to the Point Robinson Lighthouse in Vashon Island, Washington, where he lived many years ago when his father was the lighthouse keeper, to celebrate his 90th birthday. He was joined by family and friends who all enjoyed good food and many of his childhood recollections of life at the lighthouse.

Lake Fenton Light Renovated

The Lake Fenton Lighthouse located on Lake Fenton, an unincorporated community in Genesee County, Michigan, recently was updated with some renovations and a fresh coat of paint. The lighthouse facsimile has been a landmark on Lake Fenton since it was built in 1949. The renovations were done by Chris and Stephanie Carpenter, the fourth people to own the structure since it was built.

Southwest Ledge Light Sold

Beacon Preservation, which already owns the Goose Rocks Lighthouse in Maine, has purchased the Southwest Ledge Lighthouse at a GSA on-line auction for $180,002. The architecturally unique lighthouse, located at the entrance to New Haven Harbor in New Haven, Connecticut, was built in 1877 and is identical to the Ship Shoal Lighthouse in Delaware Bay. It was automated in 1973. The Southwest Ledge Lighthouse is sometimes referred to as the New Haven Breakwater Lighthouse.

Last Of Its Kind Gets Funding

The 1873 Rose Blanche Lighthouse, the last surviving lighthouse of its kind in Canada, is getting some much needed funding. According to a press release, more than $81,000 is going to the lighthouse and will include repairing mortar joints, replacing damaged stone, restoring the tower, building new entrance steps, and work to the trail that leads to the lighthouse. The money is coming from a variety of sources. The lighthouse is located in the southwest corner of Newfoundland.

Wood Island LSS Museum

The Wood Island Life Saving Station, once listed as one of the most endangered historic properties in Maine, is undergoing a nearly $1 million transformation thanks to efforts of the Wood Island Life Saving Station Association. Many thought that the old abandoned Life Saving Station was beyond repair, and others thought that the restoration would never take place. The Life Saving Station is located on a small island by the coastal border area of Maine and New Hampshire within site of the Whaleback Lighthouse and the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. The 7,600 square foot building is the only surviving Life Saving Station in the United States with a surviving marine railway. In 1915 the Life Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service were merged to create the United States Coast Guard.

Correct Lighthouse Location

In the last issue of Lighthouse Digest on page 35, in a story titled, “America’s First Solar Powered Weather Station was at a Lighthouse,” we stated that the Stratford Shoal Lighthouse was in Long Island Sound in the Connecticut waters off Port Jefferson, New Jersey, when it should have said in the waters off Port Jefferson, New York.

Portsmouth Keeper Honored

On September 24, 2016, a U.S. Lighthouse Service marker was placed on the grave site of lighthouse keeper Joshua Card, at the Riverside Cemetery in New Castle, New Hampshire. Joshua Card was the lighthouse keeper of Portsmouth Harbor Light from 1874-1909. The well attended ceremony was organized by the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor and Whaleback Lighthouses, which is a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation.

Model Donated

A 13-year old girl donated a model that she made of Michigan’s Marquette Harbor Lighthouse to the Marquette Maritime Museum. Marissa Berghuis said that she made the replica of the lighthouse a few years ago as part of a fourth grade school project. The museum said they were honored to receive the lighthouse for display.

The Price Is Right

The 1896 Braddock Point Lighthouse on Lake Ontario in Hilton, New York was recently featured on the popular TV show The Price Is Right. The lighthouse, now being operated as a bed and breakfast, is for sale with an asking price of $1.5 million.

This story appeared in the Nov/Dec 2016 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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