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Sankaty Head Lighthouse Blazing Star Rising

Debbie Dolphin — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:07:00 +0000

During a Beaver Full Moon-rise, the Blazing Star of Nantucket rose to burn Bright in the twilight thankful to be glowing again! Sconset Trust and the Coast Guard timed the Relighting Ceremony with the Full Moon rising on November 24, 2007.

Thanksgiving weekend was perfect timing to relight the famous symbol of safety. After 141 years of saving souls, Sankaty Head Lighthouse has received salvation after narrowly escaping the encroaching sea for the past 16 years!

Last month, Sankaty Head Lighthouse was relocated to safe stable ground 280-feet away the edge of the 90-feet high Sconset Bluff and Sconset Trust hopes the Blazing Star Lighthouse will be safe for at least another 100 years.

For complete coverage of the Sankaty Head Lighthouse Locomotion, please visit the previous posts:

Sankaty Head Lighthouse has landed!, Oct 12, 2007

Sankaty Head Lighthouse Ready to Roll, Sep 26, 2007 and

Lighthouse Locomotion, Sep 06, 2007

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Sankaty Head Lighthouse Blazing Star Rising, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, Sankaty Head, The Nantucket Independent, Sconset Trust, Nantucket, Massachusetts

Lighthouse Keeper Volunteers Honored!

Debbie Dolphin — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:42:00 +0000

Tis the season for so many thankful reasons and Bob Trapani, the executor director of the American Lighthouse Foundation, has expressed his thanks by honoring the dedication and hard work of 17 New England Lighthouse volunteers!

Seventeen Lighthouse Keeper Volunteers were recognized this month for going beyond the call of duty to save and preserve American Lighthouses, the Symbol of Safety in our maritime heritage. The selfless efforts of these modern Light-keepers also honors the vigilance and sacrifices of American Light-keepers who served from 1716 to 1998 to safeguard mankind from the dark misfortunes of the sea.

When visiting the following Lighthouses, please stop by and thank these hard working volunteers for keeping our Lights shining Bright!

Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, Rockland, Maine:Eric Davis and Sandy Clements

Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, Biddeford Pool, Maine:Sean Murphy and Shirley Stallings

Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, New Harbor, Maine:Joseph Ponti, Sue Merrick, and Doug Merrick

Friends of Little River Lighthouse, Cutler, Maine:
Al Vachon and Pat Vachon?

Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, New Castle, New Hampshire:
Sharon Mills and William Marshall

Cape Cod Chapter (Race Point Lighthouse), Provincetown, Massachusetts:
David Spang and Michele Dirksen

Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, Riverside, Rhode Island:
David Kelleher and Rob Charbonneau

New England Lighthouse Lovers
Ron Foster, ConnecticutFrank Carbone, Massachusetts

_____________________

For more information about the preservation efforts of these Guiding Light Volunteer Light-Keepers, please visit this Related News Source:Volunteer “Keepers of the Light” Honored by the American Lighthouse Foundation

For more information about the American Lighthouse Foundation and how to volunteer to save our Lighthouse heritage, please visit the www.LighthouseFoundation.org

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Lighthouse Keeper Volunteers Honored!, American Lighthouse Foundation, Rockland, Maine

Dutch Island Lighthouse Blinking and Winking Again!

Debbie Dolphin — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:12:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Ruben W. Perez /The Providence Journal)

After 28 years, Dutch Island Light began Blinking Red for 2-seconds and Winking for 4-seconds after Shirley Sheldon announced “Light the light” at 7 pm on Nov 17, 20007. Shirley Sheldon, a 84 year old Artist from Saunderstown, is another Lighthouse Lady who initiated the first effort to save Dutch Island Lighthouse and later became a member of the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society which was established in 2000.

After the cannon fire, the countdown to re-light Dutch Island Light began as Shirley watched and participated in the ceremony via a computer Web-cam installed for her to hear the countdown, to broadcast “Light the light,” and watch the Red Beacon return to active duty. Over 50 people attended the outdoor celebration in the Saunderstown yard of the Rheim family which faces the historic Lighthouse.

After seven years of raising funds and receiving a $120,000 Transportation Enhancement Grant, the Abcore Restoration Company was awarded the restoration contract and they restored the Tower from August to November. The company repaired the interior and exterior of the brick Tower including replacing floors and metalwork, removing graffiti and guano, and changing the Tower’s Daymark to white stucco finish for $255,000.

Dutch Island Lighthouse will pierce the darkness as a Private Active Aid to Navigation in the West Passage of Narragansett Bay exhibiting a Flashing Red Light every 6 seconds 56-feet above sea level.

Thanks to the efforts of the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society, another New England treasure will shine brightly for everyone!

Dutch Island Light is best viewed by boat. A distant view of the Lighthouse can be seen from the Fort Getty Recreation Area in Jamestown.

For more information about the Lighthouse, please visit the previous post “Dutch Island Lighthouse Restoration” and click on the photo of this post.

Map Location:
For Google Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Dutch Island Lighthouse and the Google Map of Fort Getty

Previous Post:
Dutch Island Lighthouse Restoration

Related News Source:
A whole new light, Nov 18, 2007

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Dutch Island Lighthouse , Dutch Island Lighthouse Blinking and Winking Again!, Restoration Project, Dutch Island, Rhode Island

Montauk Point Lighthouse Federal Funding

Debbie Dolphin — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:10:00 +0000

Montauk Point Lighthouse, the first federal Lighthouse authorized by President George Washington, is endangered by coastal erosion. Ironically, President Bush vetoed the Water Resource Development Act of 2007 which includes federal funding to build a 840-feet long 40-feet high 12.6-ton quarry stone revetment around the Montauk Point Lighthouse to protect President George Washington’s Lighthouse from sea erosion.

On Nov 2, 2007, President Bush vetoed the Bill to prove he is fiscally responsible yet, Representative Tim Bishop claimed Bush has “the most fiscally irresponsible administration in history.” Mr. Bishop assisted New York Senators Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton in overriding the veto.

On November 8th, the $23 billion Act became Public Law No: 110-114 after both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted to override the Bush veto. This was the first veto in the Bush’s presidency that was overturned by Congress.

The $14.6 million Montauk Point erosion control project is half-funded with the $7.3 million federal appropriation and requires the approval of State funding as well as overcoming a legal challenge from the Surfrider Foundation.

Tom Naro, the chairman of the local Surfrider chapter, believes the erosion control project does not meet New York State coastal policies and the seawall will diminish the waves at Alamo and Turtle Cove surfing spots. His press release also stated “We trust the government will ultimately decide not to literally throw money in the ocean.” Perhaps, the Queen of the Surf Pirates can surf over the Long Island Sound to prepare a Surf report and shine a surfing Light on this project?

In addition, a small number of surfers also proposed moving the famous Lighthouse landmark back from the edge of the bluff yet, the Army Corps of Engineers claim moving the Lighthouse is cost prohibitive and the sandstone Lighthouse may crumble during the move. Gregory Donohue, the erosion control manager at the Lighthouse, stated “The notion of moving the Lighthouse is ridiculous.”

Would the Father of our Country approve the $14.6 million Montauk Point erosion control project to save his Lighthouse which cost him $22,300 to build in 1796 or would he support the Surfer Dudes?

For more information about the Lighthouse, please visit the previous post “Saving George Washington’s Lighthouse?” and click on the photo of this post.

Map Location:
For Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Montauk Point Lighthouse.

Related News Story:
Lighthouse Money Outlives Bush Veto

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Montauk Point Lighthouse, Montauk Point Lighthouse Federal Funding, Montauk Point, New York

Dyce Head Lighthouse to Shine Brightly Again

Debbie Dolphin — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 23:14:00 +0000

Neither sea nor storms nor the latest GPS technology can keep a Lighthouse Dark forever! In a strange twist of fate, our navigational heroes received town approval to reactivate Dyce Head Lighthouse on October 22.

Dyce Head Lighthouse has been dark for 72 years after the Coast Guard erected a skeleton Light tower in 1935. The new Light tower has not been active for two months after a September microburst wind storm twisted and bent the steel navigational aid!

Dyce Head Lighthouse was built in 1829 exhibiting a Fixed White Light to guide shipping entering the Penobscot River toward the lumber port of Bangor, Maine. The Lighthouse was deactivated due to a decrease in navigation and budget cutbacks. The town of Castine acquired the Keeper’s house in 1937 and the Lighthouse in 1956.

The town restored the Light Station from 1999 to 2000. According to Frank Wiswall, a Planning Board member, approving Coast Guard Access to restore, maintain, and operate the Beacon in the Lighthouse will provide a improved cost effective navigational aid that will be 100-feet higher with safer access than the shore skeleton Light tower.

The Aids to Navigation Team will install a modern 300 mm lighthouse optic as soon as a electrical easement is approved for wiring a separate power line to the Tower.

Dyce Head Lighthouse is closed to the public and the Keeper’s house is leased to private tenants. Visitors are welcome to view the Lighthouse from a distance.

Map Location:
For Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Dyce Head Lighthouse.

Related News Story:
Castine Residents Help Get Dyce Head Lighthouse Shining Again and Bob Trapani for providing the news lead. Bob Trapani is one the many Lighthouse heroes on the front-line who are saving and preserving American Lighthouses.

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Dyce Head Lighthouse, Dyce Head Lighthouse to Shine Brightly Again, Castine, Maine

Execution Rocks Lighthouse Deadline Deal

Debbie Dolphin — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:43:00 +0000

Surprisingly(1), a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Preservation Society was the only nonprofit organization to express interest in the New York Long Island Sound Lighthouse. Historically Significant Structures was the only nonprofit group to submit a letter of interest before the July 29th deadline according to Newsday.com.

The real estate agent for the government has extended their application deadline from November 20th to January 4, 2008 to allow Historically Significant Structures more time to plan and find local partners. On August 20th, the group visited the Lighthouse and they were surprised to find the structure in good shape.

The Philadelphia Preservation group was established in 2003 to restore Lighthouses. Currently, an architectural restoration firm is developing a restoration plan for Execution Rocks Lighthouse which is the second New York Long Island Sound Lighthouse offered in the government give away deal of the century in accordance with the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.

In 1850, the 55-foot high granite Lighthouse was First Lit exhibiting a Fixed Red Light 58-feet above sea level to mark the treacherous Execution Rocks located one mile north of Sands Point at the west end of Long Island Sound. Sands Point Lighthouse, built in 1809 to mark Execution Rocks, was a ineffective warning to mariners sailing in a fog or a storm.

Currently, Execution Rocks Lighthouse exhibits a Flashing White Light every 10-seconds illuminated by a solar-powered APRB-251 rotating beacon 62-feet above sea level to a visible range of 15 nautical miles.

According to two opposing legends, the name of the rocks was deadly. The British sea captains named the rocky reef, Execution Rocks for executing ships and souls shipwrecked by the low-lying rocks. During the revolutionary war, the Patriots named the rocky reef, Execution Rocks for the secret British executions of patriotic prisoners who were chained to the rocks until the incoming rising tide carried out their death sentence. Some historians claim Thomas Jefferson penned “For protecting them (British redcoats), by a mock Trial from punishment for any murders which they commit on the Inhabitants of these States:” in the Declaration of Independence as a memorial to the Patriots who met their British deadline at Execution Rocks.

Fortunately, the Pennsylvania Preservation Society will not be executed on the rocks by the new American deadline!

Map Location:
For a Map location, please visit the Google Map of Execution Rocks Lighthouse

(1) Surprising that no local New York Lighthouse Preservation Society like the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society expressed interest in their Execution Rocks Lighthouse!

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Execution Rocks Lighthouse, Execution Rocks Lighthouse Deadline Deal, New Rochelle, New York

Sandy Neck Lighthouse Blazing Beacon

Debbie Dolphin — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 07:12:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Steve Heaslip/
Cape Cod Times)

On October 20, Sandy Neck Lighthouse was reactivated as a Private Aid to Navigation. The solar powered Lighthouse was re-lighted in a festival followed by a fireworks display.

About 200 people were ferried out to the 6-mile long Sandy Neck peninsula by the Hyannis Whale Watch Cruises to celebrate the restored Lighthouse which was a dark headless tower for the past 75-years.

The Sandy Neck Lighthouse Restoration Committee raised over $65,000 in private donations to construct a new Lantern Room. They did not use government grants since the grants required the private Lighthouse to be open to the public. Since 1933, the six-room Queen Anne Victorian Keeper’s house and tower have been a private residence.

For more information about the Lighthouse, please click on the photo of this post.

Map Location:
For Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Sandy Neck Lighthouse.

Related News Story:
Sandy Neck Light glows after 75 years

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Sandy Neck Lighthouse, Sandy Neck Lighthouse Blazing Beacon, Headless Lighthouse Restoration, Cape Cod, Barnstable, Massachusetts

Beavertail Lighthouse Residential Housing Controversy

Debbie Dolphin — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 03:00:00 +0000

After 30 years of leasing the Keeper’s house to Lighthouse Caretakers, Jamestown Administrator Bruce Keiser has recommended terminating the town’s License of Beavertail Lighthouse. In recent months, the Coast Guard, the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association, and the Beavertail State Park Advisory Committee have been concerned about using the Lighthouse as affordable housing for families with children.

The Coast Guard, who licensed Beavertail Lighthouse to Jamestown to maintain the scenic property, was unaware that the town was leasing the Keeper’s house for 30 years! How do civilian caretakers slip through the cracks of the Coast Guard who maintains and operates the Active Beacon in the Lighthouse?

Currently, the Coast Guard is concerned about the liability of lead-paint problems with children living there. Ironically, Coast Guard Light-keeper Domenic Turillo, who was assigned to Beavertail Lighthouse in 1951, was the father of 11 young children!

The Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association and the Beavertail State Park Advisory Committee also object to the affordable housing and claim the caretaker should be maintaining the grounds and some of the buildings.

Unfortunately, the news article does not indicate whether Jamestown complied with J. J. Metcalf’s, commander of the USCG Civil Engineering Unit Providence, order to stop using Lighthouse’s caretaker quarters for affordable housing.

The Department of Environmental Management, Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association, and Jamestown’s Beavertail Acquisition Committee are meeting to discuss the disposition of the Lighthouse ownership on October 17, 2007. Regardless of the meeting’s outcome, the Coast Guard will have the final word in which organization or partnerships will maintain and manage the 151 year old Beavertail Lighthouse.
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Beavertail Lighthouse was the third colonial Lighthouse built in America to guide shipping entering the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay en-route to Newport Harbor. The current 52-foot high square Granite Tower was built in 1856 and currently exhibits a Flashing White Light every 6-seconds illuminated by a Third-order Fresnel lens 64-feet above sea level to a visible range of 15 nautical miles. For more information about Beavertail Lighthouse, please click on the photo of this post.

Map Location:
For a Map location, please visit the Google Map of Beavertail Lighthouse

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Beavertail Lighthouse, Beavertail Lighthouse Residential Housing Controversy, Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association, Beavertail State Park Advisory Committee, Jamestown, Rhode Island

Sandy Neck Lighthouse 150th Celebration

Debbie Dolphin — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 02:37:00 +0000

On October 13, 2007, Sandy Neck Lighthouse was dedicated on the 150th anniversary of the construction of the Lighthouse and the 75th anniversary of its decommissioning to celebrate the restored Lighthouse.

The Headless Lighthouse became a traditional Lighthouse after the construction of the new cast-iron Lantern Room was completed on June 18 and the glass installation was completed on Aug 25 after the Lantern glass was donated by L&M Glass.

After five years, The Sandy Neck Lighthouse Restoration project has returned the Headless Tower to the original historic appearance of the 1857 Lighthouse. For this Halloween, the Headless Horseman can only haunt the Headless Lighthouse at Stage Harbor in Chatham, Massachusetts.

The Sandy Neck Lighthouse Restoration Committee is currently working with the Coast Guard to be approved as a private aid to navigation in order to re-light the lighthouse.

In 1827, the first Sandy Neck Lighthouse was built on Beach Point at the end of Sandy Neck to mark the entrance of Barnstable Harbor. The current 40-feet high conical brick Tower was built in 1857 exhibiting a Fixed White light illuminated by a Fifth-order Fresnel Lens and Oil Lamp. The Lighthouse was deactivated in 1931 and replaced by a white steel Skeletal Tower due to the changing shoreline caused by the shifting sands. The Coast Guard beheaded the Lighthouse and removed the Fresnel Lens in 1932.

For more information about the Lighthouse, please click on the photo of this post.

Map Location:
For Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Sandy Neck Lighthouse.

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Sandy Neck Lighthouse, Sandy Neck Lighthouse 150th Celebration, Headless Lighthouse Restoration, Cape Cod, Barnstable, Massachusetts

Sankaty Head Lighthouse has landed!

Debbie Dolphin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:40:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Rob Benchley/
The Nantucket Independent)

The Blazing Star Lighthouse was lowered the final few inches onto the new foundation at 1:13 pm yesterday.

The only original(1) Lighthouse on Nantucket has been relocated 405-feet northwest inland to a safe sanctuary next to the 5th hole of Sankaty Head Golf Club. If you missed Rob Benchley’s excellent photo journal of the move, than please visit the Sconset Trust website. For photos of the move, scroll to the October 1 through October 11 Screens and click on each date.

After the 450-ton symbol of Nantucket was lifted by 16 hydraulic jacks, two hydraulic ram pistons pushed the Blazing Star Lighthouse on 16 rollers along a steel beam track greased with soap and lubricated with whale oil(2) to recall the whaling history of Nantucket. Every 10 minutes, the Lighthouse was pushed 62-inches averaging about 80-feet per day to stable ground about 280 feet from edge of the 90-feet high bluff.

The distinctive red and white band Lighthouse was built 280-feet
from the edge of the bluff in 1850. Sea and Storm erosion carved away 205-feet of the crumbling cliff over the past 157-years placing the Lighthouse in the precarious position of collapsing into the sea. Fortunately, the Lighthouse was pushed away from the eroding bluff by International Chimney and Expert House Movers.
Sconset Trust hopes the Blazing Star Lighthouse will be safe for at least another 100 years.

Currently, International Chimney Corporation is stabilizing the Lighthouse on the new foundation and the Lighthouse is expected to be re-activated soon after the power source has been connected.

According to Golf Digest, the Sankaty Head golf course is the home course of Bill Belichick, the Head Coach of the New England Patriots. Now, the Beacon of the Patriots will have a Lighthouse to guide his golf game!

(1) Both Brant Point Lighthouse and Great Point Lighthouse were rebuilt after both Lighthouses were destroyed by fires and storms.

(2) Please note that No whales were harmed or killed for the move. The spermacetti whale oil was collected from a sperm whale that that beached itself and died on Low Beach in Sconset in 1998.

I would like to express my deep appreciation to Don Costanzo, Editor & Publisher of The Nantucket Independent for granting permission to use Rob Benchley excellent photography in the Sankaty Head Light relocation posts.

For more information about Sankaty Head Lighthouse, please click on the photo of this post or the links below:

Related Posts:
Sankaty Head Lighthouse Ready to Roll, Sep 26, 2007
Lighthouse Locomotion, Sep 06, 2007

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Sankaty Head Lighthouse has landed!, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, Sankaty Head, The Nantucket Independent, Sconset Trust, Nantucket, Massachusetts

Smith Point Lighthouse Extreme Makeover

Debbie Dolphin — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 07:20:00 +0000

The dream of being a modern Lighthouse Keeper can be realized by purchasing a extreme home with a 360-degree view of the bay and a Night Light visible to 22 nautical miles! Smith Point Lighthouse, built 110 years ago to mark the shoals off Smith Point in the Chesapeake Bay, was purchased by Dave McNally as his dream vacation home!

Dave, a resident from Minnesota, began trawling for Lighthouses on eBay in 2005. Disappointed with eBay, Dave Googled “lighthouses for sale” and discovered four offshore Lighthouses being auctioned by the General Services Administration. Dave was drawn to the “Coffee Pot” Lighthouse in Virginia near the mouth of the Potomac River due to the lopsided shape of the Beacon. McNally eventually won the online bidding battle for $170,000 on October 21, 2005.

For the past two years, Dave has been restoring his extreme home complying with the historic preservation guidelines. Can you imagine being told three times you can not buy the windows you want? On his fourth selection, the Virginia preservation society finally approved his hurricane-proof tempered glass windows!

Amazingly, Dave does not have home insurance because his Lighthouse is located in a flood-plain! And no doubt, Dave is rudely awaken every 15-seconds when his Fog horn blasts. Hopefully, the pleasures of his extreme weekend retreat outweigh his headaches?

Fortunately for Dave, the Coast Guard’s access to the active Lighthouse aid is a minor inconvenience. Currently, Smith Point Lighthouse exhibits a Flashing White Light every 10-seconds illuminated by a DCB-24 Aerobeacon 52-feet above sea level to a visible range of 22 nautical miles.

Map Location:
For directions to Smith Point Lighthouse, please click on the Google Map of Smith Point Lighthouse

Sankaty Head Lighthouse Ready to Roll

Debbie Dolphin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 02:17:00 +0000

(Photo credit: Rob Benchley/
The Nantucket Independent)

Rob Benchley is the official photographer for the move of the Blazing Star Lighthouse.
Rob has prepared a excellent online photo slideshow to chronicle this rare historic event!
Currently, Rob’s slideshow has documented the preparation work for the move and a daily update of the move will be posted at the Sconset Trust Home Page, www.sconsettrust.org.

For example, the “Under the Lighthouse” Slideshow by photo-journalist Rob Benchley is incredible! Navigate through the screens to the September 20 date.

Sankaty Head Light was turned off today for the move scheduled to start on Monday, October 1, 2007. The Lighthouse has been excavated and lifted 3-feet above its foundation and is ready for relocation. A Hydraulic horizontal jacking system will push Sankaty Head Lighthouse 62-inches every 10 minutes! A previous post called “Lighthouse Locomotion” explored the events leading to final decision to relocate the Lighthouse 390-feet inland.

Links to the news coverage of the move by The Nantucket Independent will be posted here:
She Moves!, Oct 3, 2007
Moving a Monolith: Sankaty Lighthouse, Sep 28, 2007
Moving Sankaty, Sep 26, 2007
“Lift-off” for Sankaty, Sep 19, 2007
Sankaty sprouts lifting beams, Sep 12, 2007

Related Post:
Lighthouse Locomotion, Sep 06, 2007

Permanent Link to this post.

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Sankaty Head Lighthouse, Sankaty Head Lighthouse Ready to Roll, Sankaty Head, The Nantucket Independent, Sconset Trust, Nantucket, Massachusetts

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the jewel of North Carolina

Debbie Dolphin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:04:00 +0000

As a guest author for Paula the Surf Mom’s Outer Banks Surfing Blog, I wrote a two part post about Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the jewel of North Carolina.

Part 1:
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the towering gem of our nation, has a fascinating story of engineering technology taken to new heights! Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a good example of how the height of Lighthouses played a important role in how far the Light could be seen at sea. » Click here to read more

and Part 2:
The five-wick whale oil lamp consumed 6 gallons every night. Lighthouse Keepers carried about 45-pounds of whale oil up 268 spiral steps every night. To keep the Light rotating and shining bright, Wickies rewound the clockwork mechanism every 12 hours and polished the 1,000 prisms of the Fresnel lens every day for $800 per year. » Click here to read more

The jewel of North Carolina is perhaps the best place to view the ever-changing spectacular scenery of the Cape Hatteras shoreline! For those who love the surf or love to surf, please visit Paula’s OBX surf reports.

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the jewel of North Carolina, Outer Banks, North Carolina

Lighthouse Kids Save White Island Light again

Debbie Dolphin — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 19:50:00 +0000

The Lighthouse Kids continue to raise funds to rescue White Island Lighthouse from storm damage. Recently, they donated $100,000 to rebuild the marine landing ramp that was washed away during the Patriots Day Nor’easter of April 16, 2007.

White Island Lighthouse, located 7-miles offshore from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, is exposed to powerful ocean storms. The Nor’easter also washed away the solar panels and the covered walkway connecting the Keeeper’s house to the tower.

White Island Lighthouse was built to mark the Isles of Shoals, a treacherous group of nine low lying islands that obstruct navigation approaching Portsmouth Harbor in New Hampshire. After White Island Light became automated on Oct 10, 1986, the Coast Guard Keepers were removed and the abandoned Light Station was battered and damaged by ocean storms.
For more information about the Lighthouse, please click on the photo of this post.

The Lighthouse Kids is a inspirational story about a nonprofit group of North Hampton seventh graders organized by Sue Reynolds in 2000 to save their abandoned Lighthouse! After five years of raising funds, the Lighthouse Kids donated $110,000 to the State of New Hampshire on June 22, 2005. Governor John Lynch accepted their check and authorized the restoration of the endangered White Island Light Station. Fortunately, the Tower restoration completed in 2005 saved the Lighthouse during Patriots Day Nor’easter.

Since April 16, 2007, major Lighthouse repairs have been on hold until a new landing ramp is constructed. Ramp construction is scheduled for a mid-October completion to reopen the access to repair the Light Station thanks to the determined efforts of the Lighthouse Kids!

Map Location:
For a Map location, please visit the Google Map of White Island Lighthouse

Related News Stories:
Work under way to restore marine railway at White Island Lighthouse, Sep 21, 2007

Lighthouse is battered by storm, May 15, 2007

Technorati Tags: lighthouse, White Island Lighthouse, Lighthouse Kids Save White Island Lighthouse again, Lighthouse Kids of White Island Lighthouse, SeacoastOnline, Isles of Shoals, North Hampton, New Hampshire

Whaleback Ledge Lighthouse Tour

Debbie Dolphin — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 02:52:00 +0000

On Sep 18, 2007, the Coast Guard opened Whaleback Ledge Lighthouse for tours to the nonprofit organizations interested in acquiring the Light. The tours are a part of the application process provided by the General Services Administration, the real estate agent for the Lighthouse. The National Parks Service will review the applications and decide who will own Whaleback Ledge Lighthouse based on their financial, management, and preservation plans.

After the inspection, Casey Jordan, president of Beacon Preservation in Ansonia, Connecticut, noted the Lighthouse was like “the Rock of Gibraltar; it’s in such good shape.” Hampton, NH-based Lifewise Community Projects and the American Lighthouse Foundation in Rockland, Maine also inspected the Lighthouse on Thursday.

The following link provides information about the Lighthouse to prospective owners: Notice of Availability
The pdf document has some interesting photos of the interior of the Lighthouse and the boat dock access to the Lighthouse.

From the news article or absent from the news article, there was no mention of a PETA Lighthouse Cafe which is a good sign that only interested nonprofit groups will preserve, maintain, and provide Coast Guard access to Light to keep the Beacon functional!

Based on the feedback comments from Timothy Harrison and Jeremy D’Entremont in the previous post, Lighthouse Support, the future of Whaleback Ledge Lighthouse is looking bright!

For more information about Whaleback Ledge Lighthouse, please click on the photo of this post.

Map Location:
For Map Directions, please visit the Google Map of Whaleback Ledge Lighthouse