Lighthouses Forever

Old Point Loma lighthouse funding at risk

The Old Point Loma lighthouse near San Diego is part of Cabrillo National Monument. According to an article on 10News.com, funding for Cabrillo National Monument is woefully inadequate, and this will have effects on ongoing restoration of the Old Point Loma lighthouse.

Although the lighthouse has recently been restored, other plans to refurbish and install historic furnishings in other areas around the park are on hold...

The article includes a nice video clip with views of the lighthouse and surrounding area.

The website of Cabrillo National Monument includes a history of the Old Point Loma lighthouse. I thought this excerpt was most interesting:

The light had only a short life because the seemingly good location concealed a serious flaw: fog and low clouds often obscured the beam. On March 23, 1891, the keeper extinguished the lamp for the last time. Boarding up the lighthouse, he moved his family and belongings into a new light station at the bottom of the hill.

The "New" Point Loma lighthouse is still an active Coast Guard facility.

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Hike to New Dungeness lighthouse

The New Dungeness lighthouse occupies a spit of land that juts 5 miles into the Strait of Juan De Fuca from Washington's Olympic Peninsula. For day visitors the only way to reach this scenic spot is to hike the beach there and back. The rest of Dungeness spit is a protected wildlife refuge, so the hike offers views of more than the lighthouse.

Seattlepi.com has a nice account of one groups experience on the hike to the New Dungeness lighthouse.

We climbed the 74-step spiral staircase to the top of the tower, taking them three at a time. It was like climbing inside a moon snail shell. There, another keeper described changes to the spit and lighthouse, such as lowering the tower from 100 feet to 63 feet because of cracks in the tower. The light in the tower originally was powered by lard oil and magnified by a Fresnel lens, but by the mid-'70s the light and fog signals were automated. The light can be seen up to 17 miles out to sea.

The New Dungeness Light Station Association maintains one of the nicest lighthouse website I've come across. I especially enjoyed the slide show produced by Rick Snodgrass and the 360 degree panoramas from the grounds and the tower. The volunteer keeper program is an incredible value. Members of the association can serve at the lighthouse for as little as $240 per week!

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Coast Guard auctions off lighthouses

USA Today had a nice article recently on the ongoing Coast Guard program to turn over lighthouses to nonprofit organizations or auction them off to the highest bidder. The story centers on the experiences of Pete Jurewicz who purchased the Thimble Shoal lighthouse in Virginia.

"Honey," he told his wife, Bonnie, "I've got good news, and I've got bad news. The good news is we own a lighthouse. The bad news is — we own a lighthouse."

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25 lighthouses in Sandusky, Ohio

According to the Morning Journal, 25 lighthouses will be scattered around downtown Sandusky, Ohio, this summer. The six foot fiberglass replicas will be decorated by local artists, sponsored by local businesses, and eventually auctioned off to the highest bidder as a fund raising project for the Merry-Go-Round Museum.

''We've received a wonderful variety of designs from the local art community,'' said Darlene Wood, chair of the Artistic Review Committee that reviewed proposals. ''We'll have everything from traditional looking lighthouses to the abstract. We have one that looks like a wine bottle, and even the Statue of Liberty.''

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Nobby's Head lighthouse controversy

The fate of Australia's Nobby's Head lighthouse is embroiled in a long standing controversy. The scenic light station occupies a rocky headland in Newcastle, New South Wales. Local business interests would like to develop the site as a tourist attraction including accommodations, a restaurant, and a viewing platform. But, according to an article on the website of the Newcastle Star, Peter Garrett, Australia's minister for the Environment, Heritage, and the Arts, has vetoed the project against the recommendation of his own staff.

The article, for the most part, conveys the interests of the local businesses. But the website of the Parks and Playgrounds Movement presents the case for the opposition. They argue that the site has too much cultural significance to fall into the hands of private interests. Apparently the minister agreed, though his decision is not quite final.

Due to the considerable public interest in the site the minister announced a 10-day period of comment where he will seek the public’s opinion on his decision to refuse the redevelopment proposal.

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Modern day lighthouse tender

Newsday has a nice article profiling a modern day lighthouse tender. Brian Gresham is an electrician's mate in the U.S. Coast Guard and is the primary maintenance person for twenty New England lighthouses. The story gives you a "day in the life" perspective on his work.

"I love the job," he said. "It's good to be part of the history. I like being out on the water. I like to work with my hands. And I like to help out the mariner."

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Nominate a lighthouse for new windows and doors

JELD-WEN Windows & Doors is calling for the public to nominate worthy lighthouse candidates in need of new windows and doors for their restoration efforts. People can nominate their favorite lighthouse in need of new windows and doors by visiting www.jeld-wen.com/lighthouse before May 18 and answering a few simple questions. Operators of the nominated lighthouses will be invited to provide more detailed information about their restoration programs. Later this summer, the top nominees will be posted on www.jeld-wen.com and the public will be called upon to vote for their favorite lighthouse finalists.

The JELD-WEN Reliable Lighthouse Restoration Initiative began in 2005 as a way to preserve these beloved U.S. landmarks with the latest in window and door technology, and help restore the original architecture and performance of the historic structures. The lighthouse selected for 2008 will be following in the footsteps of three impressive lighthouses: Umpqua River Lighthouse on Oregon’s southern coastline, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay, and Wind Point Lighthouse in Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Michigan.

You can view a video of the restoration of the Thomas Point Shoal lighthouse at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lul729Lkr2o

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Split Rock lighthouse repairs

Access to Minnesota's iconic Split Rock lighthouse will be limited and the lighthouse may be covered in scaffolding until mid May. According to the Pioneer Press,

The Lake Superior landmark's lantern room will get a paint job inside and out. Twenty-seven curved glass windows, or storm panes, will be removed, resealed and replaced to stop leaking that occurs during bad storms.

(Photo: Minnesota Historical Society)

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Keeper of the Rose Island lighthouse

The Rose Island lighthouse is located on an uninhabited island one mile off shore from Newport, Rhode Island. The 1870 lighthouse was built on the foundations of a revolutionary war era fort. The island was used as a military base until it was abandoned in the 1970s. After some years of neglect, the lighthouse was purchased by the city of Newport and restored by the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation.

Adventurous travelers have the opportunity to stay at the lighthouse either as overnight guests or as volunteer keepers for a week. Here's a nice video showing the work of a volunteer keeper.

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Australian lighthouse lodgings

The Sydney Morning Herald recently ran an article identifying 10 of the best lighthouse lodgings in Australia.

Some take a bit of getting to or require you to bring your own food and bedding; others are all-inclusive B&Bs with a dash of luxury. One common trait is that they provide all-weather accommodation in remote, beautiful places.

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