Crossed the Bar
We are saddened to report that Betty Morgan Vance has passed away at the age of 89. From 2004 to 2011, she spent a good portion of each summer working with her companion, Hal Biering, known as “Mr. Hal,” on the restoration of Little River Lighthouse in Cutler, Maine.
Other than when in Maine working on the restoration of the lighthouse, Betty had been a resident of Fairhope, Alabama since 1955.
Mr. Hal started coming from Alabama to Maine with his motor home in 2003 to spend each spring and summer working on the lighthouse restoration. Betty joined him in that project in 2004.
Betty and Hal are shown here at the end of their last trip to Maine in 2011. Not only did they donate five to six days a week working on the lighthouse restoration every summer, they also donated money to the cause.
Betty was a good person who loved Little River Lighthouse and the people of Cutler, Maine. Our sincere condolences go out to her family, friends, and all who knew her. We will never forget her.
Harbour Town Light on Beer
South Carolina’s Sea Pines Resort recently started selling “Lighthouse Blonde,” a new brew from River Dog Brewery that features the Harbour Town Lighthouse in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The new brew, which was made especially for the resort, was designed by the Sea Pines marketing team.
Port Isabel Reopens
The Port Isabel Lighthouse in Port Isabel, Texas reopened this past January after a lengthy restoration that took much longer than expected. The lighthouse had been closed since restoration started in October of 2016. This restoration followed a previous restoration in 2000 that brought the lighthouse back to its original 1852 appearance.
Wrapped in Plaid
The Harbour Town Lighthouse got some new duds this past February when it was wrapped in a red plaid vinyl in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament. The red plaid wrapping on its red bands will remain on the lighthouse through April 15.
Changes at GLLKA
Jim Tamlyn was recently appointed as the new Operations Manager of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association. Tamlyn will oversee the operations of GLLKA, leaving former Executive Director Terry Pepper, who took a leave of absence for health reasons, to continue to consult for GLLKA and to continue with fund raising and other projects.
New Light for Lake Havasu
The Lake Havasu Lighthouse Club, which now has over two dozen replicas of famous lighthouses at various locations on Lake Havasu, Arizona, has now added a replica of Virginia’s Cape Henry Lighthouse to its ever-growing collection of lighthouses modeled after actual lighthouses.
Low Point Restoration
The Low Point Lighthouse, left, in New Victoria, Nova Scotia has received some much needed restoration, thanks in part to $75,000 in money from “This Lighthouse Matters” crowd funding. Built in 1938, the lighthouse is sometimes referred to as Flat Point Lighthouse.
Brown’s Pt Gets Historic Status
Washington State’s Pierce County Council has added the Brown’s Point Lighthouse in Tacoma, Washington to the Pierce County Register of Historic Places. The Council also approved an application for an $11,500 grant for restoration of the generator building.
Purple in Nova Scotia
This past January, Nova Scotia’s Seal Island Lighthouse Museum was shining purple as part of the Shine the Light on Women Abuse Campaign, and to honor the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and Girls. The initiative was a joint effort between the Municipality of Barrington, Nova Scotia and the Cape Sable Historical Society, co-owners of the Seal Island Lighthouse Museum. The Municipality owns the historic lens and the lantern that sits atop the tower that is owned by the society. The tower is roughly a half-scale replica of the real 1831 Seal Island Lighthouse. The lantern and lens that are on top of the replica were removed from the real Seal Island Lighthouse in 1978 and placed atop the replica.
Mystery Scottish Keeper
The staff at the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses is trying to identify this man, who they believe was a lighthouse keeper at the Kinnaird Head Lighthouse in Fraserburg, Scotland. The only clue that they have is the name of the photographer, who was James Gordon. Using the dates of the photographer’s career, they have been able to narrow down the list to one of the following six men: David Waters, Francis Harvey, William Gordon, Robert Murray, Niven Kerr, and John Laidlaw. But it will require some type of definite proof to solve the mystery. If you can help, you can email them at administration@lighthousemuseum.org.uk
Jumper at Jupiter
A 16-year old boy jumped off Florida’s Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and survived. Apparently, on the way down he struck a palm tree which broke his fall and thrust him into some bushes. He told first responders that he was attempting to commit suicide.
Vandals Strike Absecon
This past January, vandals got on the grounds of the 1857 Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, New Jersey and painted graffiti on the lighthouse. Within a matter of hours of the graffiti having been discovered, it was removed. At 169 feet high, it is the tallest lighthouse in the state of New Jersey and is extremely popular with tourists as well as locals.
Point Fermin Light A Star
The 1874 Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro, California was extensively featured this past January in Season 4, Episode 14 of the popular television show Scorpion. In the episode titled “Lighthouse of the Rising Sun,” the lighthouse was featured as a bed and breakfast, which it is not. But, the TV show provided some nice scenes of the lighthouse which would be beneficial to the many people who have never visited the lighthouse. Also, the TV show made a nice donation to the lighthouse.
To see this story with all photos as printed in the March/April issue, click here.
This story appeared in the
Mar/Apr 2018 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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