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Tarrytown Lighthouse Renovation

The 1883 Tarrytown Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is undergoing a major restoration. According to local officials this includes repairing and painting the exterior cast iron tower, replacing windows and doors, cellar repairs, re-pointing the foundation and new lighting.

A New Lighthouse Kid

This is 5-year-old Micah, grandson of Lighthouse Digest subscriber Randy Hemstad, holding up the great centerfold image of the sun at Maine’s Seguin Island Lighthouse, by photographer Sean W. O’Connell, that appeared in our last issue. Micah is a big fan of lighthouses, and he and his siblings subscribe to Lighthouse Digest, thanks to Grandpa.

Maine’s Winter Harbor Lighthouse For Sale

Maine’s Winter Harbor Lighthouse, which is also known as Mark Island Lighthouse, in Winter Harbor, Maine, is still for sale. The asking price is $2.3 million. The 1856 lighthouse was sold by the government in 1934 and has remained in private ownership since then.

You can learn more about Winter Harbor Lighthouse by referring to the story “Life on Mark Island Inspires Book,” in the March/April 2018 edition of Lighthouse Digest. The story can also be found in our online archives by going to www.LighthouseDigest.com and click on Archives, and then type in Winter Harbor in the Search box.

Bodie Island Turns 150

A ceremony was planned for this past October at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore to honor the 150th of North Carolina’s 170-foot-tall Bodie Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1872 and automated in 1954. The lighthouse still has its operational first order Fresnel lens. The ceremony was postponed due to Hurricane Ian.

Bear River Restored

The Bear River Lighthouse in Smiths Cove, Nova Scotia is being restored by the Smith’s Cove Historical Society. The lighthouse, now owned by the Municipality of Digby, was decommissioned in 2001and became hidden by trees as its condition deteriorated. The plans call for a park to be built around the lighthouse.

Lighthouse in Disneyland Parade

This year, Disneyland in Southern California is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Main Street Electrical Parade.  The floats and performers’ costumes utilize 600,000 electronically-controlled LED lightbulbs and feature different Disney movies. The float shown is based on the 1940 Disney animated classic, Pinocchio, and represents Pleasure Island, which is an amusement park for delinquent boys.  While there is no lighthouse image in the film, much of the latter half of the movie takes place in the ocean with Monstro the whale, which the lighthouse also likely represents.

Church Beacon

This magnificent beacon is on the grounds of the Lighthouse Christian Church in Merritt, Florida. Lighthouse Digest subscriber Pam Winegar, who sent us this photo, said she always enjoys seeing it when she goes to the grocery store across the street.

Åland Christmas Stamp for 2022

Åland has been an autonomous and demilitarized region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, its only official language is Swedish and the capital city is Mariehamn. Åland is situated in an archipelago, called the Åland Islands, at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea belonging to Finland. Apparently, a good source of income for the region is the issuance and selling of collectible postage stamps. We sure do like this one.

Cana Island Light Reopens

The 1870 Cana Island Lighthouse in Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin reopened to the public this past August after Phase 4 of its restoration was completed. The lighthouse is now owned by the Door County Maritime Museum.

NPS Approves Plan for Ocracoke Light Station

The National Park Service has approved a plan to elevate the keepers house by four feet and most of the outbuildings by two feet at North Carolina’s Ocracoke Light Station. The lighthouse itself and the oil house will not be elevated. Having been damaged by recent flood waters from hurricanes, all the structures at the light station will be repaired and painted.

Kewaunee Pierhead Added to List

The 1931 Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse, on Lake Michigan in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In September of 2011, ownership of the lighthouse was transferred from the Coast Guard to the City of Kewaunee.

St. Augustine Director Retires

After 28 years of dedicated service, Kathy Fleming, the executive director of Florida’s St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum has retired. We wish to thank her for her years of service and friendship to the lighthouse community and wish her the very best in her future endeavors.

Mystery Fog Bell

This is a U.S. Light House Establishment Fog Bell that is on display on the grounds of the 1872 Hospital Point Lighthouse in Beverly, Massachusetts. It is believed that the fog bell was rescued from a Coast Guard scrap heap by Rear Admiral Richard Bauman in 1983, but apparently there are no records to prove it. It is also unknown if the fog bell came from a lighthouse or a large navigational buoy. If any of our readers can help, please contact us, or email John W. Keyes with the Coast Guard at John.W.Keyes@USCG.mil

Lighthouse Leader Dies

Guy Towers, who, in 1986, founded California’s St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society, passed away on August 22, 2022. Born in 1939, his strong Christian beliefs of Christ’s light to the world, led him to lighthouses and eventually to become the driving force behind working to save the St. George Reef Lighthouse off the coast of Crescent City, California. At the time it was built in 1892, it was the most expensive lighthouse built by the government. In spite of numerous setbacks in working to save the lighthouse, Guy Towers persevered and made great accomplishments. Hopefully, the St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society will be able to continue the effort that he started. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

St. Simons Lights up for 150 Years

Georgia’s 1872 St. Simons Island Lighthouse celebrated its 150th anniversary over Labor Day weekend with an animated light show projected on the outside of the 104-foot-tall tower. The show told the history of the lighthouse and its keepers and highlighted the coastal region’s heritage and culture.

First African-American Light Keeper

The National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island, New York, has a new exhibit that honors Willis Augustus Hodges, who they claim was America’s first African-American lighthouse keeper, who served briefly as the keeper at Virginia’s old Cape Henry Lighthouse from May 10 to July 26, 1870.

Grassy Island Lights Celebrate 150th

The Grassy Island Range Lighthouses, now at the Green Bay Yacht Club, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, turned 150 years old this past September with a celebration held near the towers. Both the front and the rear range lights now have replica Fresnel lenses.

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This story appeared in the Nov/Dec 2022 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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