As I sat at my desk trying to think of something poignant to write about our twenty years of publishing, I was instantly reminded of what novices Kathleen Finnegan and I were when we started Lighthouse Digest. We were just two people who loved lighthouses and the history associated with them. We were by no means lighthouse experts and knew absolutely nothing about how to publish a magazine.
As I reflected back on the twenty years of stories we had published and the lost and forgotten history that we rediscovered, I still feel as though we are the same novices we were when we started twenty years ago. Yes, I guess we have accumulated an immense amount of lighthouse knowledge, but we are also keenly aware of the many people who know a whole lot more than us. We are also cognizant of the many people who were saving lighthouses and their history long before we got involved, and we will always be thankful to them for paving the way. One of the great things that we have learned about lighthouses is that there is always more to learn and discover.
However, today my biggest concern is whether or not the next generations will have the same passion to learn about lighthouses as those who came before us as well as those who worked side by side with us over the past twenty years. Today, there are so many people who seem to think that learning about lighthouse history is irrelevant, when in fact you can learn an immense amount of early American history by studying lighthouses, more than you can from just about any other single source.
I also think about the many dedicated lighthouse people whom we have lost in the last twenty years - people who left us a legacy that we should be remembering and protecting. I have to wonder how many of these people have already been forgotten or are unknown by the current generation of lighthouse caretakers.
There have been many highs in the world of lighthouses in the last twenty years, but also just as many lows. Many lighthouses have been saved, while others have been lost. Lots of lighthouse history has been rediscovered, yet so much more needs to found.
However, we are proud of the role that Lighthouse Digest has taken in the past twenty years to promote lighthouses and save the history associated with them, while also providing our readers with a variety of unusual sub-category lighthouse stories that are uniquely associated with lighthouses and history, something that no one else is doing.
Most importantly, we are extremely humbled by the many people who have helped us along the way, especially during our many struggles, and we are especially proud of our many subscribers, some of whom have been loyal readers for most, if not all, of these twenty years, as well as the many others who have joined along the way. Whether you realize it or not, you have all played a role in helping to save lighthouses and their history for future generations.
From the depths of our hearts, we sincerely thank our readers, our advertisers, and God for making the last twenty years possible.
This story appeared in the
May/Jun 2012 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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