Prudence Island, about seven miles long, is the third largest island in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. It was determined around 1850 that a lighthouse was needed to guide vessels passing between Sandy Point, at the island’s easternmost extremity, and Aquidneck Island, about a mile to the east. Instead of building a new lighthouse, a disused… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 314 – Joe Bains and Ray Jenness, Prudence Island, RI

There are three segments in this episode. The first recaps a recent virtual conference that the USLHS held in late March. The conference celebrated the 25th anniversary of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, with presenters and attendees sharing their stories of lighthouse stewardship and preservation. Next is an abridged version of a… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 313 – Thomas Point Shoal, MD, and “Drew’s Grand Adventure”; NHLPA conference recap

The strait between Bristol and Portsmouth, Rhode Island, was busy in the early 1800s, with all manner of vessels passing between Narragansett Bay to the west and Mount Hope Bay to the east. A lighthouse was built on the Bristol side in 1855, with a small brick dwelling and a lighthouse tower attached to its… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 312: Simon and Laura Thomas, Bristol Ferry, Rhode Island

This is an edited version of the second part of an interview with Dave and Lynn Waller, owners of Graves Lighthouse in outer Boston Harbor, a classic wave-swept granite tower on a barren, rocky ledge. The interview was first heard in May 2020 in episode 61. One of the subjects discussed is the “Franklens” created… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #18 – Dave Waller, owner of Graves Light part 2 of 2

Neil Hurley’s interest in Florida lighthouses goes back to the mid-1980s. He was serving as a staff officer for the Seventh Coast Guard s District Aids to Navigation Branch, and he often had to answer questions about lighthouses in Florida. Neil decided to make Florida lighthouse history his off-duty hobby. That led to countless hours… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 311 – Florida Lighthouse historian Neil Hurley

This is an edited version of an interview that was first heard in episode 60 in May 2020. The guest is Dave Waller, the owner of Graves Light in Boston Harbor. This is part one of two parts. The ledges in outer Boston Harbor called the Graves – about 10 acres in all – have… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #17 – Dave Waller, owner of Graves Light, MA, pt 1 of 2

In 1828, Congress appropriated five thousand dollars to construct a lighthouse in Barcelona Harbor on Lake Erie in New York. The harbor had just been designated an official port of entry when the lighthouse was built. In the early 1800s, lumber, salt, flour, and fish were shipped to and from the port. The lighthouse is… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 310 – Barcelona Lighthouse, New York

This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 43 in January 2020. Conimicut Lighthouse is a cast-iron caisson structure built in 1883 to mark a dangerous shoal at the mouth of the Providence River. 18-year-old Coast Guardsman Frederick Mikkelsen was assigned to the station in 1958. One of his most memorable… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #16 – Fred Mikkelsen, Coast Guard keeper at Conimicut, RI

Desiree Heveroh describes herself a steward and keeper of the history of the city of Richmond, California, located in the San Francisco Bay Area’s East Bay region. She was a longtime board member of the East Brother Light Station, which is situated on an island in the strait that separates San Francisco Bay and San… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 309 – East Brother Light Station and the history of Richmond, CA, with Desiree Heveroh

This is another episode of Light Hearted Lite, the series where we revisit interviews from the past six years of Light Hearted. First is a chat about an upcoming virtual conference the U.S. Lighthouse Society will be hosting in March. The conference will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #15 – Shona Riddell, author of “Guiding Lights,” and the USLHS’s upcoming virtual event