There are two segments in this episode. The first guest, Peter Halil, was a lighthouse keeper in the UK from 1974 to 1997. He was among the country’s final traditional lighthouse keepers before all the lights were automated. He was stationed at some well known light stations in England and Wales, including South Bishop, Dungeness,… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 306 – UK lighthouse keeper and chronicler Peter Halil; “Be a Lighthouse”

With the world’s longest coastline and more lakes than the rest of the world combined, Canada is also home to more than 750 lighthouses. In spite of automation, there continue to be 49 staffed lighthouses operated by the Government of Canada. The light station at Cape Beale is one of the 25 stations that remain… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #12 – Karen Zacharuk, keeper at Cape Beale, BC

In 1836, rumors of gold in a muddy river on the west shore of Lake Michigan near modern day Green Bay, Wisconsin, spurred the creation of what would become the City of Kewaunee. The arrival of a railroad in the late 1800s led to increased shipping in the area, and in 1880-81 two long piers… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 305 – Jake Heffernan, Kewaunee Pierhead Lighthouse, Wisconsin

The Flying Santa tradition traces its origins to a pioneering pilot in Maine named Bill Wincapaw. To show his appreciation to lighthouse keepers and their families, on Christmas Day in 1929 he loaded his plane with a dozen packages and dropped gifts for the lighthouse families in the midcoast area. He soon expanded the flights… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #11 – Dolly Bicknell’s memories of the Flying Santa to the lighthouses

Fire Island is one of a chain of barrier islands running along the south shore of Long Island, New York. The first lighthouse on Fire Island was a 74-foot-high stone tower built in 1826. It was considered too short, so the much taller brick lighthouse that still stands was built in 1858. The new tower… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 304 – Jonathon Gaare, Fire Island, NY

Ernie DeRaps, a native Mainer, spent several years in the 1950s and ‘60s as a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper at four Maine lighthouses – Monhegan, Fort Point, Heron Neck, and Browns Head. A book written by Ernie and his wife Pauline was published by Foghorn publishing in 2006. Ernie’s half of the book was called… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #9 – Maine lighthouse keeper Ernie DeRaps

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, established in 1868, is on a 76-foot bluff in Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. The square tower, constructed of Cream City brick from Milwaukee, is connected to the keeper’s house. The light served to guide shipping through the Strawberry Channel. In its active history (1868-1926), there were only three keepers.… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 303 – Amy Frank, Door County Historical Society and Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, WI

Joseph Hindley had a long career as a lighthouse keeper that spanned from the late 1920s to 1972, when he retired as the last civilian keeper in the New England region. He served at offshore stations early in his career: Whale Rock (RI), Butler Flats (MA), and Sakonnet Point (RI). He and his family spent… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite: Betty Hindley Hatzikon, lighthouse keeper’s daughter

The city of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, is on the west shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. The Manitowoc North Breakwater Lighthouse, built in 1918, is one of the area’s most familiar icons. The lighthouse property was auctioned by the federal government in 2010 under the guidelines of the National Historic Lighthouse… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 302 – Manitowoc North Breakwater Light, Wisconsin

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse on Florida’s east coast is owned by the United States Space Force and maintained as an active aid to navigation by the Coast Guard. Visits to the lighthouse are made available by the nonprofit Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. The Foundation completed the construction of a new replica keeper’s house in 2019. Funding… Continue reading Light Hearted 301 – Cape Canaveral, FL, and the winner of the 2024 Lighthouse Dance Off