Ever wonder how the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is painted?
The National Park Service paints the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse every 5-7 years to keep it looking pristine and historically authentic; utilizing roughly 450 gallons of paint for multiple coats. Contracted workers suspend from the balcony and paint down the lighthouse, alternating between black and white paint along the stripe. In this photo, workers clean the lighthouse before painting it. The paint is a vital piece of the lighthouse’s iconic look. (Cape Hatteras National Seashore)
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Lighthouse Keeper statue dedicated at Barnegat Lighthouse (NJ)
On August 7, a 10-foot-tall bronze monument to lighthouse keepers was dedicated at Barnegat Lighthouse in New Jersey. Created by sculptor Brian Hanlon, the statue took a year to complete.
“I first made the statue life-sized, and on my own, I destroyed it and made my own version that is 10 feet tall,” Hanlon revealed. “You only get the chance once to have Barnegat Lighthouse as the backdrop to one of your pieces. I said, ‘I gotta go big or go home.’”
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Montenegro’s Last Lighthouse Keeper
Modern navigation technology has made lighthouses virtually obsolete. But the last remaining lighthouse keeper in Montenegro feels his lonely existence still has a purpose. Here is a fascinating video from Radio Free Europe about Montenegro’s last lighthouse keeper.
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“Light Up the Night” climb tonight at Highland Light on Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Tonight there will be a rare chance to climb Cape Cod’s oldest lighthouse at night! Climb the 69 steps into the Lantern Room and see the moon rise out of the Atlantic Ocean and the sun set over Cape Cod Bay.
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22nd International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend Set for August 17–18
Amateur Radio operations at some 400 lighthouses and lightships will commence on August 17 as the 22nd International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW) activity gets under way.
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Lighthouse Art Project in Milbridge, Maine
Lighthouses have taken over downtown Milbridge, a town in Washington County on the northeastern Maine coast. Around town, ten seven-foot-tall wooden lighthouses have been adopted by local artists. Each artist has created beautiful themes for each lighthouse as part of the Downtown Milbridge Lighthouse Project. The event is put on by Gateway Milbridge, an organization helping with initiatives to revitalize the downtown area.
The lighthouses will be sold by silent auction at a reception later this month. All proceeds will go to rebuilding the Milbridge Theatre.
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Here’s one way to raise money for a Maine lighthouse—swim all the way around it
The lighthouse on Isle au Haut, a large island on the Maine coast, is maintained by the Town of Isle au Haut and the Isle au Haut Lighthouse Committee. A restoration of the lighthouse tower was finished in June 1999, but now more work is needed. Two woman are raising money for the project in a unique way. To learn more, watch this video and/or click here.
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Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse (MD) in need of repair
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, the only cottage-style screw-pile lighthouse remaining in its original location on Chesapeake Bay, is in dire need of structural repairs. It was built in its present form in 1875 and automated in 1986. The steel beams that hold up the building must be replaced, and additional funding is required for the project.
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Click here for a GoFundMe page
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“Haunted Tours” at Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, NH
Join author and radio personality Ron Kolek of the New England Ghost Project, along with author and lighthouse historian Jeremy D’Entremont, for a rare nighttime tour on August 31. Proceeds benefit Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses.
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U.S. Lighthouse Society News is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research. You can receive these posts via email if you click on the “SUBSCRIBE” button. Please support this electronic newsletter by joining the U.S. Lighthouse Society if you are not already a member.
If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to Jeremy at jeremy@uslhs.org
Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org