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Lighthouse News of the Week

Owls Head Light Station, Maine. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont

Tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 14) is Maine Open Lighthouse Day

This popular annual event, which is sponsored by the United States Coast Guard, the Maine Office of Tourism and the American Lighthouse Foundation, attracts between 15,000 to 18,000 visitors each year and offers the general public the rare opportunity to climb and learn about over two dozen historic Maine lights.

One of the lighthouses that will be open is Owls Head Light. The lighthouse is an active Coast Guard aid to navigation and contains a beautiful fourth order Fresnel lens. The light station’s historic buildings are cared for by the American Lighthouse Foundation and serves as the headquarters for the nonprofit organization. Author Angeli Perrow will signing copies of her popular children’s book inside the keeper’s house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Click here for more participating lighthouses and details

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Marblehead Lighthouse (OH) closed for exterior renovations

Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes. It has stood on the Marblehead Peninsula on Lake Erie since 1822. A major renovation project began in early September. The exterior stucco of the lighthouse was failing, with cracks on much of the tower’s exterior.

Marblehead Lighthouse in a postcard postmarked 1910, from the U.S. Lighthouse Society archives

The lighthouse renovation project is expected to be substantially completed by mid-November, barring any weather-related delays.

Click here for more on this story.

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Stage Harbor Lighthouse gets a paint job

Stage Harbor Lighthouse, far out on Harding’s Beach in Chatham on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, is privately owned. Here’s a neat video about a recent paint job the lighthouse tower got from Mad Hatter Painting of Sandwich, MA.

Click here for more on the story

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Meet the new innkeepers at East Brother Light Station (CA)

Tiffany Danse and Tyler Waterson have taken over as the new innkeepers at the 1873 Victorian lighthouse on a tiny island in San Pablo Bay. “It was everything we were looking for,” says Danse. 

East Brother Light Station. U.S. Lighthouse Society archives.

“It’s like running a business,” Waterson says. “If you have a bad month, there’s no guaranteed salary.”

Click here to read the whole story in the San Francisco Chronicle

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North Head Lighthouse (WA) reopens after repairs

A $2 million restoration of North Head Lighthouse in Ilwaco, Washington, has been completed and the site has been reopened to visitors.

North Head Light Station (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

Aaron Webster, interpretive specialist with State Parks, was among those celebrating. “It has been a long time and, having worked here for 16 years, that lighthouse has been due for renovation — big-time. Finally, we got all our ducks in a row!”

Click here to read the story in The Daily World

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“Light Hearted” – USLHS podcast

Episode 25 of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast will be released on Monday. You can catch up on previous episodes on this site, or by going to Blubrry – click here to see a listing of all episodes.

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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 in the right-hand column. 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

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