Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 67 – Cyndy Carney, Friends of Seguin Island Light Station, Maine

The lighthouse on Maine’s Seguin Island was approved by President George Washington in May 1793. The tower had to be rebuilt in 1819, and then again in 1857. Also in 1857, a new nine-foot-tall first-order Fresnel lens was installed, and that lens remains in operation today.

Over a period of 31 years, the station was foggy 15 percent of the time. A 10-inch steam fog whistle was installed by 1873, replacing a fog bell. In 1907, the island set an all-time Maine mark for fogginess—2,374 hours, or about 31 percent of the year.

Seguin Island Light Station; photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.
Cyndy Carney in front of the keeper’s house on Seguin Island.

After automation in 1985, the future of the station was uncertain. Concerned local citizens founded the Friends of Seguin Island Light Station in 1986. Since 1990, caretakers have lived at Seguin in the summer. In recent years, public access to the island has mainly been via the Seguin Island ferry from Fort Popham. There are hiking trails on the island, and there’s a museum and gift shop in the keeper’s house.

Cyndy Carney has been with Friends of Seguin Island Light Station for over 20 years. She has served in many capacities and now serves in the role of Executive Director.

Friends of Seguin Island Light Station

Some additional history

2 thoughts on “Light Hearted ep 67 – Cyndy Carney, Friends of Seguin Island Light Station, Maine

  1. Sequin was my first home. I am looking for anything with my mom and dad and the family that lived there with us when I was born. There is a newspaper article with me sitting on the floor in front of the Christmas tree in 1962 where Portland Press Herald misspells my first name with 2 B’s. My copy is very old.
    I want to bring my husband to Seguin next summer. I haven’t been back since we left. I hear Art and Joan Tibbitts have both passed. They were best friends with our family and who boated us to the island.
    So looking for docs with Wilson and DeKubber from 1960 thru 1963 if you have anything. I have found only one article clipping from when one of the DeKubber children was taken to the hospital when his sister fed him baby aspirin. Also found James R Wilson listed as the main light keeper but that’s it. There has to be more. Where do I look?
    Thank you for any help you may be able to give.
    Robin L Wilson Robertson.
    You can also find me on Facebook and other places if you Google me.

    1. Hi Robin – thanks so much for your interesting post. I (USLHS historian Jeremy D’Entremont) have been to Seguin several times and it’s a special place. For that time period, I have only one article from January 1963 that mentions Wilson. If you email me at jeremy@uslhs.org I can send it to you. I suggest you try one of the archival newspaper services like newspapers.com and do some creative searching for articles. Also, you might want to contact the libraries and historical societies around the Bath/Georgetown area. Sometimes they have news clipping files about different local subjects.

Leave a Reply to Robin Wilson Robertson Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.