Split Rock Lighthouse (MN) offers new tour, programs this spring
Split Rock Lighthouse, located on the North Shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota, will offer new programs and a new tour that will kick off starting March 1. Some of the new programs include pop-up history presentations and a photography exhibit that rotates monthly called “Photography at the Rock.” The first featured photographer is Christian Dalbec, who specializes in wave and water photography as well as drone work. He will be on-site on March 1, 13 and 31.
Beginning March 13, visitors can go on a new Keeper’s Tour, which is a guided tour of the lighthouse and keeper’s house that brings to life stories of the light station. This is the only way to go inside the lighthouse. The tour is 45 minutes long and will be limited to 10 people to ensure social distancing and other COVID-19 safety protocols can be maintained, according to a release.
Click here for the official Split Rock Lighthouse website
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Spring Lecture Series hosted by the National Museum of the Great Lakes: “Ladies of the Lights: Michigan Women in the U.S. Lighthouse Service”
More than 50 women defied the gender expectations of their time to serve the sailing communities on Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior, as well as on the Detroit River, during the active lighthouse-keeping era. Patricia Majher, the presenter, is a former editor of Michigan History magazine and a museum professional who has held administrative positions at institutions including The Henry Ford and Mackinac State Historic Parks. In addition to “Ladies of the Lights,” she has published “Great Girls in Michigan History” and “Bold Boys in Michigan History” with Wayne State University Press.
This will be a virtual lecture and is free. Donations are always happily accepted. When you register with Eventbrite, there is an option to purchase “Ladies of the Lights”, which will be shipped after the lecture is over.
Click here to read more and to register
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Smaller vow renewals at Absecon LIghthouse (NJ) during pandemic
The historic Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City held wedding vow renewal ceremonies at staggered times on Valentine’s Day, to keep participants safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We wanted to make sure the tradition continues,” said Executive Director Jean Muchanic.
Ceremonies were held in front of the fireplace in the lighthouse keeper’s cottage, under an wedding arch, for six couples, said Muchanic. Some have done the renewal vows there for many years, Muchanic said.
Click here to read more and to see a photo gallery of the event
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Twenty tonnes of scaffolding erected as lighthouse overhaul in New Zealand gets under way
Scaffold Marlborough started erecting 20 tonnes (22 tons) of scaffolding around the Cape Campbell lighthouse at the start of February. Lighthouse owner-operator Maritime New Zealand was carrying out routine maintenance of the 116-year-old structure, which included painting and corrosion and rust removal.
Maritime NZ’s Jim Foye said the restoration work was undertaken every 12 to 15 years, depending on conditions. The last face lift was in 2005. “Compared to a lot of our sites which are located on islands, Cape Campbell is an easier location because you can drive to it. But it is also a challenging site because it is on the coast, and it is exposed to high winds,” Foye said. “We are really pleased to see the maintenance work. It is a working lighthouse and Maritime New Zealand treats it as such, so they are looking after it.”
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Crooked River Lighthouse (FL) extends full moon climb hours
The Crooked River Lighthouse in Carrabelle will host a full moon lighthouse climb on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. Because of a sell-out January event, this February climb has been extended one hour, until 9 p.m., to allow as many attendees as possible to participate. Advance reservations for a climb time slot are required.
Visitors can enjoy this opportunity to see the gorgeous natural surroundings of the St. George Sound and Carrabelle Beach under the evening sky. The climb to the top of the tallest Forgotten Coast lighthouse rewards bold climbers with breathtaking views of the bay.
Crooked River Lighthouse website
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Sheringham lighthouse (BC, Canada) photo contest begins
The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society has re-launched its photo contest. Photographers of all levels are invited to submit their favourites images of the iconic lighthouse for a chance to have their photograph published in the society’s calendar.
The contest is simple – enter and invite friends and family to donate in support of the photograph. The 13 most dynamic pictures with the most votes on April 17 will win a calendar spot.
Click here for contest information
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You can help with a Nantucket tradition at Brant Point Lighthouse (MA)
Brant Point Lighthouse is one of the gateways to Nantucket. Anyone traveling to and from our island aboard the Hy-Line Cruises ferries or the Steamship Authority ferries passes this iconic landmark. Island residents and frequent visitors know that three times a year Brant Point Lighthouse is adorned for the season: with a daffodil wreath during springtime, an American flag for Independence Day in July, and a holiday wreath in December.
What many do not know is that the Coast Guard servicemen at Station Brant Point have been giving this tradition to our island community: taking on the tasks of gathering the supplies, constructing the wreaths, and hanging them on the lighthouse — volunteering the labor and shouldering the expense. “We’ve gotten so much support from Nantucket, and the Coasties love giving back to the community,” explained Lindsay Lawellin, whose husband Nathaniel Lawellin has been in the Coast Guard for 12 years. When she arrived on-island four years ago with her husband, Lindsay founded the Station Brant Point Spouses Organization.
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Virtual lighthouse lecture by Jeremy D’Entremont on lighthouses near Portsmouth, New Hampshire
U.S. Lighthouse Society historian and author Jeremy D’Entremont will present “Three Guiding Lights of the Piscataqua Region” for the Old York (Maine) Historical Society on February 24 at 6:30 p.m. Discover the past and present of three iconic sentinels bordering the line between the Maine and New Hampshire coasts. Portsmouth Harbor Light Station in New Castle (1771) was the very first light station established north of Boston in the American colonies.
The first lighthouse at Whaleback Ledge (1830), at the mouth of the Piscataqua River in Kittery, is considered the first successful lighthouse on an exposed, wave-swept ledge in the U.S. White Island Light, at the southernmost of the Isles of Shoals, has a history that reaches back to 1820 and is best known as the childhood home of the renowned poet and author Celia Thaxter. D’Entremont also discusses the present-day preservation of these three historic sites. This freee virtual program is presented via Zoom.
Click here to read more and to register
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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.
If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to Jeremy D’Entremont 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