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Lighthouse News of the Week – March 12, 2021

Florida’s Crooked River Lighthouse looks for volunteers

Crooked River Lighthouse has been a fixture along U.S. Highway 98 on Florida’s panhandle for more than a century. The lighthouse is now the site of a museum filled with stories. The museum is asking for volunteers. People to help keep the property clean for visitors, or to help with some of the annual events.

Crooked River Lighthouse, Florida. U.S. Lighthouse Society photo by J. Candace Clifford.

For more information on the Carrabelle Lighthouse Foundation, click here.

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Be a friend to Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, Rhode Island

The year 2021 will be a most exciting time for Pomham Rocks Lighthouse in East Providence, Rhode Island, as it marks its 150th anniversary. The lighthouse is owned by the American Lighthouse Foundation and managed by a chapter, Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. Events are being planned throughout the year for members and the community to celebrate this jubilee year.

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, RI. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

You can join in the celebration by becoming a member of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. Members will have an opportunity to be actively involved in planning and participating in commemorative events. All members receive a subscription to Pomham Glow newsletter, to keep you informed of programs and activities. As a member, you have the privilege of a discounted rate on boat trips to the lighthouse and invitation to members-only events.

Click here for more information

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Split Rock (MN) Lighthouse site manager Hayes Scriven has a passion for capturing nature’s beauty on the job

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The statement holds ever so true for one lucky photographer living along the North Shore of Lake Superior. “Photography and Split Rock go together like peanut butter and jelly, they’re just delicious together,” said Hayes Scriven, site manager at Split Rock Lighthouse.

Split Rock Lighthouse, Minnesota. Photo by Hayes Scriven.

You could say the COVID-19 pandemic provoked a shot in the world of photography Scriven. “I want people to realize that you should try to slow down and find the beauty in the little things in life,” said Scriven.

Click here to read more

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Early plan for Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse’s (CA) forever home set in motion

The Trinidad Civic Club has submitted its permit application to establish a permanent home for the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse. If everything goes according to plan, the lighthouse will stay at its approximate current location, but it will be raised eight feet on a compacted rock and concrete foundation.

Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse, California, in 2015. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

Since the city of Trinidad just received the grading permit application last week, it will be up for consideration by the Trinidad Planning Commission in April or May. The lighthouse is currently located on land owned by the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria.

Click here to read more

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Port Clinton Lighthouse (NY) lease a great deal for the city

You can’t buy very much for $2 these days, but it was a great deal for both the City of Port Clinton and the Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy this week. The $2 is the annual lease payment the conservancy makes to the city. It cements an agreement, at least for another year, they will work in tandem to ensure what has evolved into a wonderful tourist attraction will continue to be a shining jewel on the Lake Erie shoreline.

Port Clinton Lighthoue, New York, from an old postcard. (U.S. Lighthouse Society archives)

Lighthouses are magnets for Lake Erie and Great Lakes visitors, though, and the Port Clinton Lighthouse has lured thousands to Waterworks Park in a few short years. It has also generated many members for the Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy, which funds lighting, maintenance, upkeep and improvements.

Click here to read more

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Is Maine getting a new lighthouse license plate?

At least 2,000 people paid to pre-order a Maine lighthouse license plate but legislation to finalize the new plate ultimately died after legislators adjourned early last year due to COVID-19.

A new piece of legislation has been re-introduced this session to create the Maine Lighthouse Trust registration plate. As of Monday, that process is still playing out at the state house. If lawmakers approve, those who pre-ordered will get a certificate in the mail that can be exchanged for the new specialty plate.

Click here for more

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West Point Lighthouse (PEI, Canada) may get new features for 150th birthday

The West Point Development Corporation on Prince Edward Island has been working for the last year and a half on a development plan and strategy to make West Point one of several tourism hubs in western P.E.I. Corporation manager Jimmy Stewart said conceptual plans have come from the board, following two studies.

West Point Lighthouse, PEI, Canada (West Point Lighthouse)

Stewart said the hope would be to have all the new developments in place before the 150th birthday of the lighthouse in 2025.

Click here for more

West Point Lighthouse website

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Braving the wildest seas and highest winds, meet the team keeping the lighthouses on for Scotland’s sailors

Strapped to a tower, high above crashing waves, is a prospect that would make most of us shudder but it’s an everyday job for apprentice electrician James Addison. He and civil engineer colleague Jenny Gilbertson are among a team of specialists repairing and maintaining the vital beacons that keep fishing crews and sailors safe at sea.

Scurdie Ness Lighthouse, Scotland. U.S. Lighthouse Society photo by Tom Tag.

The job involves visiting lighthouses all around the Scottish coast, and Isle of Man, repairing vital broken electrics, windows and towers battered by raging seas. The teams usually reach the towers by helicopter, and can spend several days there, checking and repairing equipment.

Click here to read more

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Acclaimed sculptor creates timeless memorials to heroes of all kinds

Some storytellers celebrate heroes by verse or by voice. Some, like master sculptor Brian Hanlon, ennoble by heart and by hand. From war heroes to sports legends to icons of civil service, Hanlon has honored them all. Jersey is graced with many of them, including “Angel in Anguish” (Brick Township), “The Lighthouse Keeper” (Barnegat Light), “Firemen’s Memorial” (East Rutherford), “Fallen Officers Memorial” (Perth Amboy) and “Yogi Berra” (Little Falls), just to name a few.

“The Lighthouse Keeper” statue at Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey (Hanlon Sculpture)

Click here to read more

Hanlon Sculpture site

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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

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