Wanted: Buyer for Penfield Reef Lighthouse, Connecticut
The U.S. General Services Administration is again trying to auction off the Penfield Reef Lighthouse, built in 1874 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The 51-foot-tall, octagonal structure and two-story, 1,568-square-foot keeper’s quarters mark the submerged reef that extends southeast from Fairfield Beach into Long Island Sound and is about a mile from the entrance to Bridgeport’s Black Rock Harbor. The auction will begin on June 21.
Click here for the invitation for bids
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“People had cabin fever” — Business booming for Fall River, Massachusetts, lighthouse offering overnight stays
It’s not that Kevin Ferias doesn’t want your business. It’s just that it wouldn’t serve any purpose to try to book an overnight stay for the rest of 2021 in his privately owned lighthouse that sits midway between Fall River and New Bedford.
Ferias, who bought the 1881 Borden Flats Light in 2018, says he’s booked solid for the rest of this year and has reservations lined up for more than half of 2022.
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Historians shed light on first African American lighthouse keeper for Cape Henry (VA): prominent abolitionist Willis Augustus Hodges
Willis Augustus Hodges isn’t a name found in most history books, but local historians argue it should be. If you visit the Cape Henry Lighthouse, you’ll see his photo in the lobby. Hodges was the first African American lighthouse keeper for Cape Henry. He was also a prominent abolitionist, a newspaper publisher, a minister, and even a spy.
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Eagle Bluff Lighthouse has new lease with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
After about two years of negotiations, Door County’s Eagle Bluff lighthouse in Peninsula State Park has a new lease. The Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources signed a 15-year agreement. The lighthouse, built in 1868, is a popular tourist destination. Behind the scenes, it’s run through a partnership involving the DNR, Wisconsin Historical Society, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
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New York State program sprucing up Verona Beach Lighthouse
Verona Beach Lighthouse will soon be all aglow as the New York Power Authority and Canal Corporation rolls out its Reimagine the Canals program. NYPA and the Canal Corporation are investing $300 million over five years to reimagine and revitalize the state’s iconic Canal system. Work on Verona Beach Lighthouse started just within the last week, officials said, with crews doing a gentle cleaning of the structure.
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New book by Lee Radzak chronicles life at Split Rock Lighthouse (MN)
Watch the video:
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East Brother Light Station (CA) will reopen, and it’s in need of innkeepers
Two months after an underwater power cable to the historic East Brother Light Station failed and cast doubt as to whether the site could ever resume its role as a bed-and-breakfast, it is ready to open again and hiring innkeepers. Successful candidates will be a two-person team or couple. At least one of them must have a Coast Guard commercial boat operator’s license.
Click here for the job description and application
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Lachine (Quebec, Canada) residents hope to give their lighthouse area a major revamp
Lachine’s picturesque lighthouse and pier could be getting a revamp courtesy of a $10 million city fund set aside specifically for implementing citizens’ ideas. The lighthouse serves as a “meeting space” for residents.
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Concert series makes a comeback to St. Simons Island Lighthouse (GA)
The annual Little Light Music concert series has returned this summer after a year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The concerts take place on the lawn beneath the lighthouse on St. Simons Island. Enjoyed by locals and tourists alike, the Little Light Music concert series has provided performances by the water for more than 20 years.
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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