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Lighthouse News of the Week – January 14, 2022

Pictures preserve lighthouses at night

As the federal government continues to relinquish ownership of lighthouses across the country, a North Kingstown, Rhode Island. photographer is making it his mission to capture these beacons in the moonlight before they are decommissioned.

Duxbury Pier Lighthouse, Massachusetts. Photo by David Zapatka.

David Zapatka has been photographing lighthouses for nearly a decade. While he started capturing New England lighthouses for his portfolio, his mission changed when he discovered nighttime photographs of these structures in service are relatively scarce. Along with the fear of these beacons going dark because they no longer are needed for navigation, the advent of streetlights in the vicinity of them “strongly influence” the photo.

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Jones Point Lighthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, is in rough shape, and funding for repairs is scarce

As a symbol, the Jones Point Lighthouse represents Alexandria’s legacy as a port city. But as a building, it’s in rough shape. The wooden lighthouse is described by the National Park Service website as a “focal point of Jones Point Park and a clue to the area’s history as a busy commercial center and naval base.” But the building itself is in rough shape. Grime coats the outside of the structure and there’s visible damage to parts of the building. The interior is unfinished, so visitors aren’t allowed inside due to safety concerns.

Jones Point Lighthouse, Alexandria, Virginia. USLHS photo by J. Candace Clifford.

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Excavation at East Chop Lighthouse (Martha’s Vineyard, MA) is OK’d

The Oak Bluffs (MA) select board voted unanimously on Tuesday to grant U.S. Coast Guard contractors access to town land in order to facilitate the removal of lead-contaminated soil. Following testing last year, which corroborated and in some spots amplified testing in years prior, Coast Guard contractor Renova Environmental Co. found that lead polluted the soil around the lighthouse.

East Chop Lighthouse, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

East Chop Lighthouse, an active navigation beacon, is a federal property on a small plot of land inside town-owned Telegraph Hill Park. Through Renova, the Coast Guard intends to excavate and ship to a facility in Bourne some 250 tons of lead-contaminated soil.

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Legislation for Tybee Island Lighthouse license plates will proceed

As quick as it started is as quick as it ended. The Georgia General Assembly gaveled in on the second Monday of January, but they closed the session so many could attend Monday night’s National Championship Game. When they do reconvene, one of the items up for discussion, a specialty license plate available for the Tybee Island Lighthouse.

Tybee Island Light Station in 2009. USLHS photo by J. Candace Clifford.

It is one of Tybee Island’s most iconic landmarks, the Tybee Lighthouse. And now, it’s one step closer to being immortalized. State Rep. Jesse Petrea is sponsoring legislation in this year’s session that will create a Tybee Island Lighthouse specialty license plate.

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On the edge of nowhere: The story of one of North Carolina’s last lightkeepers (Currituck Beach)

“Any time I’m out at night, I know exactly what 17 seconds of darkness feels like,” said Meghan Agresto. On the edge of nowhere, it’s often the only warning between a sailor and a shipwreck. Without it, uncertainty. But with it? Relief.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse, North Carolina. USLHS photo.

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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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