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Lighthouse News of the Week

News of the week April 21, 2023

Presque Isle Lighthouse, Erie Land Lighthouse’s (PA) opening for 2023 season

The wait is almost over for lighthouse lovers eager to get inside and up the structures overlooking the waters around Erie.

The 2023 season is about to start for the Presque Isle Lighthouse and Erie Land Lighthouse.

Here’s what to know if you want to go.

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‘It’s leaning like the Tower of Pisa’: Port Burwell (Canada) lighthouse to be stabilized

Efforts to stabilize the 183-year-old Port Burwell Lighthouse have begun.

Earlier this year, the Municipality of Bayham learned the structure, built in 1840, was in danger of toppling over.

Port Burwell, Canada – USLHS archives

On Thursday, the lead contractor hired to stabilize it was blunt.

“The entire structure is physically leaning, like the Tower of Pisa. There’s a big erosion on the backside of it,” said Daniel Holmes of Heritage Restorations.

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Climb to the moon at the St. George Lighthouse, FL

The May Sunset and Full Moon Climb at the Cape St. George Lighthouse on St. George Island will be Friday, May 5. This is a unique opportunity to enjoy the view of St. George Island, the Gulf of Mexico and the Apalachicola Bay under the evening sky from the top of the lighthouse.

Cape St George, FL – Dave Zapatka

The Sunset and Full Moon Climb will begin at 8 p.m. and run until 10 p.m. Fifteen-minute time slots will be allotted for each group on a first come, first served basis. No advanced reservations will be taken. You will purchase your tickets in the gift shop and then sign up for your 15-minute time slot with the lighthouse keeper. Up to 12 persons allowed in each 15-minute time slot. The gift shop will open at 7:30pm to begin selling tickets.

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One Outer Banks (NC) lighthouse to open for climbing this spring; another closed for third year

While one Outer Banks lighthouse prepares to open for climbing this tourist season, another will likely remain closed for a third year due to restoration efforts.

The 165-foot Bodie Island Light Station south of Nags Head will be open for climbing from April 26 to Oct. 9, the National Park Service announced this week. But the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton likely will stay closed to climbing for a third season because of an ongoing restoration project.

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Cape Henry Lighthouse #5 in Best Things to do in Virginia Beach

Just north of First Landing State Park is Cape Henry Lighthouse, the first lighthouse ever authorized by Congress. The attraction still has connections with the government; located on the grounds of the Fort Story military base, you’ll have to show ID (either a REAL ID Act-compliant driver’s license or a passport) at the property’s entrance. The brick lighthouse was constructed in the 1790s and was an important step for trade along the Virginia and Maryland coasts, as it made the Chesapeake Bay easier and safer to navigate.

Old & New Cape Henry, VA – USLHS archives

Overall, many visitors enjoyed exploring this historic attraction, though they mentioned there aren’t many other attractions in the area. Several were quick to praise the lighthouse’s “amazing” views at the top and said that the climb up was fairly easy, although seniors and young kids may have a hard time.

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Lighthouses of the North East are featured in a new book and series of prints

The lighthouses of Britain and Ireland are the subject of new series of prints and an upcoming book, with many North East lighthouses featured in the collection

There are around 350 lighthouses dotted around Britain’s shores, from rock stations to harbour and breakwater lights – with some notable examples standing proudly along our own beautiful North East coast.

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Florida Lighthouse Day at Ponce Inlet

From Amelia Island to Pensacola, Florida is a big state with the second longest coastline in the nation. That’s some 8,436 miles to navigate, and that mileage doesn’t include barrier islands. It’s also a dangerous coast with very shallow waters, thanks to the continental shelf. Before modern technology, all ship captains had were charts, skill and Florida’s 49 lighthouses to arrive safety.

Ponce Inlet, FL – J Candace Clifford

To celebrate safe travels, the National Historic Landmark Ponce Inlet Lighthouse and Museum will host a celebration from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at 4931 S Peninsula Drive. Enjoy a day of historical celebration of the unique sentinels of the sea: Florida’s lighthouse stations.

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‘Lighthouse’ exhibit on display at Sanibel Island (FL) historical village

The community can see the latest lens, recently removed from the Sanibel Lighthouse in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, as part of the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village’s new “Lighthouse” exhibit.

Sanibel Lighthouse, FL – James Hill

The exhibit features photographs of the lighthouse before and after the ravages of the storm. Also on display are two original lights that came off of the old causeway when there was a draw bridge. The red and green lights, which represented port and starboard, assisted mariners as they headed through the raised bridge into the San Carlos Bay and up the Caloosahatchee River.

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The Flannan Isle Mystery: What Happened To Three Lighthouse Keepers 123 Years Ago?

Three men went out on a dark night in 1900 and were never seen again. What happened to these three mariners?

Flannan Isles, Scotland – Eilean Mor

In 1900, three lighthouse keepers posted on a remote Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides went missing and were never seen again. The account of the crew of the Flannan Isle Lighthouse has become a popular story that evokes all the tropes of a gothic mystery, and has generated a plethora of explanations ranging from the mundane to the decidedly “out there” ever since. So what is so compelling about this story and what are the most likely answers?

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Experience Life as a Lighthouse Keeper 5 Miles Off the Washington Coast at New Dungeness lighthouse

The New Dungeness Lighthouse Keeper Program offers one of the most competitive stays in the country.

New Dungeness, WA Thomas A Tag

The thin strip of sand juts off the coast of Washington, five miles of sediment curving narrowly around the blue waters of Dungeness Bay. On its lonely tip stands New Dungeness Lighthouse. The 166-year-old lighthouse has helped countless ships navigate the Strait of Juan de Fuca, along the northern border of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, since 1857. You can visit the lighthouse from land, but you must be willing to hike. The journey involves a walk through Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, then three hours out into the ocean along that long and narrow stretch of sand known as Dungeness Spit—and that doesn’t include the return trip.

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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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