News of the week July 7, 2023
Bolivar Lighthouse (TX) history to be focus of July 17 historical commission meeting
The Liberty County Historical Commission will host Amy Maxwell Chase as guest speaker Monday, July 17, 2023, at 6 p.m. in the Hartel Building, 318 San Jacinto Street in Liberty. After a short business meeting, Ms. Chase will present a program on the history of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse and efforts to restore this important part of our Texas history.
The Bolivar Point Lighthouse is one of the few 19th-century lighthouses remaining on the Gulf Coast, and one of only two remaining iron lighthouses in Texas. Built in 1872, the Bolivar Point Lighthouse was first lit Nov. 19, 1872, and operated until it was retired from service on May 29, 1933. The light shined every night during its 60 years of service except for two nights during a 1915 hurricane which destroyed the oil house.
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National Park Service seeks bis for Cape Hatteras (NC) lighthouse restoration work
Mantelo, N.C. – Twenty-four years after being moved 2900 feet inland over the course of 23 days, the National Park Service says Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is in need of some freshening up.
According to the National Park Service, the federal government is accepting bids to repair both the exterior and interior of the historic landmark.
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Piles of dead midges, nearly a foot deep, found at remote White Shoal Michigan lighthouse
EMMET COUNTY, MICH. — Preparing a highly isolated off-shore lighthouse for a new season of summer visitors isn’t for the faint of heart.
Each spring, a handful of hardy volunteers make the trek out to historic White Shoal Light, which sits like a candy-striped island 20 miles west of the Mackinac Bridge, to see what Mother Nature has been up to in the months since the lighthouse last had any human visitors.
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Overnight In A Norwegian Lighthouse For The Ultimate Coastal Experience
Was the life of a lighthouse keeper and their family an inspiring one, a lonely one, or something in between? Travelers have the chance to find out for themselves in many parts of Norway, where lighthouses—now automated—and their living quarters have been turned into tourist accommodation.
From early trade routes to deep-sea fishing and the discovery of oil, the Norwegian coastline has long been the economic driver of Norway. For more than a hundred years, lighthouses dotted the coastline, helping seafarers navigate the treacherous waters.
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St. Simons (GA) Lighthouse to bring back show
Jul. 5—If you missed the laser show at the St. Simons Lighthouse last September, fear not.
The highly-praised production will be returning for an encore over Labor Day weekend.
The new shows are slated from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4. Pre-registration is required, along with a minimum donation of $10 per person. Participants can also opt to gift more per ticket, if desired.
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She Grew Up in a Spot-On Replica of the Thomas Point Shoal, Maryland Lighthouse. Now, She’s Giving It Her Own Shine
Forget gauzy white interiors and sleek minimalism. Beth Anne Caples and her partner, William Kaner, doubled down on the Florida home’s maritime aesthetic with vintage and salvaged goods they scored on the Eastern seaboard.
With new resorts and modern digs hugging its shoreline, Fernandina Beach, Florida, doesn’t look like it used to. That is, until you cross paths with Katie’s Light, a replica of Maryland’s Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse that’s tucked quaintly into the dunes. “Most people are looking to modernize,” says William Kaner, who undertook the home’s renovation with his wife, Beth Anne Caples. “We did exactly the opposite. We wanted the house to feel as authentic as the historic lighthouse it was inspired by.”
Click here to read more and see the home
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Major lighthouse work in Scituate, MA
Work on Scituate Light continues this week as crews remove layers of brick and concrete. The lantern room of the 211-year-old lighthouse is being rebuilt through a $2 million project paid for by the Scituate Community Preservation Fund. The work included putting in a new frame, new window frames, new copper cladding and glazing.
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The only floating lighthouse chapel in Russia (PHOTOS)
A unique chapel on a pontoon was installed at the confluence of two great Siberian rivers – the Ob and Irtysh – in 2013. It is 8 meters high and weighs 10 tons.
It can be seen from afar: there is a lighthouse lamp that shines under the dome and cross, illuminating eight glass window icons.
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Three lighthouses. Three photos. Three gorgeous moments in time.
Author and photographer Bob Trapani’s latest coffee table lighthouse book, Gleams and Whispers: Maine’s Lighthouses and Their Allure, examines some of Maine’s 66 lighthouses from angles and perspectives rarely seen.
Trapani sees lighthouses not merely as useful structures, but as watchers, sentinels, and keepers of human life.
Click here to read more and see some photos
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Light it up! Iconic Jupiter (FL) landmark marking 163 years of service on Saturday
Standing watch over the Jupiter Inlet and the northern edge of the Florida Straits for more than one and a half centuries, the Jupiter Lighthouse is being thrown a party.
One of the oldest structures in the county — a nearby brick oil house is the very oldest with a few months on its neighbor — this north county landmark is turning 163 years old. And, on Saturday, July 8, The 163rd Anniversary Celebration will mark the occasion.
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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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