News of the week September 8, 2023
What to know about Maine’s annual Open Lighthouse Day Saturday
Each September, more than 15,000 people visit Maine on Open Lighthouse Day, which gives the public a chance to climb light towers and visit keeper’s houses up and down the coast.
On Saturday, 20 lighthouses will be open throughout the day, according to the American Lighthouse Foundation, which sponsors the event with the US Coast Guard and Maine Office of Tourism.
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Amateur radio hobbyists share historic Sabine Pass, Texas lighthouse restoration story with world
Restorations are underway to rehabilitate a historic Texas lighthouse back to its former glory, and four local radio hobbyists set out on a mission in late August to broadcast the efforts with the world.
The Sabine Pass Lighthouse sits on the Louisiana side of the Sabine River where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It was one of the more than 20 lighthouses the federal government built along the Texas coast starting in 1852 to help maritime crews navigate their way in and around the Gulf of Mexico. Damage during the Civil War followed by natural disasters, sea erosion and a shifting coastline destroyed the lighthouses, but five still stand today.
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Aurora library to host play about women’s lighthouse keepers
A play about women lighthouse keepers of the Great Lakes will be performed at the Aurora Free Library on Wednesday, Sept. 13.
Written and performed by Anna Marck, “Women of the Watch: Keepers of the Light” is a 45-minute play with music, laughter and simple storytelling, the library said in a news release.
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Don your best seaman’s cap and head to the most incredible lighthouse hotels in the U.S.
A proper digital detox is good for the soul, whether for an hour, a day, or a week. But sometimes, you want solitude and soul-searching without getting too far away.
Whether you just love nautical-themed vacations, you like seabirds more than people, or you fancy yourself a salty maritime soul, you’ll love an escape to the best lighthouse hotels in the U.S.
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The stunning coastal village near Cambs known for its secluded beach and historic lighthouse
The UK’s coastline is beautiful at all times of the year, but there is no better time than summer for a trip to the seaside. With the weather getting warmer and the sun becomming a regular appreance, now seems like the perfect time to venture outdoors.
If you’re looking to escape Cambridge for one last chance of a summer getaway, but are not particularly fond of big crowds, there is one place that fits the bill perfectly. Happisburgh, a picturesque village, sits right on the Norfolk Coast.
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Wicklow (Ireland) protest walk to take place to demand public access to lighthouse
Keep Ireland Open are organising a protest walk later this month with the aim of restabilising and making access permanent to the lighthouses at Wicklow Head together with right of way access.
Concerns have been raised by councillors during the year at the arbitrary closure of part of the access road to the lighthouses on Wicklow Head, a Special Protection Area, by a local landowner.
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Upcoming entertainment at this year’s Mukilteo, WA Lighthouse Festival
The Mukilteo Lighthouse Fesitval – originally named the Mukilteo Pioneer Festival – was created to increase awareness of Mukilteo history while simultaneously earning money for a future museum.
The first ever festival took place on September 10, 1966, and though it was a resounding success, was unable to meet fiscal expectations.
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5 RI Road Trips: Leaf-Peeping, Lighthouses, Carousels, Purgatory Chasm
RHODE ISLAND — At only 1,214 square miles and the smallest state in the country, Rhode Island is perfect for day trips. But there’s so much to see and experience, road trippers may want to spend a couple of days exploring it all.
As one of the original 13 colonies, the state is full of historical sites that help tell the story of the birth of a nation. The state is known as the sailing capital of the world, and Newport is often an America’s Cup stop. The state’s coastline is staggeringly beautiful, and autumn is one of the prettiest times of the year in New Hampshire.
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WOW! Own & Make The Middle Island (MI) Lighthouse Your Home
There’s nothing more Pure Michigan, than owning a lighthouse. (Well, maybe minus living on some lakefront property, but this should work just the same.)
The lighthouse is a bit of a fixer-upper, but don’t let that turn you off.
Click here to read more and link to Zillow
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New England Ghost Project visits Wood Island, ME Lighthouse
BIDDEFORD — The Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse (FOWIL) hosted Ron Kolek’s team of ghost hunters for their first paranormal investigation on Wood Island in over 10 years on Friday, Sept. 1. The Team consisted of Ron Kolek Senior, head investigator, Ron Kolek Jr., Medium Lesley Marden, and EVP specialist Jim Stonier. Also with them were Ron Junior’s wife of one week, Beth Kolek and Jim’s wife Sue.
The team boarded the Friends of Wood Island’s custom front loading landing craft Light Runner at 11 am with all their electronic equipment. Joining them were about a dozen FOWIL volunteers and twp guests, one of which was Holly Burnham who was born in the late 1950’s during her father’s time as keeper at Wood Island Lighthouse. Her older sister Tammy was the subject of a dramatic 1960 rescue in which she almost drowned while being transported to the hospital for suspected appendicitis. The boat she was in capsized leaving the 2-year-old bobbing in the icy November waves while her rescuer, USCG seaman Ed Syvinski desperately clung to her.
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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