The peninsula known as Cape Blanco, the most westerly point on the coast of Oregon, was named by Spanish explorers because of its high, light-colored cliffs. The reefs around the cape were a hindrance to navigation, leading to the establishment of a lighthouse in 1870. The brick tower, 59 feet tall with its light 256… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 244 – Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Oregon
The Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, is dedicated to showcasing the area’s rich maritime roots. The museum’s exhibits spotlight fishermen, ship captains, skilled craftsmen, inventors, and lighthouse keepers, among others who have contributed much to the area for centuries. Under the same management is the Death’s Door Maritime Museum in Gills Rock,… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 243 – Sam Perlman, Door County Maritime Museum, Wisconsin
Solargraphy – also called solarigraphy – is a niche form of pinhole photography that stretches single exposure images to an extreme exposure length. Relying on homemade cameras, darkroom paper, and a small pinhole instead of a glass lens, solargraphs allow an image to be captured over months or years. The path of the sun and… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 242 – Christian Fiedler: Beacons Through Time; Winner of USLHS dance contest
In addition to their nature cruises, Bar Harbor Whale Watch in Maine runs regular sightseeing cruises that go near several of the local lighthouses. For years, pre-pandemic, the company also ran occasional all-day lighthouse cruises that passed close to as many as 15 or 20 lighthouses. An annual July cruise was known as the Grand… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 241 – Bar Harbor Grand Slam Lighthouse Cruise (ME); Graves Light lens project (MA)
Maine Open Lighthouse Day is a popular annual event that’s sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maine Office of Tourism, and the American Lighthouse Foundation. It attracts between 15,000 to 18,000 visitors each year and offers the general public the rare opportunity to climb and learn about more than a dozen historic Maine lights.… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 240 – Bob Trapani: Maine Open Lighthouse Day
Connecticut’s Black Rock Harbor, now part of the city of Bridgeport, is a deep, protected harbor that developed as a trade port and shipbuilding center in the 1700s. Black Rock Harbor is sheltered by Fayerweather Island, which made the island an ideal place for a lighthouse to mark the harbor entrance. The first lighthouse on the… Continue reading Fayerweather Island Lighthouse (Connecticut) 200th Anniversary being celebrated with special USLHS Zoom event on September 9 at 4 p.m. EST
In recognition of National Lighthouse Day 2023 (August 7), the U.S. Lighthouse Society held its first-ever nationwide dance contest. People were asked to dance at lighthouses around the U.S. to the original song “Meet Me at the Lighthouse” by Joe Rivers. We received entries from ten different states across the country! Here is a compilation.… Continue reading National Lighthouse Day Dance Contest Winners
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a body of water the Salish Sea’s main outlet to the Pacific Ocean. Clallam Bay, Washington, is an indentation on the south side of the strait, about 30 miles from its mouth. Slip Point is at the east end of Clallam Bay. A fog signal was established at… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 239 – Slip Point, Washington; Lovells Island, Massachusetts
Porte des Morts, from the French meaning “door of the dead,” is a strait that connects Lake Michigan to Green Bay, Wisconsin. A lighthouse was established in the strait on Plum Island in 1849, but it was determined to be too far west to aid shipping. It was replaced by a lighthouse and fog signal… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 238 – Mary Beth Volmer, Friends of Plum & Pilot Islands, Wisconsin
This episode features a wide-ranging conversation between Light Hearted host Jeremy D’Entremont and Jeff Gales, executive director of the U.S. Lighthouse Society (USLHS). Topics include the early history of the USLHS, the Society’s move from San Francisco to Point No Point Light Station in Seattle, the passport program, overnight stays at the Society’s properties and… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 237 – U.S. Lighthouse Society Executive Director Jeff Gales
