Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 245 – Pete Lesher, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland, explores and preserves the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and makes this resource accessible to all. The museum’s collections include historic watercraft dating back to the 1860s, maritime paintings and prints, ship models, a Chesapeake region folklife collection, and a dozen… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 245 – Pete Lesher, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Event

A virtual presentation by author Theresa Levitt: “The Fresnel Lens and the Notion of a Public Good.”

Saturday, September 30, at 4:00 p.m. EST (1:00 p.m. on the West Coast) Our special guest for this presentation will be Theresa Levitt, a professor of history at the University of Mississippi. Her acclaimed book A Short Bright Flash told the fascinating story of Augustin Fresnel, the French physicist who changed the world with his… Continue reading A virtual presentation by author Theresa Levitt: “The Fresnel Lens and the Notion of a Public Good.”

Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 244 – Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Oregon

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

Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 243 – Sam Perlman, Door County Maritime Museum, Wisconsin

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

Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 242 – Christian Fiedler: Beacons Through Time; Winner of USLHS dance contest

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

Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 241 – Bar Harbor Grand Slam Lighthouse Cruise (ME); Graves Light lens project (MA)

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)

Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 240 – Bob Trapani: Maine Open Lighthouse Day

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

Event

Fayerweather Island Lighthouse (Connecticut) 200th Anniversary being celebrated with special USLHS Zoom event on September 9 at 4 p.m. EST

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

Event

National Lighthouse Day Dance Contest Winners

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

Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 239 – Slip Point, Washington; Lovells Island, Massachusetts

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