History Videos · Miscellaneous videos

Jim Pope, one of the last keepers of Whaleback Lighthouse in Maine

Jim Pope, who was a Coast Guard light keeper at Whaleback Lighthouse in Kittery, Maine, 1960-62, passed away on September 8. Here is an edited 2018 interview with Jim conducted by videographer Jim White and USLHS historian Jeremy D’Entremont, recorded at the Kittery Historical and Naval Museum. Wickie from NHJeremy D’Entremont is the author of… Continue reading Jim Pope, one of the last keepers of Whaleback Lighthouse in Maine

History Videos

U.S. Lighthouse Society history video – The Lost Lights of Ipswich

The historic town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, has many houses dating back to the 1600s. But few people know that there was once a light station on the stretch of sand known as Crane Beach. The last lighthouse that stood there still exists, 50 miles from its original home. Wickie from NHJeremy D’Entremont is the author… Continue reading U.S. Lighthouse Society history video – The Lost Lights of Ipswich

History Videos

USLHS Historian Video #13 – Early Lighthouses part 2: Roman Empire and British Isles

Part two of a series on lighthouse history — ancient Roman lighthouses, La Coruna in Spain, and Hook Head in Ireland. Wickie from NHJeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #13 – Early Lighthouses part 2: Roman Empire and British Isles

History Videos

USLHS Historian Video #12 – Early Lighthouses Part One: Beginnings

Wickie from NHJeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #12 – Early Lighthouses Part One: Beginnings

History Videos

USLHS Historian Video #11 – Lighthouse Keepers: In Their Own Words

Some nuggets from Lighthouse Service keepers around the U.S. Wickie from NHJeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #11 – Lighthouse Keepers: In Their Own Words

History Videos

USLHS Historian Video #10 – Women Who Kept the Lights: In Their Own Words

From 1776 to the present day, more than 140 women have served as keepers of American lighthouses. Today, the only official keeper in the United States still employed by the U.S. Coast Guard is Sally Snowman at Boston Light Station. In addition to women light keepers, there were many assistant keepers and also countless wives… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #10 – Women Who Kept the Lights: In Their Own Words

History Videos

USLHS Historian Video #9 – The second Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse

The first (1850) lighthouse at Minot’s Ledge, on the southern approach to Boston Harbor, was destroyed in an April 1851 storm, taking with it the lives of two young assistant keepers. The construction of the second tower was one of the great achievements in American lighthouse building. Constructed of 1079 blocks of granite weighing 3514… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #9 – The second Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse

History Videos

USLHS Historian Video #8: The first Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse

Minot’s Ledge—about a mile offshore, near the border between the towns of Cohasset and Scituate on the south shore of Boston, Massachusetts—is a 25-foot-wide rock ledge that is part of the dangerous Cohasset Rocks. In 1847, Congress appropriated funds for a lighthouse on Minot’s Ledge. Capt. William H. Swift of the Corps of Topographical Engineers… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #8: The first Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse

History Videos · Keepers

USLHS Historian Video #7: Keeper William C. Williams at Boon Island, Maine

Boon Island is a desolate pile of granite several miles off the southern Maine towns of Kittery and York. The present lighthouse, the third built on the island, went into service on New Year’s Day in 1855. It’s the tallest lighthouse in New England at 133 feet tall. Captain William Converse Williams, a native of… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #7: Keeper William C. Williams at Boon Island, Maine

History Videos

USLHS Historian Video #6 – Destruction Island, Washington

The federal government considered putting a lighthouse on Destruction Island, about three miles off the Washington coast, as early as the mid-1800s. As shipping along this part of the coast increased, there were several shipwrecks around Destruction Island in 1888-1889 alone. A lighthouse was built between 1889 and 1891. Here is its story. Wickie from… Continue reading USLHS Historian Video #6 – Destruction Island, Washington