Frederick Mikkelsen was a Coast Guard light keeper at Conimicut Lighthouse in Rhode Island circa 1958 to 1961. The cast-iron “sparkplug” style lighthouse was built at the mouth of the Providence River in 1883. Conimicut was the one of the last lighthouses in the nation to be converted to electricity. The light was automated and… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 43 – Frederick Mikkelsen, former keeper of Conimicut Lighthouse, RI

East Point Lighthouse began service in September 1849. It’s a type of building known as a Cape Cod-style lighthouse, because a number of them were build on Cape Cod in the early 1800s. It consists of a lantern on the roof of a two-story keeper’s dwelling. The light was automated in 1911 with the use… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 42 – Nancy Patterson, East Point Lighthouse, New Jersey

This is a special edition of Light Hearted, featuring an extended interview with a former lighthouse keeper. Ernie DeRaps, a native Mainer, spent several years in the 1950s and ‘60s as a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper at four Maine lighthouses – Monhegan, Fort Point, Heron Neck, and Browns Head. After retirement he took up painting… Continue reading Light Hearted Special Edition – Former Maine lighthouse keeper Ernie DeRaps

St. Marks is a small city on Florida’s gulf coast that’s part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area. It was founded by the Spanish in the 1600s. St. Marks became an important port of entry for the prosperous planting region of Middle Florida and South Georgia. A light station at St, Marks, Florida’s second, began service… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 41 – Tom Baird, St. Marks Lighthouse, Florida

At the beginning of June, a new U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast was launched, entitled Light Hearted. The podcast features conversations about all things related to lighthouses, particularly their history and preservation. The idea behind the title–coined by my wife, Charlotte, after much discussion–is that it signifies people who have lighthouses in their hearts. Of course,… Continue reading Six months and 40 episodes of “Light Hearted” podcasts: A New Year’s message

Grosse Point Lighthouse, located at the southern end of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois, was established in 1873 as the primary lighthouse marking the approach to Chicago. The lighthouse tower stands 113 feet tall and is constructed of Cream City brick encased in concrete. Still in use in the lantern is the original second-order Fresnel… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 40 – Don Terras, Grosse Point Light Station, IL

Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse is probably the best-known lighthouse in Maryland, and it has many distinctions. It’s the last surviving screwpile lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay, and it’s one of the few lighthouses in the United States to be designated a National Historic Landmark. It’s weathered many storms but it’s now in need of help. John… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 39 – John Potvin, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, Maryland

Featured in this episode of Light Hearted is an interview with Scott Brown, president of Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse. In 1882, Congress appropriated $20,000 for a lighthouse on Little Cormorant Rock at the entrance to Rhode Island’s Sakonnet River, near Little Compton. Sakonnet Point Lighthouse is a typical offshore “sparkplug” lighthouse of its period. The… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 38 – Scott Brown, Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Rhode Island

With its harbor at the mouth of the Pequonnock River, Bridgeport, Connecticut, became a center of trade, shipbuilding, and whaling. This episode of Light Hearted features two interviews related to the history of lighthouses in the vicinity of Bridgeport, with Bruce Williams and Phil Blagys. Captain’s Cove Seaport is a major attraction in Bridgeport, with… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 37 – Bruce Williams and Phil Blagys; Bridgeport, CT, and Black Rock Harbor Lighthouse