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. A book written by Ernie and his wife Pauline was published by Foghorn publishing in 2006. Ernie’s half of the book was called… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #9 – Maine lighthouse keeper Ernie DeRaps

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, established in 1868, is on a 76-foot bluff in Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. The square tower, constructed of Cream City brick from Milwaukee, is connected to the keeper’s house. The light served to guide shipping through the Strawberry Channel. In its active history (1868-1926), there were only three keepers.… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 303 – Amy Frank, Door County Historical Society and Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, WI

Joseph Hindley had a long career as a lighthouse keeper that spanned from the late 1920s to 1972, when he retired as the last civilian keeper in the New England region. He served at offshore stations early in his career: Whale Rock (RI), Butler Flats (MA), and Sakonnet Point (RI). He and his family spent… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite: Betty Hindley Hatzikon, lighthouse keeper’s daughter

The city of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, is on the west shore of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. The Manitowoc North Breakwater Lighthouse, built in 1918, is one of the area’s most familiar icons. The lighthouse property was auctioned by the federal government in 2010 under the guidelines of the National Historic Lighthouse… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 302 – Manitowoc North Breakwater Light, Wisconsin

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse on Florida’s east coast is owned by the United States Space Force and maintained as an active aid to navigation by the Coast Guard. Visits to the lighthouse are made available by the nonprofit Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation. The Foundation completed the construction of a new replica keeper’s house in 2019. Funding… Continue reading Light Hearted 301 – Cape Canaveral, FL, and the winner of the 2024 Lighthouse Dance Off

This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 21 in August 2019. Halfway Rock Lighthouse is a 76-foot granite tower built in 1871 on a windswept ledge far out in Maine’s Casco Bay. The property was bought at auction in 2014 by entrepreneur Ford Reiche. His amazing restoration has earned him… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite: Ford Reiche, owner of Halfway Rock Lighthouse, Maine

To celebrate the 300th episode of this podcast, host Jeremy D’Entremont spoke with almost every person who’s served as a co-host in the past five-plus years. He asked each person a simple question – What has been your most memorable lighthouse experience? The answers are all over the map, which points out that there are… Continue reading Light Hearted 300th episode special – most memorable lighthouse moments

Nick Korstad, who is originally from Portland, Oregon, fell in love with lighthouses when he was in middle school. When Borden Flats Light in Fall River, Massachusetts, came up for sale via government auction in 2010, Nick saw a great opportunity. He achieved his dream of public access when he opened the lighthouse for overnight… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 299 – Nick Korstad: Borden Flats, MA; Big Bay Point, MI; Browns Head, ME

The Lightship Overfalls, more properly known as the LV-118 or the WAL 539, was the last lightship built under the U.S. Lighthouse Service. Built in East Boothbay, Maine, in 1938, the 116-foot-long vessel incorporated the latest features of lightship design at the time. The LV-118 saw duty in several locations in its active career. From… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 298 – John Bolster, Lightship Overfalls, Delaware

This is part two of a two-part interview with Henry Gonzalez, who became the president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society this past spring after 25 years in a vice presidential role. Henry has lighthouses in his  blood. He’s the great-great-grandson of a lighthouse keeper who served on the north coast of Spain from 1863 to… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 297 – U.S. Lighthouse Society President Henry Gonzalez, pt 2 of 2