This is an edited version of an interview that was first heard in episode 60 in May 2020. The guest is Dave Waller, the owner of Graves Light in Boston Harbor. This is part one of two parts. The ledges in outer Boston Harbor called the Graves – about 10 acres in all – have… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #17 – Dave Waller, owner of Graves Light, MA, pt 1 of 2

In 1828, Congress appropriated five thousand dollars to construct a lighthouse in Barcelona Harbor on Lake Erie in New York. The harbor had just been designated an official port of entry when the lighthouse was built. In the early 1800s, lumber, salt, flour, and fish were shipped to and from the port. The lighthouse is… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 310 – Barcelona Lighthouse, New York

This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 43 in January 2020. Conimicut Lighthouse is a cast-iron caisson structure built in 1883 to mark a dangerous shoal at the mouth of the Providence River. 18-year-old Coast Guardsman Frederick Mikkelsen was assigned to the station in 1958. One of his most memorable… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #16 – Fred Mikkelsen, Coast Guard keeper at Conimicut, RI

Desiree Heveroh describes herself a steward and keeper of the history of the city of Richmond, California, located in the San Francisco Bay Area’s East Bay region. She was a longtime board member of the East Brother Light Station, which is situated on an island in the strait that separates San Francisco Bay and San… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 309 – East Brother Light Station and the history of Richmond, CA, with Desiree Heveroh

This is another episode of Light Hearted Lite, the series where we revisit interviews from the past six years of Light Hearted. First is a chat about an upcoming virtual conference the U.S. Lighthouse Society will be hosting in March. The conference will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #15 – Shona Riddell, author of “Guiding Lights,” and the USLHS’s upcoming virtual event

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is at the northern end of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, offshore from the community of Riverside. Alex Dias joined the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse (a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation) in 2012, but his fascination with lighthouses dates back to 2005 when he was in the 5th grade. He’s… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 308: Alex Dias, Pomham Rocks, Rhode Island

This is a re-edited version of an interview that was first heard on “Light Hearted” in 2019.  Jim Pope was a keeper at rugged Whaleback Lighthouse in Maine from 1960 to ’62, and the light was automated and de-staffed a short time later. Whaleback is a ledge on the northeast side of the entrance to… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #14 – Jim Pope, keeper at Whaleback, Maine

This is part two of a two-part interview. Peter Halil was a lighthouse keeper in the UK from 1974 to 1997, and he was among the last traditional lighthouse keepers there before all the lights were automated. He also shot video at as many lighthouses as possible before they were automated. His videos sometimes include… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 307 – Peter Halil, UK lighthouse keeper, part 2 of 2

This is re-edited version of an interview with Rob Benchley first heard in episode 81 in September 2020. Rob is the volunteer modern day keeper of Sankaty Head Lighthouse in the Sconset village on Nantucket in Massachusetts. He’s also an accomplished photojournalist who has been the staff photographer for three island newspapers, and his photography… Continue reading Light Hearted Lite #13 – Rob Benchley, Sankaty Head (Nantucket, MA)

There are two segments in this episode. The first guest, Peter Halil, was a lighthouse keeper in the UK from 1974 to 1997. He was among the country’s final traditional lighthouse keepers before all the lights were automated. He was stationed at some well known light stations in England and Wales, including South Bishop, Dungeness,… Continue reading Light Hearted ep 306 – UK lighthouse keeper and chronicler Peter Halil; “Be a Lighthouse”