Travel news about light stations, often called lighthouses, and lightships, including information about their preservation and heritage. Send your news releases about your lighthouse or lightship to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse in Mass. to get much-needed preservation
Light Stations & Lightships - East Coast
Friday, 11 May 2012 15:53 Written by Lighthouse Preservation Society
The Lighthouse Preservation Society (LPS) was awarded a grant in 2011 to document one of America’s most endangered beacons - the Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse in Rockport, Mass. – and broke new ground for lighthouse preservation by using, for the first time, some of the most sophisticated 3-D architectural technology available. Documenting the site’s several structures with architectural three-dimensional laser scans, a crew of photographers from Meridian Associates, who donated their services, spent an entire day photographing the island lighthouse station using this new technology.
Built in 1835, the station has been the subject of a number of conversations between LPS and the island’s owners, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, as to how to rescue the state’s best example of a gothic revival keeper’s house. In the 1990s, LPS had also overseen a team of students from the Boston Architectural College, who documented the endangered Straitsmouth Island Light Station with standard photography and measured drawings. At one point, LPS had even reached a tentative agreement with the Audubon Society and the Massachusetts state legislature (which was willing to provide the funds) to have the derelict keeper’s house removed from the island for preservation purposes. But a number of Rockport residents objected, and the deal fell through.
Up until 2011, the Straitsmouth Island Light Station has continued to steadily decline. A report we had from the Audubon Society at the beginning of the year was that the keeper’s house roof was close to collapsing. That report spurred us to apply to a new grant contest, sponsored by Meridian Associates in Beverly, Mass., about that time. They were offering their state-of-the art 3-D architectural laser scans to the one historic organization in Essex County, who had the most endangered historic building. LPS nominated the Straitsmouth Island Light on behalf of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and won. Then, as we began to make plans to have the buildings documented in the autumn, we discovered that the Audubon Society had decided to undertake some basic repairs to the buildings to protect them from the upcoming winter weather. We were greatly encouraged by this news, which finally demonstrated the Audubon Society’s commitment to doing something to save these historic structures.
Lighthouses across the U.S. offer summer lighthouse keeper experiences
Light Stations & Lightships - West Coast
Wednesday, 08 February 2012 10:28 Written by Joe Follansbee
Have you ever wanted to taste the life of a 19th century lighthouse keeper? Or maybe just stay overnight in a lighthouse? More than 60 lighthouses across the country offer accommodations, ranging from a bed and breakfast-style experience to a full month on a lonely island outpost. Search for the lighthouse nearest your location or click a lighthouse icon to learn more.
Enter your city and state to find the closest lighthouse with accommodations.
Here are three of our favorite lighthouses for an overnight experience.
New Dungeness Lighthouse (Sequim, Wash.) -- Established and built in 1857, the New Dungeness Lighthouse was automated in 1976 and is now operated by a local not-for-profit. The lighthouse is one of the few that allows families to stay for up to a week. As part of the experience, keepers serve as docents for the lighthouse.
Little River Lighthouse (Cutler, Maine) -- Little River Lighthouse, established in 1847, is located on a tiny island in downeast Maine, and it's recently completed a major renovation. You'll stay in the lighthouse keeper's quarters; bring your own linens or sleeping bag, towels, food, beverages and bottled water.
Whitefish Point Life-Saving Station (Paradise, Mich.) -- Established in 1923 on the grounds of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, the Whitefish Point Lifeboat Station is now owned by a local museum. Accommodations include five themed rooms in the restored 1923 Coast Guard Lifeboat Station crews quarters.
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Volunteers keep lighthouse lights on in Michigan
Light Stations & Lightships - Great Lakes
Friday, 03 February 2012 17:12 Written by Tom Haugen
Volunteers keep lighthouse lights on in Michigan (via YouTube) Barbara Benitez of Al Jazeera English reports on Michigan's long tradition of preserving its lighthouses and maritime heritage. View a map of Great Lakes Lighthouses.
USA's largest lighthouse festival set for Alpena, Michigan in October
Light Stations & Lightships - Great Lakes
Tuesday, 13 September 2011 06:11 Written by Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival
With fall fast approaching, travelers should be sure to add a visit to the 2011 Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival October 6-9. This is the 16th year the nation’s largest lighthouse festival has been held in Alpena, Mich. The mission of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival is “to promote the historic lighthouse and life-saving stations of the Great Lakes through educating the public about the restoration, preservation, history and life of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Stations” and have fun while doing it!
The four-day event provides activities for the young and old, including lighthouse tours by personal vehicles, a helicopter tour, or boat tour, entertainment, auctions, dining events, lighthouse exhibits, and shopping. The festival boasts more than 75 maritime-related vendors, including lighthouse preservation groups, artists, nautical crafters, photographers, and authors. This year’s featured guest speakers include Terry Pepper, executive director of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, national gold medal award winning photographer and author Larry Wright, and Sandy Bihn, president of the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse Society, which operates the 2011 featured attraction, the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse.
The main site of activities is the Alpena Event Center, 701 Woodward Avenue, Alpena. Additional activities are held throughout the community, such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, located on the downtown Alpena riverfront. The Sanctuary hosts a number of maritime-related exhibits and a glass-bottom boat tour. North of Alpena, at the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival Museum, 7406 US 23 North, visitors will find exhibits related to local shipwrecks and lighthouse history. Visitors are also encouraged to stop by Stoney Acres Winery, 4268 Truckey Road, Alpena to purchase a bottle of this year’s featured lighthouse Toledo Harbor Lighthouse wine in a limited edition lighthouse bottle.
Along Lake Huron’s shoreline from Tawas City to Mackinaw City, lighthouses will be open for tours and visits. The volunteers of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Festival welcome families and individuals to visit and enjoy the maritime riches of the Great Lakes during this celebration. October has been declared by the State of Michigan as Lighthouse Awareness Month. For information on events, activities and reservations, visit www.lighthousefestival.org or contact festival coordinator, Melanie Kirn, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 586-566-1603.
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Historic Pooles Island Lighthouse on Chesapeake Bay relit after seventy-two years
Light Stations & Lightships - East Coast
Tuesday, 31 May 2011 07:24 Written by U.S. Army Public Affairs
Seventy-two years of darkness was overthrown with the flick of a switch this month as the Aberdeen Proving Ground relit the Pooles Island Lighthouse, the oldest standing lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
More than 300 spectators watched the show May 21 from the Spirit of Baltimore as part of a cruise sponsored by the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Office of Economic Development, and the Army Alliance in cooperation with Aberdeen Proving Ground. Among those watching the historic event were Maj. Gen. Nick Justice, Installation and Research, Development and Engineering Command Commander, and Col. Orlando Ortiz, U.S. Army Garrison APG.
Justice and Ortiz led a ceremony from the open top deck of the ship to mark the event from within sight of the lighthouse. As darkness settled on the historic island, the two Army leaders were among those who fired a flare into the night sky. That signaled a team ashore to fire eight cannon shots, the last of which was followed by the lighthouse's beacon piercing the night for the first time in decades. The beacon began blinking in a four-three pattern to alert mariners they are passing the home of Team APG.
The APG's focus on the future is matched by its care for the past, Ortiz said. "Our support to our nation goes well beyond the contributions we make to national defense. As you can see with tonight's event, we're dedicated to preserving our history. We are also dedicated to protecting our nation's environmental resources."
Justice singled out a group of passengers with a long association with the lighthouse and the surrounding land. More than 30 descendents of the last longtime lighthouse keeper, Capt. Stephen Andrew Cohee, used the occasion to gather for a family reunion.
"Thank you for joining us here tonight I can only imagine what witnessing this event must mean to you, because I get goose bumps just to be able to bring this piece of history back to Maryland," Justice said.
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