Tawas Now Open
For all practical purposes renovations at Michigan’s Tawas Point Lighthouse are now completed and the lighthouse is accepting donations of artifacts from people who once lived in the lighthouse or are descendants of the keepers families. The top floor of the lighthouse is now being rented out for $225.00 per week. Tower tours are $2.00 per person. The lighthouse is located on the grounds of Michigan’s Tawas Point State Park.

New Life for Two New Brunswick Beacons
Ownership of two New Brunswick Lighthouses has been transferred from federal ownership to local groups. The Musquash Lighthouse has been transferred to Musquash Light Station, Inc. and the Letete Passage Lighthouse, also known as Green’s Point Lighthouse, located near the Deer Island Ferry Terminal has been transferred to the Green’s Point Lighthouse Association. Ninety-eight of the 110 acres around Musquash Head Lighthouse has been transferred to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The full story will be in the September issue of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. To subscribe go to www.LighthouseDigest.net.

Ecorse Range Lighthouses
Lighthouse Digest is trying to locate photographs, stories, memories and images of the Ecorse Range Lighthouses and their keepers. The Ecorse Range Lights once stood on the west side of the Detroit River near Ecorse, Michigan. If any of our readers can help please write to Editor, Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630 or email Editor@LighthouseDigest.com.

New Coast Guard Cutter
The United States Coast Guard has christened a new Coast Guard cutter named after the late Admiral Russell Waesche who was the Commandant of the Coast Guard from 1936 until his retirement due to ill health in January 1946. He passed away in October 1946. In 1939 Admiral Waesche oversaw the merger of the United States Lighthouse Service into the United States Coast Guard. It was the first time in American history that a military branch of the government took over a civilian branch of the government. At one point the U.S. Lighthouse Service had more employees decentralized outside of Washington DC than any other branch of the government.

New Movie Begins Filming
A new movie, currently titled, “The Lightkeepers” is filming in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Set in 1912, the film stars James Caan and Martin Sheen. The movie is about two lighthouse keepers at the Eastham Lighthouse and their romantic and comical entanglement with two ladies who move into the cottage next door to them. At press time it was not indicated if the film will be about Nauset Lighthouse or the Three Sisters (The original Nauset Light Station), which are all located in Eastham. MA.

First “Lights Across the Border,” Challenge A Success
The first “Lights Across the Border” International Lighthouse Challenge held in remote Downeast Maine and Campobello Island New Brunswick, Canada, was rated a total success by it's organizers. In one day nearly 500 people visited the area’s five remote lighthouses including Little River Lighthouse located on an island in Cutler, Maine.

Little River Sweats
Speaking of Little River Lighthouse the group has a new sweatshirt they are selling to help raise money for the lighthouse. The shirt can be ordered on-line at www.LittleRiverLight.org.

Australian Tender In Trouble
The Australian lighthouse tender MV Cape Dorn is in danger of being lost after being kicked out of its mooring spot. Members of the group working to restore it said the move to a new less desirable location could be the final death-blow in their attempts to save the ship.

Lightship For Sale
The historic Nantucket Lightship LV-112, is for sale for one dollar but it will likely cost $150,000 to relocate and restore the historic vessel. It is owned by the National Lighthouse Museum, a museum that was never able to get officially open for business due to a lack of funding.

American History
We believe that a person can learn more about early American history by studying lighthouses and the best way to learn about lighthouses is from lighthouse books. Lighthouse Depot has a large selection of books to choose from on their web site at www.LighthouseDepot.com and in their stores in Wells and Rockland, Maine. Many of these books would also be great for students who will need some unique ideas for school projects and reports for the approaching school season.

Changing Seasons
Most of us may still be in the “Dog Days of August,” but the autumn season is fast approaching and you might want to think about our beautiful USA Lights Sweatshirt that features lighthouses from all over the United States. It is available as item #40450 and has been one of our most popular items. You’ll be showing your love of lighthouses with this beautiful shirt.

Former Keepers Guide Museum
Two former lighthouse keepers are now volunteering at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine. John Gaspie, 91 and John Baxter, 72, are on hand from time to time to answer questions from visitors to the museum. Baxter served at Mt. Desert, Bear Island, and Browns Head lighthouses in Maine as well as Beavertail Lighthouse in Rhode Island. Gaspie served at the windswept and dangerous Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse in Massachusetts.

The Columbian Exposition and Alaska Revisited
The Columbian Exposition was one of the world’s greatest events in the late 1800s that featured, what was then, the newest of lighthouse technology and most people in those days knew very little of Alaska’s remote and isolated lighthouses. However, these stories, events and more are brought to life in the September issue of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. If you are not yet a subscriber you can do so on line at www.LighthouseDigest.net. The magazine also makes a great gift.

Lighthouse Group Chosen Over City
The federal government has chosen a nonprofit to own a lighthouse, over a local government agency for only the second time in history. Under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, ownership of Connecticut’s Penfield Reef Lighthouse will be transferred to Beacon Preservation, a nonprofit group. The only other time the government chose a non-profit to own a lighthouse over a local government entity was for the ownership of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in North Carolina.

Lighthouse Closed
The United States Coast Guard has closed Michigan’s Fort Gratiot Lighthouse to the public because of deteriorating brickwork, falling debris and questionable integrity. The lighthouse was built in 1829 and increased to its present height in 1861. This is becoming a common occurrence at popular tourist attraction lighthouses since they were not built to accommodate throngs of tourists climbing their stairs.

Big Birthday
With a fresh coat of paint, Canada’s Sambro Island Lighthouse just celebrated its 250th birthday. The Halifax-area lighthouse is the oldest traditional operating lighthouse in North America.

Do You Have Lighthouse News?
Do you have lighthouse news, a story to share, a photograph to share, memories of your lighthouse vacation, a lighthouse that is special in your life? If so, send your story and photos to Editor@LighthouseDigest.com or by mail to Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630. All items submitted will be considered for publication. If sending photos by email, be sure to send high-resolution images.

New Lighthouse Products, Collectibles and Gift Items
Lighthouse Depot has the largest selection of lighthouse products in the world. Please remember to visit our web site often for all of your collecting and gift giving. We have lots of wonderful great items to choose from. Also be sure to visit our Clearance Central for discontinued and nearly sold out products that have been reduced for quick sale.

Why do so many people love lighthouses?
Because, lighthouses are just like people; they come in all kinds of different sizes, shapes and colors.

We support the efforts of The American Lighthouse Foundation. You can too!

Lighthouse Depot
P.O. Box 427
Wells, ME 04090
1-800-758-1444