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Lighthouse Depot Dispatch for January 2007
CPOA Issues First of a Series of Lighthouse Coins.
The North Bend, Oregon, Chapter of the Chief Petty Officer Association CPOA is now selling a limited edition coin that features the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It is hoped that this will be the first in a series of nine Oregon lighthouse coins to be released each year.
The coins are part of a fund raising effort for the group. The main purpose of the CPOA is to help Coast Guard junior enlisted members and their families. As an organization they buy and deliver holiday gift boxes, give out personal baby blankets to help welcome new additions and sponsor cab rides. They also help out in time of national emergencies such as the recent hurricanes where they supplied clothing and other essentials to Coast Guard families who had lost everything.
The Umpqua coin can be ordered on line at www.nbcpoa.org for $20.00 plus $5.00 shipping or by mail at North Bend Chapter Chief Petty Officers Association, 2000 Connecticut Ave., North Bend, Oregon 97459.
Lost Lighthouse
We are looking for images of the Charlotte Harbor Lighthouse that once stood in the Gulf of Mexico near Boca Grande, Florida. We are especially interested in photographs of keepers who served there and any stories associated with them. If you can help contact Editor, Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 68, Wells, ME 04090 or email: .
Vying for Stepping Stones
Word has it that five nonprofits have applied for ownership of New York’s Stepping Stones Lighthouse. The lighthouse, which has 1,000 square feet living space on three-quarters of an acre of rock, needs lots of work, since no major repairs have been made to the structure in 129 years. The non-profits that want ownership of the lighthouse under the National Historic lighthouse Preservation Act are competing with the Town of North Hempstead, NY.
Grant for MLM
The Rockland Maine City Council has approved a $51,500 grant to replace the roof over the CWO Kenneth Black Exhibition Hall, to upgrade the heating and air conditioning and finish the lens workshop at the Maine Lighthouse Museum.
Passing
We are saddened to report the death of Conrad Nobili long time friend and supporter of the Nauset Lighthouse Preservation Society and husband of NLPS past president and current board member Pam Nobili. Donations in his memory can be sent to Nauset Lighthouse Preservation Society, P.O. Box 941, Eastham, MA 02642.
Last Japanese Lighthouse
As of last month, the Meshima Lighthouse on one of Nagasaki Prefecture’s Danjyo Islands became the last pf Japan’s 3,337 lighthouses to become automated. The lighthouse, established in 1927, stands on a cliff on one of the Danjyo Islands. The islands are generally off limits to the public and special permission if required in order to visit them. However, as with other lighthouses around the world, we wonder how long it will be before the elements take their toll on this unmanned lighthouse.
Lightship on ebay
The City of New Bedford, Massachusetts recently put what is left of the New Bedford Lighthouse for sale on ebay. More than likely it will be sold for scrap. The lightship was originally the Pollock Rip Lightship and ever since the City of New Bedford obtained ownership of the vessel many years ago nothing was ever done to attempt to restore or save it. The lightship sold on ebay for a paltry $1,775.00 and the City of New Bedford is now trying to decide if should accept the bid.
Michigan Light In Arizona
Lake Havasu, Arizona recently dedicated its 12th lighthouse on the lake since the first one was dedicated in 2002 by a movement started by local resident Bob Keller. A group of people in a ceremony that included hot dogs, cold drinks, dedicated a replica of Michigan’s Alpena Lighthouse. The lighthouse was funded in part by the Mohave County Board of Directors. Keller explained that the lighthouses on the California side of the lake represent western lighthouses and replicas on the Arizona side of the lake represent lighthouses of the eastern part of the United States.
Depot Gets New Tour Director
Lighthouse Depot has announced that David L Snyder has joined the firm as Manager of Lighthouse Depot Tours. Dave, who is originally from Michigan, will be relocating from San Francisco where he has been working for a local travel agency since October 2005, organizing and running educational tours. Previously, he had worked for the United States Lighthouse Society having various administrative duties, as well as organizing and leading many domestic and international lighthouse tours. Prior to that he was a historian with the National Park Service in Michigan and Wisconsin. We welcome Dave and hope many of you have the opportunity to eventually meet him on one of Lighthouse Depot’s exciting lighthouse tours,
Wilbur Plumley Info Sought
It was back in 1994 that Tim Harrison purchased an original full size U. S. Lighthouse Service Inspectors Flag from a descendant of Wilbur Plumley who was born in 1893 at Kenmore, New York. He married Harriett on March 9, 1926 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. That flag has since been donated to the American Lighthouse Foundation. We are trying to find any historical information on Mr. Plumley as well as a photograph of him to be displayed with the flag. We believe he was in the Lighthouse Service and later in the Coast Guard. If any of our readers can help us please write to Editor, Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 68, Wells, ME 04090 or email .
Passing
Robert Milton Freeman, 74, has passed away. Milton was born in Jonesboro, Maine on May 24, 1932, the son of James and Iva Lowe Freeman. At a few days old he was taken to an island off Milbridge, Maine, to the Petit Manan Lighthouse where his father was a lighthouse keeper. He enjoyed telling stories of his family’s life and growing up at several Maine lighthouses. Our condolences go out to his family.
Flamborough Head’s Birthday
The Flamborough Head Lighthouse celebrated its 200th birthday the first weekend of this past December. As part of the celebration there was a special exhibit, a special church service, tours of the lighthouse. Although the current tower was built in 1806 a lighthouse has marked the area since 1669. Located on the east coast of England the Flamborough Head Lighthouse was electrified in 1940 and automated in 1996.
Storhofdi Celebrates 100
The Storhofdi Lighthouse in the Vestmannaeyjar Islands off the coast of Iceland celebrated its 100th birthday this past November. Amazingly the lighthouse still has a lighthouse keeper. Oskar Jakob Sigurdsson is the last lighthouse keeper in Iceland, a position he has held since 1965 when he inherited the position from his father who had been the keeper for 55 years. As well as being the lighthouse keeper Sigurdsson has labeled about 85,000 birds, a world record in bird labeling. Dignitaries attending the birthday celebration honored him for his work. The lighthouse is located in the southernmost inhabited area of Iceland, which is also the windiest.
Kilauea Lighthouse Needs Restoration
Although it is estimated that 500,000 people per year visit the famous Kilauea Lighthouse in Hawaii, most of them don’t realize that the lighthouse needs a million and half dollars in restoration work. The lighthouse, built in 1913 was deactivated in 1976. Although the Fresnel lens is still in the tower it is not lit a nearby light on a pole serves as the aid to navigation. Located in the Kaua’l National Wildlife Refuge they simply consider it an attraction in a wildlife refuge.
Last Issue’s Trivia Question
In August 1875 I was ordered to report as Lighthouse Inspector for the Second Naval District headquartered in New York and I served in that capacity until August of 1877 when I was appointed to the Light-House Board, which oversaw the operation of all of America’s Lighthouses. During the Spanish American War, my orders, You may fire when you are ready Gridley, gave birth to a historical expression that will be remembered forever in the annals of American history. Later I became the highest-ranking person in U. S. Navy history. What is my name?
Congratulations to Neil Orris of Kissimmee, Florida whose name was randomly picked from among the correct answers. A wonderful prize is now on its way to you from Lighthouse Depot.
The correct answer was Admiral George Dewey who was appointed Admiral of the Navy in 1899 a position he held until his death in 1917. To this day, he is the only person to ever hold the rank, Admiral of the Navy. Interestingly this trivia question generated the most correct answers ever submitted in a Trivia Question contest. It also generated the most incorrect answers ever submitted.
Black Rock Back
Connecticut’s Black Rock Harbor Lighthouse on Fayerweather Island in Bridgeport, Connecticut is again lit up thanks to the efforts of volunteers. The lighthouse has been subject to vandalism ever since it was deactivated back in 1933. In 2004 vandals smashed the solar panels that were used to light up the structure. This time wire cages have been put over the new solar panels to protect them from vandalism.
Maine Lighthouse Sold By Government
The federal government has sold Maine’s Goose Rocks Lighthouse for a paltry $27,000. The lighthouse had been offered up for adoption under the National Historic Lighthouse preservation Act of 2000 but the General Service Administration rejected the application by Historically Significant Structures of Philadelphia for ownership. Instead the lighthouse was put up for sale via a sealed bid. The lighthouse was sold to a newly formed nonprofit called Beacon Preservation, Inc. formed by Casey Jordon of Ansonia, Connecticut. The new owners will be required by historical covenants in the deed to protect its historicity.
This Month’s Trivia Question
As a hero of the Second War of Independence, President Andrew Johnson, who was also a hero of that war, appointed me a lighthouse keeper. In my home state, where I was a lighthouse keeper, the state named two towns after me and both of those towns town erected a statue of me in my honor. The mid-Atlantic lighthouse I served at until my death is no longer standing. I also built the first ship of its kind in my state and a plaque was erected to commemorate that happening. What is my name and what lighthouse was I a keeper at?
Please send you answer along with your name and mailing address to . We will randomly pick one name from among the correct answers to receive a wonderful prize from Lighthouse Depot. Be sure to include you mailing address, which we will need to mail you prize, in case your name is selected from the correct answers as the winner.
Donations Sought
The nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation is appealing for donations to help them in their lighthouse preservation and educational efforts. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law and can be made on line at www.LighthouseFoundation.org or by mail to American Lighthouse Foundation, P.O. Box 889, Wells, ME 04090.
Clearance Central
Be sure to visit the Lighthouse Depot Clearance Section of our web site at www.lighthousedepot.com/clearance.cfm for an ever-changing array of discontinued items that are reduced to clear off the shelves to make room for all the neat new items that will be arriving for 2007.
Lighthouse Digest
The January issue of Lighthouse Digest is packed with many interesting stories that include recollections of life at a Maine lighthouse, a lighthouse history mystery, another lighthouse being added to the Doomsday List of Endangered lighthouses, this one is in New Jersey and many other interesting stories that you will not find anywhere else. If you are not yet a subscriber you can do so now #13001. The magazine also makes a great gift.
For 2007 we wish all of you Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All. 
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