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Lighthouse Depot Newsletter dated: November 2001

Nubble Christmas, Special Pins, and much more!

Disclaimer: These are archives of past newsletters. These archives are provided for informational purposes only and no offer, discount, or price listed in any archived newsletter page is valid.

Christmas Lighting at the Nubble

If you live anywhere in New England or want to make a trip to Maine this coming Thanksgiving weekend you will want to attend the annual Christmas Lighting of the Nubble Light in York, Maine on Saturday, November 24th. The event begins at Sohier Park by the Nubble Light at 5pm. Santa arrives by fire truck and there will be hot chocolate, cookies and Christmas music. The countdown for the lighting begins around 7pm. The small parking lot fills up early and because of heavy traffic, the police usually close the lot early, so we recommend that you take the shuttle bus from Short Sands Beach parking lot at Ellis Park in York to Sohier Park. If you go, and we highly recommend that you do, be sure to dress warm as it gets pretty cold along the ocean. Since the water has been drained from the pipes at the public washrooms, porta-potties will be available for this event. If you can't make it for the relighting ceremony, the holiday lights on the lighthouse will be on every night thereafter until Jan. 2002. For more information contact Yorks Parks and Recreation at 207-363-1040 or email -

Dramatic cover of Little River Lighthouse

The November issue of Lighthouse Digest magazine has a dramatic cover with the words "Let Freedom Shine" showing the tower at Maine's Little River Lighthouse with a large U.S. flag draped from it. The lighthouse, after being dark for 26 years, was recently relit in a joint project between the United States Coast Guard and the American Lighthouse Foundation. The inside story tells that the lighthouse was relit in memory of the keepers of yesteryear and as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the September terrorist attack on America. Next year a plaque will be placed at the lighthouse as a memorial. If you are not a subscriber to the Lighthouse Digest, now would be the perfect time to subscribe. Ask that your subscription start with the dramatic November issue. For December, Lighthouse Digest commissioned a whimsical painting of Little River Lighthouse, which shows Santa on a ladder making the final touches to decorating the entire light station in red white and blue Christmas lights. To subscribe or order a gift subscription call 1-800-758-1444 or www.LighthouseDigest.comclick here. Gift subscriptions make wonderful gifts that keep on giving month after month, all year long. Lighthouse Digest is the only monthly lighthouse magazine in the world.

By the Light of a Blue Moon

Florida's St. Augustine Lighthouse will be witness to a Blue Moon - two full moons in one month! (Hence the saying, "Once in a Blue Moon") To celebrate, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum will host a "By the Light of the Moon" event at the top of the lighthouse tower on November 30.

The event begins at 4:45 pm and will conclude at 6 pm. Light refreshments and a champagne toast will be featured. Since space is limited, reservations are required and the cost is $15.00 per person. For reservations call 904-829-0745.

Stamp Petitions must be returned

If you still have petition forms for the postage stamp for the United States Lighthouse Service, please return them now to the American Lighthouse Foundation, P.O. Box 1690, Wells, Maine 04090. The Foundation with the help of Lighthouse Digest is trying to convince the Postal Service to issue a postage stamp that would feature the logo of the United States Lighthouse Service that was dissolved in 1939 when it was merged into the United States Coast Guard.

Grand Traverse Birthday

Next year Michigan's Grand Traverse Lighthouse will be celebrating its 150th birthday. In preparation for this grand celebration, the museum at the lighthouse is trying to locate any and all people who lived or worked at the lighthouse or might have historic photos of the life at the lighthouse or artifacts from the lighthouse. If you can help, please contact Sue Lee at

Canada Lighthouse Conference

The Atlantic Lighthouse Council is presenting a two-day program titled Canadian Lighthouse Divestiture: Unique Community Development Opportunities. If you would like to attend this two-day conference to be held Nov. 23 & 24 in Halifax, Nova Scotia there is still plenty of time to sign up. The conference includes a boat tour of Halifax Harbour Lighthouses and plenty of time for touring the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and visiting the new casino. For more information contact ALC at 902-543-3925 or by email at

NELL's Lighthouse Pins

One of the more active lighthouse groups in New England is the New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL). The group, which is now a fund raising arm and chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation was originally formed as a Harbour Lights Collectors Club, a role it still actively plays. For the recent Harbour Lights Regional Event held in Connecticut the group made up 500 collector pins (500 each of Eddystone Light and Hooper Strait Light), which were sold at the convention. They have about 100 of these sets still available and are offering them for sale to the general public at $10.00 per set, which includes shipping and handling. The first sixty people to order them will get a set with the signature of Bill Younger, founder of Harbour Lights. The pins were made with Harbour Lights Collectors in mind since Harbour Lights produced limited editions of both these lighthouses this year as part of its celebration of their ten years in business. These would truly make wonderful collectibles for Harbour Lights or pin collectors and a great stocking stuffer. Checks, made payable to NELL, can be sent to: Collector Pin Set, c/o Ron Foster, 298 L. Meridian St., Groton, CT 06340

Trivia Answer

The last Lighthouse Depot E-News letter Trivia Question was, "In a heated argument the lighthouse keeper of what lighthouse was shot and killed by the assistant keeper?"

The correct answer is St. Simons Lighthouse, Georgia. Sunday morning, Feb. 29, 1880 arguments between lighthouse keeper Fred Osborne and his assistant keeper had come to a head. Osborne threatened the assistant with a pistol, and the assistant keeper grabbed his shotgun, which was loaded with buckshot. At a range of about 98 feet the assistant fired the shotgun and the pellets hit keeper Osborne in four places. The assistant ran for medical help and then surrendered himself to authorities. He was released on bond whereas he served double duty while his boss lay gravely ill. Osborne died about a week later. At a subsequent trial the assistant keeper was found not guilty.

There were many correct answers to the Lighthouse Depot Trivia Question and from those correct answers we picked one winner. Congratulations to Dick Gallagher who won a Spoontiques replica of the St. Simons Lighthouse, which we have sent to him.

New Trivia Question

What was the name of the lighthouse person who would have been President of the United States if he had immediately accepted the offer of the Vice Presidency? While he was trying to decide if he should accept the offer to be Vice President, someone else was picked and the president later died in office. Email you answer to One winner will be picked at random from the correct answers and will win a prize from Lighthouse Depot. The answer to this question will be found in the soon to be published book, "The Golden Age of Lighthouses" by Tim Harrison and Ray Jones, which will be available in the spring of next year from Lighthouse Depot. We will give you the answer to the trivia question in the next Lighthouse Depot E-News.

Speaking of books, there are a number of new books and other products that have recently come on the market and would make great holiday gifts. Check them out below!

Remember, when purchasing products from Lighthouse Depot or subscribing to Lighthouse Digest you are helping through public awareness to save this vital part of America's maritime history and heritage. Lighthouse Depot supports the efforts of the American Lighthouse Foundation, a non profit group dedicated to saving lighthouses and their artifacts.

Clearance Central

And don't forget to check out all our special offers at Lighthouse Depot Clearance Central! Right now we have lots of new items at special prices, which make perfect gifts for all occasions! Go check them out at www.lighthousedepot.com/Clearance.cfmClearance Central!

New Holiday Catalog

If you have not yet received your copy of the Lighthouse Depot Holiday Catalog or would like us to send one to a friend, you can call us toll free at 1-800-758-1444 and request one or it can be done on line at www.LighthouseDepot.com. The catalog has many wonderful lighthouse items that are perfect for this time of the year such as our Christmas lawn lighthouse # www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=2857428574, the Harbour Lights 2001 Christmas replica # www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=4271242712, the Coca Cola Christmas Lighthouse # www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=2808128081, Musical Christmas lighthouse # www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=2801428014, and Santa’s Lighthouse Tree Topper # www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=2847228472 and so much more.

Lighthouses Around the World

A pictorial history of lighthouses from Vasilevsky Island in St. Petersburg, Russia where the Rostral columns can be seen from the czar’s former palace to North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest in the USA. Other lighthouses included are 10 lighthouses in Brazil, Tranoy Lighthouse in the Norwegian Sea, St. David’s Lighthouse in Bermuda. West Quoddy Light in Maine, Eldred Rock in Alaska, Heceta Light in Oregon, El Faro in Mexico and many others in Australia, Europe and Canada. Hardcover book with 80-full color pages, featuring 90 lighthouses with fabulous facts on each light. At this great price, they make great holiday gifts for all your friends.

Buy me!   Price: $12.98    Item code: #91224

Lighthouses of Europe

Spectacular hard cover book highlighting 230 of the greatest lighthouses in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, France, Spain, Portugal, and ending at the gates of Africa. The book starts with a historical overview of Europe’s greatest lighthouses and the myths and legends that surround them. For each geographical region the author recreates the fascinating, age-old history of the lighthouses. Stunning photography of over 200 lighthouses on the Atlantic coast of Western Europe including dramatic views from land, sea, and sky as well as dramatic interior shots. The perfect coffee table book, oversized at 9 ˝” x 13 5/8” with 240 pages it is currently the only book available in the United States about European Lighthouses. Text is by Daniel Charles a well-known writer and journalist living in France and photos by Philip Plisson, the official photographer for the French Navy, and his son Guillaume a well-respected French photographer. This book will make a fantastic gift this holiday season.

Buy me!   Price: $45.00    Item code: #91223

Lost Sounds – The Story of Coast Fog Signals

Lost Sounds is probably the only book ever written about fog signals. This book visits a number of lighthouses at different times over the last 130 years to reveal the philanthropic, scientific and romantic story of the fog signal-how it came about, how the machinery worked and for the mariner and the keeper, what it sounded like! The development of fog signals complemented the expansion of lighthouse construction worldwide from the last quarter of the 19th century and represented the attempt to provide a vital navigation aid to mariners when the beam of light was obscured by fog. Lost Sounds reveals the practical development of sound signals from early percussion instruments to the later succession of compressed-air sirens and diaphones through to the last remaining electric emitters. But it is much more than that-it is a record of another part of maritime history. Soft cover, 209 pages.

Buy me!   Price: $25.95    Item code: #91511

Lighthouses of Lake Michigan Past and Present

This is a stunning and comprehensive guide to the past and present lighthouses of Lake Michigan that will delight anyone with an interest in Great Lakes lighthouses. It is filled with color photographs and many rare historical pictures. This is by far the best book written on the lights of Lake Michigan. It is a must have for any lighthouse enthusiast. Soft cover, 248 pages.

Buy me!   Price: $29.95    Item code: #91216

Lighthouses of Apostle Islands

Nestled in the beauty of Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands are six light stations, with nine towers, each with it owns unique history. It is the greatest concentration of National Park Service maintained lighthouses found within the United States. The book contains great color photographs of each lighthouses, historical data, architectural plans, stories of shipwrecks and rescues and rare vintage photos. These island lighthouses are viewed and visited every September during the Apostle Island’s Lighthouse Celebration, an event that we recommend to everyone. The book is soft cover 8 1/2” x 11” with 72 pages.

Buy me!   Price: $19.95    Item code: #91221

Scottish Lighthouses

Scotland, a land best known for its kilts, whiskies, and bagpipes, has a breathtaking coastline and awe-inspiring islands. All this beauty however, comes at a price - the waters off Scotland’s coast are some of the most dangerous in the world. It a country almost totally dependent on the sea for its livelihood, lighthouses have played a significant role in its history. This full color book is a tour of thirty-one of the most significant lighthouses built in Scotland in the last 200 years. The book contains history and descriptions for each lighthouse, location and geography of the land where each beacon stands, details about the people who built the lights. Soft cover, 8 ˝” x 11” with 95 pages.

Buy me!   Price: $19.95    Item code: #91211

Keepers of Tomorrow CD

This is by far one of the best collections of songs about lighthouses ever recorded. Our favorites among the 23 songs included on the CD are Keepers of Tommorrow and Lighthouse By The Sea. Other songs include, South Bass Island, Lighthouse Dawning, Founders-Keepers, Island Dreaming, Wickie Dick’s Jig, Come Sea the Wonder, Ashtabula and a number of Great Lakes songs. No matter what part of the country you are from you will not be disappointed in this great selection of lighthouse songs sung by Sweetwater Journey. Available in CD only, you may want to order several for the car, home and office plus they make great holiday gifts. Profits from the sale of this CD go to the education program of the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association.

Buy me!   Price: $14.95    Item code: #88262

Prints in the Sand

Many little-known facts have emerged in the ever-constant study of World War II and the role the Coast Guard played in it. Although many men and women served overseas during those turbulent times, many stayed home to guard our shores. One such group was the Coast Guard Beach Patrol, which was made up of men and boys from ages 17 to 73. Faced with thousands and thousands of miles of coastline to patrol, horses and dogs were put into action in many places. This is their story, with dramatic historical photographs the book reads like a fiction thriller. Learn how German saboteurs who landed on our shores planned to blow up Americas industry and bridges and how they were caught, an event that lead to the building of the Beach Patrol to guard our homeland. For those on the mounted patrol, they were “sailors on horseback” a strange connotation for seagoing patriots. Only those in the patrol boats fitted the description of the mariner, but success came on land and sea to man and beast alike in the pursuit of protecting America’s coastline. Soft cover, 8 ˝” x 11” with 92 pages.

Buy me!   Price: $9.95    Item code: #91215

Ft. Washington MD - Harbour Lights Exclusive!

Harbour Lights Depot Exclusive For the first time in history, Harbour Lights has issued an exclusive piece to a Harbour Lights dealer. We are honored and pleased to report that dealer is us. The replica is of the Fort Washington Lighthouse Fog Bell Tower. It is also the first time Harbour Lights has produced a replica of a fog bell tower. Limited to only 1200 pieces made this one is selling out fast. If you haven’t ordered yours yet, you might want to get your order in early before they are sold out. It is sure to be a highly sought after collectible that will be a cherished part of any lighthouse collection. Orders are being taken now for shipment in early December.

Buy me!   Price: $44.95    Item code: #42901

Legendary Lighthouses Volume II (Book)

Legendary Lighthouses Book Volume II – Ask to have it autographed This book is the companion book to the new PBS Video set of Legendary Lighthouses II # 26605. Stunning color photographs, many taken during filming of the television series, offer glimpses of the spectacular locations of the lights. From Honolulu to the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, from Galveston to Lake Erie, this book takes you to some of the most beautiful places in America and through the doors of beloved beacons that for generations have guided our shores. Although Ray Jones and John Grant coauthored this lavishly illustrated 196-page color volume, our very own Tim Harrison, cofounder of Lighthouse Depot and editor of Lighthouse Digest magazine wrote the Forward. If you request when ordering, Tim will gladly autograph the “Forward” for you, making the book a even more unique collectible.

Buy me!   Price: $24.95    Item code: #31862