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Weather and lighthouses
Lighthouses may be used to inclement weather but people are not. The recent storms to hit the east coast caused the cancellation of a number of lighthouse events, including the annual Christmas Lighting of Maine’s Nubble Lighthouse and an open house at New Hampshire’s Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. Although the holiday lighting ceremony at Nubble Light was cancelled all together, the open house at Portsmouth Harbor Light was rescheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20 from 10am to 1pm. For more info on the Portsmouth Lighting go to www.LighthouseFoundation.orgwww.LighthouseFoundation.org and click on Friends of Portsmouth Light.
NELL raises money for Rhode Island Beacon
The New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL) raised over $40,000 at their recent fundraiser toward the restoration of Rhode Island’s Southeast Lighthouse on Block Island. Items donated for raffles and auctions were donated by a number of businesses including Harbour Lights, Lighthouse Depot and the American Lighthouse Foundation. NELL members are to be congratulated for their ongoing highly successful efforts in helping to save lighthouses.
NELL’s Lighthouses, Hot Chocolate and You is sold out, however, NELL is planning a Maine lighthouse tour for June 12-14. To learn more about NELL go to www.LighthouseFoundation.orgwww.LighthouseFoundation.org and click on NELL.
New guide to Australian lights
Lighthouses of Australia, A Visitor’s Guide is now available through the Australian Lighthouse Traders. The new book details on how to visit 150 of Australia’s "classic" lighthouses and includes 180 stunning photos in its 264 pages. To order go to www.lighthouses.com.auwww.lighthouses.com.au
They’ve been around a long time
The Wisconsin Marine Historical Society’s 45th annual membership meeting will be held January 31 at the Milwaukee Yacht Club. At the meeting there will be a large silent auction. For a booklet of the auction items or for more information on attending contact the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society at 414-286-3074.
Woman looking for information on lighthouse service father
Sharon Willis Robinson is searching for anyone who might have known her father Howard Elwers (Ellsworth) Willis who was born 2/16/1905. He died when Sharon was six, but Sharon figures there might be some people still alive who knew him or knew of him. He was with the Lighthouse Service from Nov 1926 to 1927 and worked on the Lighthouse Tender Tulip. He later served in the Bureau of Navigation and later in the U.S. Coast Guard, later in the Navy on board various vessels and ended his career in the U.S. Army at Camp Jackson, SC. Sharon can be contacted at or
Sunset tours at Jupiter Light
Winter snowstorms don’t bother the folks in Florida where the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse is now open for evening sunset tours every Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30. Tours are $15 per person and reservations are required and are limited to 15 people at a time. To reserve a spot for these December tours call 561-747-8380.
New film drawing rave reviews
The new film Lighthouses of Maine, A Journey Through Time held its world premier to a standing room only crowd at a Portland Maine movie theater and with Maine’s Congressman Tom Allen on hand to open the launch of the event which was to benefit the American Lighthouse Foundation. The film has also aired four times in the last week on Maine PBS TV with a special on air live interview with Tim Harrison. The reviews coming in have given the film a thumbs up for historical content, outstanding cinematography, to "highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Maine or lighthouses." If you haven’t ordered this exceptional video for yourself or as a Christmas present, in fact many people have been ordering them in quantities, and there is still time to order it in time for Christmas. It’s available for $19.95 in DVD as item #www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=2625126251 or VHS as item #www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=2625026250 from www.LighthouseDepot.com
Our two cents worth for the Two Dollar Bill
As Seamond Ponsart Roberts once wrote, . . . "As any lighthouse kid knew, a lucrative source of income was that of taking summer tourists up to the top of the tower and giving them the spiel of how high the tower was, the number of steps, how far the lighthouse was seen, how to run the lighthouse, etc." In her recounting of a story she tells of one day in 1944 when lighthouse inspector "Old White Gloves Eaton" made an inspection to the lighthouse where her father was keeper. During that inspection, much to her father’s dismay, she gave the inspector a guided tour, to which the inspector asked her, "Do the tourists ever thank you for all this information?" She replied, "Oh yes, Captain Eaton, and I now have $17.00 in my piggy bank where they thanked me so much," and seeing Dad’s OH GOD NO look, I added, "And when I grow up, I want to join the Coast Guard too." As he was leaving Captain Eaton said, "Your Daddy has a great little helper and the Coast Guard is so happy that you are such a great little assistant keeper," And in his hand was a $2.00 bill, which he gave to her.
Contrary to popular belief the $2.00 is still in circulation. In fact the $2 bill has been part of American currency since 1776 in one form or another. One hundred million were printed in 1996 and the government is now considering another print run. In fact $2 bills are available at any bank, and Lighthouse Depot has been giving them in change at its retail store for years.
Last month we made an appeal for $2.00 bills to help build a pier at Little River Lighthouse. Although over a hundred $2 bills were sent in, it is a long way from the $50,000 needed for building the pier at this endangered lighthouse. So, we’re making that appeal again. Why not make a present this holiday season to help a lighthouse. Send your $2 bill to: The Two Dollar Pier, c/o American Lighthouse Foundation, P.O. Box 889, Wells, ME 04090.
Wyeth print to benefit museum
World famous artist Jamie Wyeth has released a limited edition print of his new painting "Lighthouse Iris" inspired by Maine’s Tenants Harbor Lighthouse where he lives part of each year. The limited edition prints have been donated to raise money to help pay the costs of the move of the Shore Village Museum to its new home where it will then be known as the Maine Lighthouse Museum. The building where the museum is now housed was owned by the city, which sold it, forcing the museum to look for a new home. The Shore Village Museum was founded by former Coastguardsman Ken Black who has spent the largest part of his life amassing the largest collection of lighthouse lenses and lighthouse machinery for future generations to learn from. Wyeth’s prints are on display in galleries around the world and he is well known for his portraits of Presidents Kennedy and Carter and he is known for his land and seascapes of the Maine coast. Wyeth prints generally increase in value and the purchase of this new print limited to only 300 produced, and signed by Jamie, will not only help save the museum, but will also surely become a family treasure that will be enjoyed for many years. For more information on the print go to www.mainelighthousemuseum.comwww.mainelighthousemuseum.com. The limited edition print is available for $1500.00 from the Maine Lighthouse Museum, P.O. Box F, Rockland, ME 04841 or by calling 207-596-0701.
U. S. Lighthouse Airways Division
Much of the information on the short-lived Airways Division of the U.S. Lighthouse Service has disappeared over the years. The Airways Division of the old Lighthouse Service built special lights to guide mail pilots across the country before radio and other means of navigation. They also built runways with special lighting for emergency nighttime landing. Pharologist Lee Scherwitz is now researching this lost part of history and is hoping that some of you might be able to guide him to old records, documents and stories. Lee is no stranger to airplanes having served many years in the Air Force and he is now Airport Director for the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport in Benton Harbor, MI. You can contact him at Lee Scherwitz, Southwest Michigan Airport, 1123 Territorial Road, Benton Harbor, MI 49202 or e-mail him at
Free Calendar Offer
Subscribe now to Lighthouse Digest Magazine and you’ll receive a free desktop lighthouse calendar. Lighthouse Digest is the world’s premiere lighthouse magazine and each issue is packed with current event stories, vintage photos, a calendar of events, a monthly column on Harbour Lights, lighthouse antiques and every other month a new Kids on The Beam section and crossword puzzle and so much more. Your subscription helps in the efforts to save lighthouses and their history. Gift subscriptions make wonderful gifts. The free American Lighthouse Calendar features twelve 5" x 7" desktop paintings by American landscape artist Gerald C. Hill of Ohio. Each desktop card/calendar includes historical information on the reverse side about each lighthouse and directions to each light depicted and each is ready for framing (frame not included).
To subscribe and get your free calendar go to www.lhdepot.com/subscribe.cfm?keycode=FC312Lighthouse Depot and make sure you enter FC312 in the keycode box when ordering your subscription.
Lighthouse Encyclopedia The first copies of the new book Lighthouse Encyclopedia have just arrived and all we can say is WOW! This may well be the best lighthouse book ever written. It is jam packed with historical information on the history of lighthouses, types of lighting, lenses, day-marks, government agencies with answers to hundreds of lighthouse questions and some of the most outstanding lighthouse photography ever published. To top it off, the layout design on the pages throughout this hard cover book are the best we’ve seen in any other lighthouse book. If you order now, you can still get it in time for Christmas. And, when ordering the book from Lighthouse Depot you are helping to save lighthouses. This book is well worth the $27.95 price as item #www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=9134891348 from www.LighthouseDepot.com.
Last month’s Trivia Question
This Empire State Lighthouse was decommissioned in the late 1920’s. It was torn down to the lower part of its base, which was used to build a new lighthouse dedicated to a famous explorer. What is the name of the lighthouse? The correct answer is the Champlain Memorial Lighthouse at Crown Point, New York on southern Lake Champlain. Built originally as Crown Point Lighthouse is resembled Windmill Point Light on the Vermont side of Lake Champlain. In 1910 it was rebuilt into a neoclassical memorial to explorer Samuel de Champlain and remained in use as a lighthouse until 1929. Congratulations to Mary Kay LaBrie of Florida whose name was picked from among the correct entries. Her prize was a lighted replica of Minnesota’s Split Rock Lighthouse.
This month’s Trivia Question
I was once a famous Hollywood movie actor who ran for a governorship and I had a desire to be President of the United States. What lighthouse did I once own? Send your correct answer to . When sending your answer, be sure to include your name and address. We will randomly pick one winner from the correct answers to receive a wonderful gift from Lighthouse Depot.
Deals
Be sure to visit the www.lhdepot.com/clearance.cfmLighthouse Depot Clearance Central where there are great deals on a variety of items being cleared from our inventory.
Don’t forget 2004
The New Year is just about here and Lighthouse Depot has a large selection of beautiful lighthouse calendars to pick from to help you keep track of those important dates. As well as getting a few for yourself, calendars always make great gifts. www.lhdepot.com/Category.cfm?CFTREEITEMKEY=18Click here!
In time for the holidays
There’s still plenty of time to order Christmas gifts from Lighthouse Depot, but don’t wait too long. Santa and his lighthouse elves can only work so many hours before they collapse. When you make it a lighthouse Christmas from Lighthouse Depot you are helping to draw public awareness to the efforts of saving our lighthouses and their history.
Our wish to you
Best wishes from all of us at Lighthouse Depot and Lighthouse Digest during this holiday season. We wish you and yours a Joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year ! ! ! 
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