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Headlights for Lighthouses - Everyone is invited
Join the Youngers of Harbour Lights and climb the lighthouses of Cape Cod for a fun filled lighthouse weekend.
This just in! Bill and Nancy Younger, founders of Harbour Lights will be at the Headlights for Lighthouses weekend on Cape Cod this coming May 14, 15 & 16. Friday night the 14th, you can meet both Bill and Nancy at the opening event. Saturday the 15th they will be at the Headlights For Lighthouses event and the American Lighthouse Foundation's Spring Conference dinner meeting. Then on Sunday the 16th Nancy Younger will be at the American Lighthouse Foundation breakfast meeting. The entire fun filled weekend is a fundraiser for lighthouse restoration projects. Bob Trapani Jr. from the Delaware Bay Lighthouse Foundation will be the featured guest speaker at the Saturday night dinner and there will be thousands of dollars in giveaways, raffle items and door prizes throughout the weekend.
Most of the lighthouses on Cape Cod will be open for climbing, including, Three Sisters, Chatham, Nauset, Cape Cod Highland, Race Point, and Nobska. It will be a great time to meet lighthouse people from all over the country. You don’t need a fancy car or sports car; any vehicle is welcome in Headlights for Lighthouses.
If you haven't registered for Headlights for Lighthouses - what are you waiting for? People from 16 states are already registered! For more information or to register for the Firebirds Forever - Headlights for Lighthouses www.firebirdsforever.cc/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=31click here.
If you wish to register for the Saturday night dinner and Sunday breakfast (May 15-16) call the American Lighthouse Foundation at 207-646-0245 or visit them on line at www.LighthouseFoundation.orgwww.LighthouseFoundation.org. Tickets, which are just $50.00 (combined total) for dinner and brunch, are selling fast and you don’t want to be disappointed.
Missing History of Henderson’s Point
Missing from the archives of every historical society that we have looked in are photographs of the lighthouse, keeper’s house and most of the lighthouse keepers of Henderson’s Point Range Light on the Piscataqua River in New Hampshire. The range lights were either taken down or blown up when the river was widened in 1905. One of the keepers later served at nearby Whaleback Lighthouse on the Maine-New Hampshire border. If you have knowledge of where any of these photographs can be located please contact us at
Collar Badges
The Museum of Lighthouse History in Wells, Maine has just acquired a set of collar badges that are in the shape of the maple leaf with the name CANADA at the bottom and at the top is an image of the crown with a lighthouse in the middle. Canadian lighthouse keepers did not have a uniform, however, we’ve been told that these collar badges are for a Canadian lighthouse keeper. Perhaps one of our members might be able to supply us with more information. If so, please write me at .
Winner of last month’s trivia question
In Massachusetts there were more than two lighthouses that were built near each other that all looked the same. What was the name of those lighthouses? Congratulations to Vicki Willis of Valrico, Florida, who correctly answered Three Sisters of Nauset. Vicki’s name was randomly picked from the winning answers. The Three Sisters Lighthouses were established in 1938 and the current towers date from 1892. In the early 1900’s the towers were discontinued, sold, and replaced by the Nauset Beach Lighthouse on Cape Cod. In the 1970’s the government purchased the lighthouses back and they were reunited in their original configuration on Cape Cod and are now maintained by the National Park Service. The lighthouses will be among those open during the Headlights for Lighthouses and American Lighthouse Foundation spring meeting this May 15 and 16. We sent Vicki her prize, which is a copy of the beautiful hard cover book Beacon on the Rocks by Peter Williams. This outstanding oversized book is packed with historical information and has some of the most outstanding lighthouse photographs ever published. The book is available from Lighthouse Depot as www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=91218#91218 for $29.95.
Speaking of Three Sisters
This year’s Harbour Lights Spring Event Special Edition will be a replica of the Three Sisters Lighthouses. This beautiful replica is only available for sale at Lighthouse Depot until Sept. 18. On May 22, mother and daughter Nancy Younger and Kim Andrews of Harbour Lights will be at Lighthouse Depot to autograph the replicas that will only be available for sale on that day as well as on Sept. 18 when Bill Younger of Harbour Lights will do an autograph signing. After that, the replicas of the Three Sisters Lighthouses will never again be offered for sale at Lighthouse Depot. You do not need to be at Lighthouse Depot to obtain an autographed replica. We are now accepting advance orders. To order and reserve your replica of the Three Sisters www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=42668#42668 for $69.95 or call us at 1-800-758-1444 or mail payment plus $11.95 shipping to Lighthouse Depot, P.O. Box 427, Wells, ME 04090.
New Brunswick Lighthouse meeting
You’re invited to the annual meeting of the New Brunswick Lighthouse Society to be held on April 24 at the Broadleaf Ranch in Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, Canada. The day-long event starts at 8:30 AM and includes a tour of the Cape Enrage Lighthouse. Registration fee, which includes refreshment break and lunch, is $20.00. If you wish to attend the Gala Dinner at 6:30 PM that evening the cost is an additional $40 per person. To register contact Audrey Cline, 61 Augustus Street, St. Andrews, NB E5B 2E7, Phone # 506-529-3104 or email
Great Lakes Lighthouse Conference, "Keep The Lights On"
The Great Lakes Regional Lighthouse Conference will be held June 2-5 at the Park Palace Hotel in Traverse City, Michigan. This is the second of four national lighthouse conferences to be held over the next two years. Lighthouse organizations and their members from around the Great Lakes will be attending. The conference will include 17 sessions, including lighthouse ownership & preservation, lighthouse museums, interpretative displays and acquisition of artifacts, fundraising, funding sources, organizational development, and much more. For more information you can call the Michigan Lighthouse Project at 248-625-3607 or email Steve Belko at
More shenanigans at Currituck Light
Although ownership of North Carolina’s Currituck Lighthouse, which was won by the non-profit Outer Banks Conservationists is over, the shenanigans of the local county government are not. County officials want the non-profit to be in compliance with parking provisions in the county’s unified development ordinance and to comply with a use permit which will require them to have more parking places, which they do not currently have. Plus county officials to do not want to allow them to share the parking with the nearby Whalehead Club, which the county owns, and where there is plenty of ample parking for both to share. However, if the county had won the battle for ownership of the lighthouse they would have faced the same problems, but would readily have shared the parking for the lighthouse with the Whalehead Club, which it owns! So much for being a good neighbor! We wonder what ever happened to the phrase, "southern hospitality?"
Harbor of Refuge to welcome visitors
The Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation has scheduled 60 tours to the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse this year that include 45 See the Light educational tours, 6 Haunted Lighthouse Tales programs, 6 Coastal Ghosts of Delmarva programs and 3 Christmas at the Light tours during the holiday season. Whether you enjoy listening to DRBLHF tour guides recount lighthouse life at Harbor of Refuge on the See the Light tours or you like spine-chilling legends spun by renowned Delmarva storyteller Ed Okonowicz, the 2004 lighthouse tour season offers something for everyone.
To learn more about the 2004-tour schedule to the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse and the preservation efforts of the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation, please visit www.delawarebaylights.orgwww.delawarebaylights.org or call the DRBLHF at (302) 644-7046.
Old books wanted
We are looking for the following two old books for our archives.
The Coast of Maine, Campobello to the Isle of Shoals, by Henry G. Peabody -1889
Heros of the Great Lakes, by W. H. Law - 1904
If any of you have copies that you’d like to donate or know where we might be able to purchase a copy, we’d appreciated hearing from you. Simply email
Storm Stories in March
The public is invited to a multimedia presentation "New England Lighthouse Storm Stories" to be held on Saturday, March 27 at 1 PM at the Anchorage Inn, 417 Woodbury Ave, Room 153, Portsmouth, NH. The presentation is sponsored by the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, chapter of ALF. Tickets are $10 per person and reservations are recommended by calling 1-603-431-9155 or emailing . Refreshments will be served and there will be a lighthouse raffle and auction.
Buy a window for Middle Island Lighthouse
The keeper’s house at Michigan’s Middle Island Lighthouse is in need of new windows for its ongoing restoration project. For a nominal fee you can help by purchasing a window and have a plaque placed by the window that was donated by you or your group. Available for your purchase are:
3 second floor windows at $336.14
20 1st and 2nd floor windows at $481.94 each
12 basement windows at $289.80 each
1 front door window at $325.40
To help, send your check for any one of the above windows to: Middle Island Lighthouse Keeper’s Association, 5671 Rockport Rd., Alpena, MI 49707
The Two Dollar Pier needs $2 bills
The Friends of Little River are way behind in their goal to raise funds to build "The Two Dollar Pier" for safe access to and from the island for Maine’s Little River Light Station. As we have mentioned before two dollar bills are still being made by the U. S. Treasury Dept. and are available at most banks. Spread the word around to your friends, relatives and coworkers and ask for $2 bills for the Two Dollar Pier.
Invite people to a Two Dollar Cook Out, a Two Dollar Dinner Party and ask them to bring $2 bills. We’ll bet there are many other clever ways you can think of to help gather $2 bills from across the nation to help the Little River Lighthouse. Tell us your $2 story and it may get published.
Two Dollar bills can be sent to American Lighthouse Foundation, The Two Dollar Pier, P.O. Box 889, Wells, ME 04090.
Michigan light needs volunteer keepers
The Grand Traverse Lighthouse near Northport, MI is accepting applications for volunteer keepers. Keeper stints are for two-week periods and an apartment is furnished. Responsibilities include greeting visitors, assisting in the gift shop and helping with maintenance of the buildings and the grounds. Requirements include being energetic, ease of communication with the public, able to climb stairs and work long hours as well as being in good health and physical condition. For more information call the Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum at 231-386-7195.
Race Point replica to be released
Harbour Lights will soon be releasing a replica of Cape Cod’s Race Point Lighthouse. Restored by the volunteers of the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, www.LighthouseFoundation.org, the light station, once scheduled for demolition, is now one of the finest examples of lighthouse restoration in the nation and is open to the public for overnight stays as a hostel. If you have ever visited the lighthouse or spent the night there you will want to have this replica in your collection. Available as www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=42306#42306 and limited to only 4000 pieces being made, we recommend you order early to be assured of obtaining one. If you’d like us to hold your replica and have it autographed please call us 1-800-758-1444.
Rockland, Maine to host NELL event
New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL) will be holding their spring event in Rockland, Maine this coming June 12-14. This promises to be a fun filled weekend with a lighthouse cruise, great food and a chance to meet new lighthouse people and perhaps renew old acquaintances. Cruise to view eight lighthouses, hear a presentation by "Mr. Lighthouse," Ken Black, visit the Shore Village Museum and the new location of Maine’s Lighthouse Museum and much more. For more information or to register go to www.LighthouseFoundation.orgwww.LighthouseFoundation.org and click on New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL).
Lefton is back
Remember Lefton Lighthouses? For many years they were the most popular lighted replicas available and then they suddenly went out of business. Now with new owners they are back and offering a wonderful line of lighted replicas, but this time they feature revolving lights in the towers. There are twelve new Lefton Lighthouses with revolving lights, which, among others, include Cape Hatteras, NC www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=57813#57813, Cape Neddick (Nubble) Light, ME www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=58062#58062, Cape Cod, MA www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=58178#58178 and Alcatraz Light www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=57821#57821.
Decorating your home?
Right along with spring-cleaning comes the thoughts of giving your house a new look and the spring Lighthouse Depot Catalog is loaded with ideas to bring a nautical decor to the homestead. Some of the unique items we are offering include Pigeon Point Window Frame www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=18880#18880, Portland Head Light coffee table www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=10274#10274, Portland Head Light end table www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=10276#10276, Shoreline Wallpaper border www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=10394#10394, Larger Than Life Wall Mural www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=10443#10443, Lighthouse Lace Shower Curtain www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=10981#10981, and the Rounding Brant Point framed print www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=20432#20432.
Closeouts and Discontinued Items
Be sure to visit the www.LighthouseDepot.com/clearance.cfmLighthouse Depot Clearance Section of our web site where you will find an ever-changing selection of closeout and discontinued items at a reduced price.
Help save a lighthouse
With spring just around the corner arrive the continuing restoration projects of the American Lighthouse Foundation who tell us that they are falling far short of the projected funds, which are needed for lighthouse restoration projects at a number of lighthouses. We support their efforts and hope that you will also. For a donation of $100 or more, as a thank you, you will receive a free autographed copy of the beautiful hard cover book, Lighthouses on Parade, which is the story of the community arts project held last year in Portland, Maine. They need your help! Donations can be made on-line at www.LighthouseFoundation.orgwww.LighthouseFoundation.org, by phone at 207-646-0245 or by mail to American Lighthouse Foundation, P.O. Box 889, Wells, ME 04090. (Be sure to mention Lighthouses on Parade to receive your book.)
This month’s trivia question
Appointed by President Franklin Pierce, I became this nation’s oldest lighthouse keeper to serve on active duty in the United States Lighthouse Service. What is my name and how old was I when I died? Send your answer to and we will randomly pick one name from among the winning answers and send that person a wonderful prize from www.LighthouseDepot.comwww.LighthouseDepot.com. Clue: Sandy Clunies knows but you’re not allowed to ask her. We’ll publish the answer in the next Lighthouse Depot Dispatch E-News.
There’s a wee bit of Ireland in all of us
With St. Patrick’s Day fast approaching, may we suggest ordering a copy of the book, Irish Lights www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=91230#91230 for only $19.95. It’s the perfect gift to give for a St. Patrick’s Day present. Remember, there really isn’t a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but there is a lighthouse!
Plan early for a lighthouse vacation
If you’re planning to visit lighthouses on the east coast of the United States this coming summer we would highly recommend the book America’s Atlantic Coast Lighthouses, A Traveler’s Guide www.lhdepot.com/Order.cfm?orderitem=31868#31868. The book has directions to nearly every lighthouse on the east coast of the United States that can be seen by boat or car with northbound and southbound directions. Plus, it includes historical information and a number of photographs. With 435 pages, it’s well worth the price of only $19.95.
School Projects
We get e-mails and calls every day from young people asking for information on lighthouses. Did you know our web site is loaded with historical information on every American lighthouse and many others around the world? Well, it is! Plus we have hundreds of stories as well as contacts to various lighthouse groups. Simply type in the name of the lighthouse in the search box on our web site and it will take you to all the information we have on a particular lighthouse. So, tell the kids if they need to do some research for story, visit us at www.LighthouseDepot.comwww.LighthouseDepot.com.
Lighthouses Symposium
Ever wondered what is it about lighthouses that make them the perfect subjects for Artists and Photographers alike? Have you wanted to polish your abilities to capture its beauty on film or through other medias?
Learn how to capture the essence of the lighthouse for your very own. Through artistic interpretation and an architectural history lesson you will enjoy this very unique and educational event.
Mark your calendar for Saturday August 28, 2004 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. We will start the event in the Sebago room at the Sheraton, South Portland, Maine. After a multimedia introduction, we'll have lunch and journey over to Portland Head Lighthouse and the Portland Breakwater Lighthouse. It's at the lighthouse where you will learn first hand about capturing its beauty and interpreting it for your work.
Cost is $40.00 per person, and includes lunch and a special event souvenir. Proceeds to benefit the American Lighthouse Foundation. Reservations Required - contact or call 207-439-8905.
Tell them you heard about it from Lighthouse Depot
If you make a donation to a lighthouse group always be sure to tell them you heard about it from Lighthouse Depot. Help us spread the word to help save lighthouses by also telling your lighthouse and maritime friends about the Lighthouse Depot Dispatch E-News and encourage them to sign up for it. It’s easy; just go to our web site, and sign up.
If you are getting this email because someone forwarded it on to you, we would encourage you to sign up now at www.LighthouseDepot.comwww.LighthouseDepot.com. After all, you can’t always depend on others to always remember to forward it on.
Until next time
Keep in touch, the light on our web site is always on, just for you !! 
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