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Lighthouse Depot
Saving lighthouses, one gift at a time.
New Store Manager
We are pleased to announce the appointment of a new manager at Lighthouse Depot’s retail store in Wells, Maine. Rusty Boone who hails from North Carolina will now be heading up operations at the World’s Largest Lighthouse Gift Store. So, the next time you’re in Maine be sure to stop in and introduce yourself to Rusty and you’ll be sure to receive some of that wonderful southern hospitality in "Yankee" country.
Cards for a young lighthouse lover
New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL), a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation recently brought this story of a young lighthouse fan to our attention. If you could find the time to send a lighthouse card, postcard, or maybe even a lighthouse patch or pin, I'm sure it would be greatly appreciated.
Michael Kazlowski, Jr. is a seven-year-old boy who was diagnosed with Pleuropulmonary Blastoma when he was two. He had surgery and received chemotherapy for one year. He was then diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis, which causes tumors to grow in the nerve lining, of which he has several. Recently he was diagnosed with a small brain tumor, which is presently being watched. He has several doctors that he visits regularly to follow up on his illnesses. He is in second grade and is doing well in school. He participates in some sports but is somewhat limited because of severe pain.
His interest in lighthouses is a great thing for him and with the proper amount of attention we could probably help to keep his mind off his illnesses. His address is: Michael Kazlowski, Jr.,422 Meriden-Waterbury Road, Southington, CT 06487
Florida lighthouse leader dies
Thomas W. Taylor, sailor, noted historian on lighthouses, Florida forts, and marine sea life, died at home in Marathon of heart failure, May 19, 2004. He was the founder and past president of the Florida Lighthouse Association, the Florida Keys Reef Lights Foundation and director of the Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys. He is the author of several books on lighthouses with another one about to be published. "Florida's Territorial Lighthouses, 1821-1845," is clearly a cut above most lighthouse books published in recent years.
Tom Taylor was born March 12, 1949 in Columbus, OH, but spent 20 years in Maine, teaching sailing, restoring antique wooden sailboats, and falling in love with Monhegan Island’s lighthouse. He studied in Ecuador and Mexico and worked for 3 years on Andros Island running a marine biology field station. Tom had degrees in International Studies & Secondary Social Studies Education from Ohio State University and a Master's degree in "history & museum administration" from University of North Carolina.
He came to Florida to establish the Halifax Historical Museum in Daytona Beach. He served as a movie consultant for 3 films: "Alamo: Price of Freedom", "Glory," and "The Rose and the Jackal." He served for 7 years as historian for Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, published 2 books and directed 4 video documentaries (2 aired on the History Channel).
Whenever the subject of lighthouses came up, Tom Taylor had a gleam in his eyes as bright as a first order lighthouse lens. An accomplished historian, Tom's dream was to have all lighthouses beautifully restored and open to the public. His current dream was to restore and preserve the Florida Keys lighthouses. Condolences can be sent to: Jean Taylor c/o Bill Lowry Billowry8@aol.com
Last of lightship crew dies
Harold Flagg, BMCS, USNR passed away on June 2, 2004. In September 1944, the VINEYARD Lightship, WLV 73 with 12 men aboard, was lost with all hands in a great hurricane. Of the 17 actual crewmen, 5 were ashore at the time of the storm, including Coxswain, Harold Flagg. Harold’s dream was to someday see a memorial to the lightship sailors who lost their lives in the line of duty. That dream became a reality when the Lightship Sailors Memorial was dedicated, in what later became known as Coast Guard Park, on waterfront in New Bedford, MA.
Harold died eight short weeks after the death of his beloved wife Ethel Frieda Flagg. Our condolences go out to his family.
To learn more about the Lightship Sailors Memorial go to www.LighthouseDigest.com and type in Lightship Memorial in the search box and it will take you to the story of the dedication.
Collector needs lighthouse logo business cards
Ed Banik of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada has a hobby of collecting business cards and would like some with lighthouses on them. So, if anyone would like to send him a business card with a lighthouse on it they can be sent to Ed Banik, 1810 Blackwell Road, SARNIA, ONT, Canada, N7X 1A7. He is especially interested in business cards with lighthouses on them from the following states, HI, KY, MT, NE, UT, WVA, WY and Washington DC, but will gladly accept lighthouse logo business cards form anywhere. Remember, when mailing to Canada, your envelope requires additional postage.
Portsmouth NH Lighthouse Cruise
On Friday, June 25 the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation are holding a sunset cruise on board the M/V Granite State, leaving from Rye Harbor State Marina on Route 1A in Rye, New Hampshire. The boat will leave at 7 p.m. and will return between 9 and 9:30.
Tickets are $20, $18 for members. There will be door prizes and raffles on board, in addition to the viewing of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, Whaleback Lighthouse, and the Isles of Shoals including White Island Lighthouse. The cruise will be narrated and there is an onboard snack bar. Reservations are required; call 603-431-9155 or email FPHL@lighthouse.cc.
New Boat for Wood Island, funds fall short
The Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, have built a new landing craft style boat, to safely transport people and supplies to the lighthouse, which is located on an island off Biddeford Pool, Maine. Plans for the restoration could not start until this boat was completed. However, they are about $2,000 short of the funds needed to pay for the new boat. If you would like to help them out with a financial donation, it can be sent to, Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, c/o American Lighthouse Foundation, P.O. Box 889, Wells, ME 04090.
Yankee Magazine recognizes Harrison
Yankee Magazine, the Magazine of New England Living recently recognized Lighthouse Depot cofounder, Timothy Harrison, with a beautiful award in appreciation of his service to New England with his volunteer work for the American Lighthouse Foundation.
Bio includes Cape Decision Light
Reflections and Ruminations of a Dinosaur, a self-published biography of H.O. "Bill" Essig might be of interest to some of you. Although the book is a life biography of the author it does contain some interesting reading about when he was stationed at Alaska’s Cape Decision Lighthouse. In fact, the author states that living at the lighthouse had a profound effect on his lifelong decision making process. The book is available for $27.95 from Trafford Publishing at www.Trafford.com
Fresh Paint Day
Whether you are an amateur or professional artist you are invited to create a painting of Maine’s Wood Island Lighthouse or the surrounding area of Biddeford Pool, Maine. The special artist day at the lighthouse will take place on July 11 with a rain date of July 18. That evening those special paintings will be auctioned off to help raise money for restoration of the lighthouse during what is being booked as a "festive cocktail event." Interested artists are invited to call 207-294-7487 for more information and a registration packet.
Last Month’s Trivia Question
By what lighthouse was the famous land and sea battle fought where 1000 patriots under the command of Paul Revere and Dudley Saltonstall lost 43 ships and fled the British? The correct answer is Fort Point Lighthouse in Stockton Springs, Maine. The lighthouse is now managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Land. Although the lighthouse is not open to the public the park surrounding the lighthouse is open to the public daily. On selected summer days the old bell tower is open for viewing with displays of the history of the lighthouse. Congratulations to Lois Ort of Mechanicsville, Maryland, whose name was randomly picked from among the winning answers. Lois will be receiving a copy of the beautiful hard cover book, Lighthouses of Australia.
Mr. Lighthouse Honored by Coast Guard
Ken Black, known by many as, "Mr. Lighthouse" was honored by the United States Coast Guard with a Lifetime Achievement Award for saving lighthouse artifacts at a recent ceremony in Rockland, Maine. A week prior to that he was also honored by Harbour Lights, makers of award winning collectibles at a ceremony on Cape Cod. Look for the full story in the July issue of Lighthouse Digest magazine. To subscribe, go to www.LighthouseDigest.com or call 1-800-668-7737.
Most endangered
Maine Preservation has declared Halfway Rock Lighthouse as one of the ten most endangered historic properties in Maine. Built in 1871 the 76-foot tall tower sits on an outcropping in Casco Bay 10 miles east of Portland Head Light. When it was automated in 1975 its keepers were removed. Subsequent storms have destroyed all the buildings on the island, except the tower, which has been left to the elements. The lighthouse has now been licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation and they have now embarked on a fund raising campaign to restore the lighthouse. Donations can be made on line at www.LighthouseFoundation.org or by mail at P.O. Box 889, Wells, ME 04090.
Hudson River light to open
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse on New York’s Hudson River will be open a few times this year for rare tours of the historic lighthouse that sits in the middle of the river, but reservations are required. The tour dates are July 10 from Athens, NY with a rain date of July 11 - August 21 from Hudson, NY with a rain date of Sept. 22, and Oct 9 from Athens, NY with a rain date of October 10. All times are from 11am to 4pm. For reservations call 518-828-5294.
New Hampshire 4-hour lighthouse boat tours to be offered
Bill Thomson, one of New England’s most noted lighthouse authors and historians will narrate a number of lighthouse cruises this summer that originate from the Isles of Shoals Steamship Co. in Portsmouth, NH. The sunset tours will view historic forts and other sites as well as Nubble, Whaleback, White Island and Portsmouth lighthouses. For those of you who have met Bill or bought one of his 24 books you can be assured of hearing stories of ghosts, legends, hauntings, pirates and more. The dates for these special tours are June 28, July 12 and August 23. The cost is $25.00 and $22.00 for seniors. For tickets and reservations call 1-800-441-4620.
Artist donates to Maine lighthouse
Award winning artist Carl Sublett has donated a painting of the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse to the Friends of Rockland Breakwater to be used in fundraising efforts to restore the lighthouse. Only 200 prints of the painting have been made and are available for $100.00 each plus $8.00 shipping from Friends of Rockland Breakwater, P. O. Box 741, Rockland, ME 04841 or 207-785-4609 or www.rocklandlighthouse.com.
This month’s Trivia Question
"I handed over command of our nation’s lighthouses to Russell Waesche". What was my name? Send your answer to Dee@LHDigest.com and we will randomly pick one name from among the winning entries for a wonderful prize from Lighthouse Depot, The World’s Largest Lighthouse Gift Store.
Museum to Reopen
The newly expanded Museum of Lighthouse History in Wells, Maine will be reopening in a couple of weeks. Located directly next door to Lighthouse Depot, we hope that you will stop by for a visit. You’ll be amazed by the number of rare and unique lighthouse artifacts on display. It will be an educational experience for the whole family. The museum, supported solely by donations is operated by the nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation and is open free to the public.
Send us your lighthouse news, stories and product ideas
Do you have lighthouse news or a lighthouse story that you want told? We’ll do our best to get your news story told to the public either through the Depot Dispatch or Lighthouse Digest magazine We also love photos, but if emailing photos they must be on a JPEG file 300dpi or better. Or, do you have an idea for a new lighthouse product or something you would like Lighthouse Depot to carry? We are always looking for new ideas and suggestions. Send to editor@LighthouseDigest.com or to Editor, Lighthouse Digest Magazine, P.O. Box 1690, Wells, Maine 04090.
Deals
Be sure to visit Clearance Central at www.LighthouseDepot.com where you will find an ever-changing array of items that have been discontinued or being closed out. You’ll love the deals here!
Vacationland
Maine is a great place to celebrate summer and a great place to spend your vacation time. Our coastline is dotted with quaint villages, wonderful restaurants, hundreds of antique stores, great motels and B&B’s and of course, lots of historic sites including our magnificent lighthouses. Plus, no visit to Maine would be complete without a visit to Lighthouse Depot, The World’s Largest Lighthouse Gift Store. Stop in and say hello.
Lighthouse Depot, Saving Lighthouses One Gift At A Time 
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