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Marilyn Houkel sent the patch of the Boca Grande Lighthouse to us. The once abandoned lighthouse in Gasparilla Island State Park, in southwest Florida was restored by the community and the state of Florida in 1985-86 and was opened to the public in 1999 as a museum of local history. The Barrier Island Parks Society, a support group of the Florida Park Service, runs the museum.
Retired U.S. Immigration Inspector William L. Pitz and his wife Cheryl of Holland, NY delivered to us in person this patch depicting one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the United States. The Statue of Liberty has long been identified as a symbol of freedom and hope throughout the world.
After retiring from the INS in 1996, Bill and his wife enjoy traveling to visit lighthouses throughout the United States and Canada making it a point to always visit Lighthouse Depot when they are in Maine.
Our thanks go out to Randy Chase of Enid, Oklahoma for the U.S. Coast Guard, Group Fort Macon, Atlantic Beach NC patch and the Beacon from the Past, U.S. Coast Guard Boston Light patch. You will note that the Group Fort Macon patch features North Carolina’s Cape Lookout Lighthouse.
If you have a lighthouse patch that you would like to donate, please send them to, Editor, Lighthouse Digest, P.O. Box 1690, Wells, Maine 04090. After we publish it, they will be display in the Lighthouse Museum next door to Lighthouse Depot in Wells, Maine. Sorry, patches can not be returned.
This story appeared in the December 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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