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As regular readers of Lighthouse Digest are well aware, New Hampshire’s Isles of Shoals Lighthouse (also known as White Island Light) is endangered. The 1859 brick tower has been owned by the State of New Hampshire since 1993, and it has not fared well. A group of 7th graders known as the “Lighthouse Kids” from the nearby North Hampton School, along with their science teacher Sue Reynolds, have stepped into the breach in an effort to save New Hampshire’s only offshore lighthouse.

The first group of Lighthouse Kids raised a few hundred dollars during the 2000-2001 school year to fix the lighthouse, and they found that most people in the local area were unaware of the problems with the tower. During the 2001-2002 school year the group changed their focus, with much attention devoted to creating awareness.

The Lighthouse Kids are working on lots of ideas to raise awareness and funds. They’re selling t-shirts, and lighthouse preservation expert /author Marty Nally has donated over 250 copies of his children’s book My Dad Fixed the Lighthouse to help out with the effort.

On April 7, 2002, the Lighthouse Kids were given a tour of Portsmouth Harbor Light courtesy of the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. The students also toured the adjacent Coast Guard installation and vessels thanks to some of the personnel of U.S. Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor.

Some of the Lighthouse Kids also visited the “First Lady of Light,” Portsmouth’s own Connie Small. Connie is 101 years old and is the author of The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife. She lived at Portsmouth Harbor Light with her husband, Keeper Elson Small, from 1946 to 1948. Connie shared her memories and personal albums with the enthralled students.

On June 20, some of the Lighthouse Kids visited “their” lighthouse for the first time, along with Sue Reynolds and Marty Nally. They made the trip aboard Sue Reynolds’ boat, the Uncle Oscar. In summer, Reynolds runs regular tours of the Isles of Shoals out of the Rye Harbor State Marina. The Isles are a cluster of 18 islands and rocks several miles offshore, rich in lore and legend.

The good news is that most of the students say the lighthouse is actually in better condition that they had feared. The lantern has had some work done on it by the Coast Guard in recent years, and the interior is in fine shape other than some rust on the iron stairs. But the cracks on the outer layers of brick are a very serious problem. Each winter ice gets into the cracks and expands, worsening the problem.

Marty Nally, who has supervised a number of lighthouse renovations for Campbell Construction of Beverly, Massachusetts, took a good long look at the lighthouse, and pronounced it restorable. He said that a good deal of the brickwork in the damaged area will have to be replaced. The estimate for restoration is $118,000, which is lower than previously thought but still a steep hill to climb.

The Lighthouse Kids say that seeing the lighthouse up close makes the project more real and personal for them. White Island is no longer just a name in a book; it’s a place they have experienced first hand. They feel it is important to preserve this piece of local history, largely because of its ties to famed poet and author Celia Thaxter, who lived on the island while her father was keeper (1839-1847).

Last year’s group of Lighthouse Kids is entering the eighth grade this fall, but they say they plan to stay involved in the effort to raise money and awareness for the lighthouse. Hopefully there will be a new crop of seventh graders in Sue Reynolds’ class this year who will join the fight.

You can help the Lighthouse Kids save the Isles of Shoals Lighthouse by sending a donation to: North Hampton School, Attn: Lighthouse Kids, 201 Atlantic Ave., North Hampton NH 03862. Or you can visit their web site at www.lighthousekids.com.

This story appeared in the September 2002 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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