Digest>Archives> Jul/Aug 2013

Keeper's Korner

Tidbits and Editorial Comment from the Tower

By Timothy Harrison

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Fees Increased

It will now cost an adult $8.00 to climb Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina. The fee for senior citizens, children under twelve, and those holding a National Parks pass will be $4.00. Before the fees were increased the government asked for the public’s input. Sadly, the higher fees to climb America’s tallest lighthouse will cut into the budgets of some vacationers and prohibit others from making the climb to the top. The same fees will apply to the nearby Bodie Island Lighthouse, which has recently opened to the public after a $5 million renovation.

Library Dedicated

The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA) has dedicated their Hugh A. Murray Maritime Research Library at their Mackinaw City, Michigan offices. The library will be available for research to GLLKA members at no charge. Nonmembers will be asked to make a donation to use the library.

Down Payment Made

Panama City Florida has accepted a donation check for $50,000 from Panama City Lighthouse Project for the proposed $780,000 lighthouse that will be built as part of the city’s marina makeover. Panama City Lighthouse Project has also committed to making five annual payments to the city of $42,600 toward its construction costs. In the meantime, the city approved $3,900 for the cost to prepare the federal permit for the application to the Coast Guard to make the light an aid to navigation. One commissioner said, “Based on the numbers and information we’ve seen from other lighthouses, it should pay for itself.”

Paint for Grand Haven

Thanks to the Grand Haven Lighthouse Conservancy nearly $260,000 is being spent to give the Grand Haven Lighthouses a fresh coat of paint, inside and out. The work is expected to be completed by the end of July. The project was awarded to Pro-Tech Environmental Inc.

Post Card Collector

Kudos to Lighthouse Digest subscriber Robert J. Andrews who has over 15,000 lighthouse post cards in his collection. From time to time he puts up lighthouse post card displays at libraries around New England. One of the displays includes 200 vintage post cards that have been on display in twelve different libraries. His largest display was 22 feet long. Over the years he has generously shared some vintage images with Lighthouse Digest.

Lens to Be Removed

The 19th century 600 pound lens that was once in the east tower of Maine’s Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse and has been on display at the Cape Elizabeth Town Hall since 1995 will be removed. Previously, the Coast Guard valued the lens at $1.5 million and it cost the town $2,600 yearly to insure it. However, the Coast Guard has revalued the lens at $2.5 million, which would cost the town $7,500 yearly to insure, which is an increase of $4,900 yearly. Additionally the town hall in Cape Elizabeth is being remodeled and it would cost the town an additional $4,000 in expenses to install a protective enclosure and install special windows to put the lens in another room to meet the Coast Guards stringent requirements for its display. Also, the town would be required to hire a lampist and pay for his motel and airfare to come to Maine to spend four days to disassemble and then reassemble the lens. The lens is actually an officially part of the collection of the Museum at Portland Head Light, which is owned by the town. However, the loan agreement with the Coast Guard expired back in 2005 and was never updated. Again, the Coast Guard continues to make it more and more difficult for lighthouse groups and communities to have a lenses in their collection. Apparently, the Coast Guard, which no longer cares about most lighthouses, would prefer to have the historic lenses in storage or on display at a Coast Guard facility, rather than to the general public.

Point Place Faux

On page 54 of the March/April issue we incorrectly name the Point Place Lighthouse facsimile as Point Pleasant. We apologize for this error.

Help For Cape San Blas

The proposed Florida state budget for 2014, which has been signed by the governor, includes $325,000 for the relocation of the endangered Cape San Blas Lighthouse. This will allow for the 60-ton lighthouse to be moved away from the eroding shoreline. A big thank you is on order to all those who worked so hard to get this money approved.

Award for LA Harbor

The $1.8 million dollar rehabilitation of California Los Angeles Harbor Lighthouse has received a first-place award from the Southern California chapter of the Construction Management Association of America. The restoration project was spearheaded by the Cabrillo Beach Booster’s Club working with the U.S. coast Guard and the Port of Los Angeles. The lighthouse is often referred to as Angel’s Gate Lighthouse, which is sometimes spelled without the apostrophe as Angels Gate Lighthouse.

Lighthouse Movie?

The novel inspired by Australia’s Cape Leewin Lighthouse may be turned into a movie. The rights to the book, The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman has been purchased Stephen Spielberg’s movie company Dreamworks.

Award at Overfalls

Congratulations to Chuck Patalive who was awarded by the Overfalls Foundation special recognition for outstanding dedication and service for his work in creating and maintaining the Overfalls Foundation website, www. Overfalls.org which is dedicated to the Lightship Overfalls (LV118). The Overfalls Lightship is docked in Lewes Delaware.

Louise Pittaway Dies

Louise Pittaway who was a friend to just about everyone in the lighthouse community and was the long time curator or the Old Lighthouse Museum at the Stonington Harbor Lighthouse in Stonington, Connecticut has passed away at the age of 77. She was the curator of the museum from 1984 until her retirement in 2010. We met Louise at the lighthouse several times and at numerous lighthouse events over the years. She was dedicated to saving and preserving lighthouse history. In 2011 she was honored at a “Sentinels of the Sound” event in New London, Connecticut for her 35 years of dedication to the maritime community. She was featured in our column “Women of the Light” in the May 2004 edition of Lighthouse Digest. The lighthouse community has lost another of the original people who helped start the lighthouse preservation movement in the United States. She was an inspiration to many. Our condolences go out to her family and friends.

George Weiss Photo Wanted

Lighthouse Digest is searching for a photograph and biographical information on George Weiss who wrote The Lighthouse Service, Its History and Organization for The Institute For Government Research that was published in 1926 by John Hopkins Press. If anyone can help us, please write to us at P.O. Box 250, East Machias, ME 04630 or email Editor@LighthouseDigest.com.

Lens Battle Is Over

The third order Fresnel lens that has been in display at the Huron City Museums in Port Austin, Michigan since 1987 has been removed from the museum and is now in possession of the Coast Guard. The federal government filed a lawsuit against the museum claiming that they didn’t have the legal right to display the lens and that it was not being given the proper care. The Huron City Museums had planned to fight the lawsuit, but eventually they did not. The lens that originally was in the Point Aux Baroques Lighthouse in Port Hope, Michigan and is expected to be eventually be returned to the lighthouse for display in the museum at the lighthouse.

Cape Bear to be Moved

The Cape Bear Lighthouse on Prince Edward Island in Canada will be moved this summer to save it from topping over the cliff of the eroding shoreline. Built in 1889, it was the site of where the first SOS signal in Canada was received from the Titanic. Although an earlier signal was received at Newfoundland’s Cape Race Lighthouse, Newfoundland was not part of Canada at that time.

This story appeared in the Jul/Aug 2013 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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