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Lighthouse Group Buys Sculpture

For a cool $47,000, Ohio’s Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy has purchased the life-sized bronze sculpture of a lighthouse keeper and his faithful dog, from sculptor Andy Sacksteder.

The statue, which had been on loan since early 2020, was on display at Waterworks Park in Port Clinton, Ohio, very near to the lighthouse. It was immediately realized that the sculpture was so popular with so many people, that the Conservancy decided to see if they could buy it by asking for donations.

The sculpture will now become part of a bigger project that will take place at the park this spring when they will be dedicating the area to two past keepers of the Port Clinton Lighthouse)

Saving Round Island

A private donor has given $250,000 to help pay for the rip-rap needed to place around Michigan’s Round Island Lighthouse to protect the structure from rising water levels and to keep winter ice from damaging the historic lighthouse in the Straits of Mackinac

Political Ad

This political advertisement brochure, which features Maine’s Portland Head Lighthouse, opens up to a nice scene of Portland’s waterfront with an ad for the candidate. Regardless of political party, it’s always great to see when a lighthouse is used, which helps draws public attention to lighthouses.

Havel Honored with OBLHS Award

Congratulations to Aida Doss Havel on being honored with the prestigious “President’s Award” by the Outer Banks Light House Society (OBHS) at its Keeper’s Weekend this past October, which for the first time was held virtually. She was honored for contributions to the Board of Directors and for her dedication to the lighthouses of North Carolina. (Photo courtesy John Havel)

$1.5 million Dedicated for Tchefuncte River

Saint Tammany Parish has announced the dedication of $1.5 million that will be used to protect and preserve the 1868 Tchefuncte River Rear Range Lighthouse in Madison, Louisiana.

Piedras Blancas Lens Changes Hands

Ownership of the First order Fresnel lens from California’s Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, which has been under the care of the Cambria Lions Club for the past 70 years, is now reverting back to the United States Coast Guard for likely transfer to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the federal government agency that owns the 1879 light tower. After an earthquake on December 31, 1948 weakened the tower, the lens was removed. Since the mid-1990s, the lens has been on display in a replica lantern in Cambria, California. The lens underwent extensive cleaning in 2019. However, now with the Coast Guard’s higher standards of care, a new structure or replica lantern would have to be built to house the lens at a cost of $500,000, which is beyond the financial capabilities of the Lions Club. Until the Coast Guard and BLM agree what will happen, the lens will stay at the Pinedorado Grounds in Cambria, California, but its care will no longer be the responsibility of the Lions Club. (Lighthouse Digest archives photo)

Canada Heritage Designations

The Government of Canada has awarded Historic Heritage status to two more of its lighthouses: the 1901 Annandale Rear Range Lighthouse on Prince Edward Island, and the 1950 Cape George Lighthouse on Bras d’Or Lake in St. Peter’s, Nova Scotia. Among the 102 designated Heritage Lighthouses in Canada, 43 are managed by the Canadian government and 59 are managed by non-federal owners such as local communities and nonprofit groups.

A Perfect Example

Another perfect example of what we have been previously talking about is seen here on this carton of Hood Rhode Island Lighthouse Coffee that features Maine’s Portland Head Lighthouse. Just why they moved Portland Head Lighthouse to Rhode Island is anybody’s guess. (Lighthouse Digest file photo)

America’s Lighthouse STOLEN

The cover of the November edition of Maine’s Portland Magazine featured a beautiful photo of Portland Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, with the words “America’s Lighthouse” and then the word STOLEN stamped in red over the lighthouse. The story dealt with the fact that the iconic lighthouse is showing up everywhere, in such places as movies, book and video covers, and even post cards, but all for locations that are not in Maine. For example, in one movie, it has the lighthouse located in the Pacific Northwest; on an invitation for an event that takes place on Cape Cod, Massachusetts; and on the cover of the James Patterson book The Inn, which also does not take place in Maine. Interestingly, this is something that we’ve been talking about for years. Finally, after 28 years, others are now taking notice.

45th Parallel Light Gets New Shutters

Thanks to a $10,000 donation from the Old Mission Historical Society, Michigan’s 1870 Mission Point Lighthouse in Traverse City has received new historically accurate shutters. (Courtesy Old Mission Historical Society)

Trump at Jupiter

In the last edition of Lighthouse Digest, we mentioned that we were unable to obtain a photograph of President Trump’s visit to Florida’s Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse this past September 8 when he gave a speech on extending a moratorium on offshore drilling. Thanks to Lighthouse Digest subscriber Barbara Baronak we were now able to obtain a photograph. Regardless of anyone’s political affiliation or belief, a photograph of any president at a lighthouse is of extreme historical importance, and needs to not only be published, but saved for future generations.

Marker Placed

Arthur S. Bent has notified us that he has placed a U.S. Lighthouse Service Memorial Marker at the gravesite of his grandfather, Leo Milton Allen, (Feb. 19, 1881-Feb, 21, 1950), who was a keeper at the following lighthouses:

Monhegan Island Lighthouse, 1st assistant keeper, 1907-1909

Saddleback Ledge Lighthouse, 1st assistant keeper, 1909-1912

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, 1st assistant keeper, 1912-1917

Petit Manan Lighthouse, Head keeper, 1917-1921

Goat Island Lighthouse, keeper, 1921-1926.

He is buried at the Hillside Cemetery in Osterville, Massachusetts.

For interesting photos and more information on Leo M. Allen’s years as a lighthouse keeper, see the Eugene C. Ingalls Family Photo Album story in the September/October 2019 edition of Lighthouse Digest.

Lorraine Morong

We are saddened to report on the passing of Lorraine Morong at the age of 96 on November 18, 2020. Lorraine was a true friend of the lighthouse community. Over the years, she and her family shared many memories and photos with us of the Morong family of lighthouse keepers and other valuable slices of lighthouse history that would otherwise have been lost forever. She was born Lorraine Ida Barbeau on October 24, 1924 and in 1944 she married William H. Morong Jr. She is shown here in November of 2015 speaking at the ceremony that honored Frederic W. Morong Sr. when a U.S. Lighthouse Service memorial marker was placed at his gravesite in Lubec, Maine. (The full story of that ceremony can be found in the January/February 2016 edition of Lighthouse Digest.) Lorraine Morong was truly an icon to the lighthouse community. Our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends. (Lighthouse Digest archives photo by Bill Kitchen).

Cape St. George Gets Grant

Florida’s St. George Lighthouse Association has received a $24,000 grant from the Florida Lighthouse Association (FLA) for renovations to be made to the Cape St. George Lighthouse. The total cost for the renovations will be an expected $94,000 so this major donation will go a long way to the effort. The FLA donation comes from the Gene Oakes License Plate Fund.

Shown here (l-r) with the big check are: Amy Hodson, Executive Director, St. George Lighthouse Association; Cheryl Jewell, Administrative Assistant, St. George Lighthouse Association; and Jon Hill, President, Florida Lighthouse Association and Executive Director of the Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum.  

Elaine Jones Retires

After 30 years as the Education Director of the Maine Department of Marine Resources Elaine Jones has retired. She was the driving force behind the restoration of Burnt Island Lighthouse in Boothbay Harbor, Maine and the creation of the living history museum at the site. However, she said that before sailing off into the sunset she intends to spend the summer of 2021 at Burnt Island Lighthouse to help celebrate its bicentennial anniversary. (Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

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This story appeared in the Jan/Feb 2021 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.