By Sue Clark on Aug 22, 2008 in Featured, Lighthouse Keeper Jobs | 2 Comments
Caretaking Not a Vacation
Even though all lighthouses in the United States are automated, there are still a very few lighthouse keepers. One is Sally Snowman, at Boston Harbor Light. And two others are Lynne Macco and Tim Mount, from New York, taking care of Seguin Island Lighthouse, Maine, for the 2008 season. And though they may not have much in common with Sally in Boston, they are two dedicated keepers of the light. And island. And museum. And lens. Tim, a choir director and music conductor at Stony Brook University on Long Island, and his wife Lynne, a physician in private practice and acupuncturist in New York, were the two lucky people chosen out of 20 or 30 applications to assume the summertime caretaking duties on Seguin. This very personable couple meets and greets visitors to the island, and take them up to the tower for a closeup look at the only first order Fresnel lens in Maine. Sounds like an easy job, almost a vacation, but there’s a lot more to it. In fact, it’s not so dissimilar to time past, when the Keepers in the nineteenth century had to keep the light lit.
By Sue Clark on Aug 22, 2008 in Lighthouses For Sale, The Light Side | 0 Comments
Whew, so far the bids are standing at $200,000 for West Bank Lighthouse and $140,000 for Old Orchard Shoal. There will probably be no more bids over the weekend, but come Monday there might be some more action. There is a notice on the site that if the auctions haven’t closed by August 26, the bid increments will be increased to $15,000 rather than the $5,000 as it is now.
By Sue Clark on Aug 22, 2008 in News | 0 Comments
Bell Buoys Stolen For Scrap? Lighthouse Mascot’s Urn Damaged?
Wow. Two different reports out of two different Coast Guard districts regarding vandalism to our nation’s navigational aids. The lighthouse involved is Toledo (Ohio) Harbor Lighthouse. The other vandalism, well actually, theft, is of coastal bell buoys in the state of Maine, which made me wonder about the mentality of the perpetrators. Photo at the left is of a bell buoy near Belfast, Maine. As you can see, it’s not exactly easily hauled away, although the thefts are of the bells and and gongs. Suspicions are running high that these are being sold as scrap metal.
By Sue Clark on Aug 22, 2008 in News, Opinion | 1 Comment
Museum Remains Open
The Coast Guard has closed Fort Gratiot Lighthouse in Port Huron, Michigan, to visitors due to safety concerns, including falling bricks. The entrance at the base, however, remains open for a look inside, but no one can climb the tower of Michigan’s oldest lighthouse. It’s definitely not a case of the museum falling down on the job, though. The money is there in the form of a grant, waiting, unfortunately, for the GSA to get off its rear and transfer the lighthouse to the museum officially. But it’s not totally the fault of the GSA. The Environmental Protection Agency is mostly at fault here.
By Sue Clark on Aug 18, 2008 in The Light Side | 0 Comments
Just a quick update on the GSA auctions. The bidding on New York lighthouses Old Orchard Shoals and West Bank is still going strong. The auction is extended one more day till Tuesday August 19. Current bids are $130,000 for West Bank Lighthouse and $90,000 for Old Orchard Shoals.
By Sue Clark on Aug 12, 2008 in Featured, Lighthouses For Sale | 0 Comments
Soft Close Set For Online Auctions
Old Orchard Shoals and West Bank Lighthouses are set to go off the market Monday, August 25 at 3:00 pm (EDT). If you were planning on bidding on these New York Lights, now is (almost) your last chance. A soft close means that if there are no more bids during the day, then the lighthouse will be sold to the highest bidder. If there is a last minute bid, the closing date will be extended on a daily basis to allow the previous bidders (or any last minute new ones) to up the ante for the home of their dreams. Wait…home of their dreams? Photos have recently been placed online of the recent inspection, and the deterioration of these lighthouses is absolutely heartbreaking.
Even though all lighthouses in the United States are automated, there are still a very few lighthouse keepers. One is Sally Snowman, at Boston Harbor Light. And two others are Lynne Macco and Tim Mount, from New York, taking care of Seguin Island Lighthouse, Maine, for the 2008 season. And though they may not have much in common with Sally in Boston, they are two dedicated keepers of the light. And island. And museum. And lens. Tim, a choir director and music conductor at Stony Brook University on Long Island, and his wife Lynne, a physician in private practice and acupuncturist in New York, were the two lucky people chosen out of 20 or 30 applications to assume the summertime caretaking duties on Seguin. This very personable couple meets and greets visitors to the island, and take them up to the tower for a closeup look at the only first order Fresnel lens in Maine. Sounds like an easy job, almost a vacation, but there’s a lot more to it. In fact, it’s not so dissimilar to time past, when the Keepers in the nineteenth century had to keep the light lit.
