Lighthouse News

Featured Post From November 2, 2007
If you don’t want to take your chances with an online auction that may end up costing you more than you planned to spend due to repairs, you may want to drool over these lighthouses that are for sale right now.

In keeping with the recent rash of government lighthouse sales, Point No Point Lighthouse in Maryland has gone on the auction block. Another offshore light, this one was established in 1905 at the entrance to the Potomac River on the Chesapeake Bay. It’s an octagonal building, two and a half stories of brick on a cast iron and concrete caisson. It is still an active aid to navigation, so whoever buys this one will have a solar powered porch light.

Taking a tip from HGTV’s popular televidion show, the Baltimore Sun has a story about making over a decrepit lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay. Smith Point Lighthouse, at the entrance to the Potomac River, was purchased by Dave McNally of Winona, Minnesota, through a GSA auction in 2005 for $170,000. The fifty-two foot tall beacon, sitting in the middle of the river mouth, and built on a concrete/cast iron caisson, was built in 1897. Although the light was originally commissioned in 1802, this is the fourth manifestation, the others destroyed by erosion and storms.

Lubec Channel Lighthouse, Lubec, Maine, has been sold to “Zaboomba” for $46,000. The online auction closed today at 3:00 p.m. EDT with no further bids being entered. For the money, Zaboomba receives 638 square (round?) feet of living space with a 360 degree waterview. A view like that can’t be bought on the Maine coast for under half a million. But then, this is quite a fixer-upper.

According to GSA rules, the identity of the buyer will be revealed after the bidder has been contacted and the money changes hands. It’s believed Zaboomba also was an unsuccessful bidder for Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse in Delaware Bay last month.

Looks like Lubec’s fate is still undecided. The closing date for Lubec Channel’s auction has been rolled over to Wednesday due to another bid being entered, bringing the current total up to $46,000 offered for the light.

Knowing how high the bidding went for Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse recently, this could play out to be similar. Since some of the bidders are the same as before, it’s already known that someone is willing to pay big bucks for the privilege of owning a lighthouse, even if it is offshore.

And if no appropriate owner is found for Execution Rocks Lighthouse in New York, will that turn up on the auction list? If you remember, PETA has put in an application for that light, and a Faux Fish Cafe does not seem to be an appropriate use for an historic lighthouse.

As Lighthouse News is writing this, the current high bid for Lubec Channel Lighthouse is now $41,000, entered by someone calling himself Old Lite. What’s remarkable about this auction is that some of the same bidders from Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse seem to be in the fray. Because of the flurry of last minute bids, the auction end has been delayed to September 25 at 3:00 pm EDT. This could prove to be almost as interesting as the last watch.

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Just when we thought there’d only be one bid for the forlorn Lubec Channel Lighthouse, a small bidding war has started. A soft close has been set for Monday, September 24, at 3:00 p.m. EDT and there are currently three bids posted for this historic sparkplug lighthouse, which is about as far east as you can get in the United States. Highest bid is $21,000, proffered by someone identifying him/herself as “kingtown.” Perhaps someone from Bangor? There’s still time to get in on the action, if you have the minimum deposit (earnest money) of $5,000. Invitation For Bids -Lubec Channel PDF File

It seems the person in charge of listing the lighthouse Notices of Availability messed up and put the wrong lighthouse on the GSA excess list, according to a story in the Shore Line Times. Although the lighthouses are only about a mile and a half apart, they are completely different. Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, built in 1886 and featured on Connecticut’s license plate, police cars and more, is totally different from the Lynde Point (Saybrook) Lighthouse (pictured at left), built in 1838. Both lighthouses are still active aids to navigation in the waters of Long Island Sound. It was widely publicized that Saybrook Breakwater Light was being excessed by the Coast Guard and available to municipalities and non-profit organizations for one dollar.

The Virginian Pilot came out with a timely article on a fixer upper. An offshore, rundown lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay, the Middle Ground Light. Two years ago, it went up for auction from the GSA along with three others, and it was Bob Gonsoulin’s dream to own one. He persuaded his wife and inlaws to let him enter the online bidding for the decrepit but still active light. They claimed they went along as a lark, and to keep him from pouting. But he outbid the others, with a winning amount of $31,000.

Looks like Strutt and Parker have become the premier broker for lighthouse properties in the UK. Besides the Belle Toute Lighthouse, they’ve now added another to their offerings. This time, it’s the West Lights, Tayport Fife, Scotland. But, minimum bids for this one are £475,000, or $953,040.20 USD. Not a bad price, considering you get an awesome view of the River Tay from the sunroom (pictured at left).