Lighthouse News

A Most Confusing Story…

In December 2007, I wrote about New Point Comfort Lighthouse, Virginia, and the plans to rebuild the rocks around what is left of the former peninsula. The lighthouse stands on a small islet of its former site, which was washed away during hurricanes such as Isabel in 2003. Plans were to shore up the remaining land with more rocks, as the lighthouse, stands only 8 or 9 feet above mean tide.

Faux Fish Cafes Planned

Once again, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has turned its attention to our historic beacons. The recent release of the 2009 list of lighthouses available to non-profits under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act has caused them to throw out their lines once again. As of this writing, none of the lighthouses yet have a fact sheet available from the National Park Service. And just like before, the plans are to use the lighthouses (yes, lighthouses) as a place to protest fishing and the eating of fish. Because after all, according to them, fish have feelings, are intelligent enough to gossip and can even use tools.

City Manager Wants to Renegotiate Terms With NPS

Michigan is my home state. While others revile Detroit and the state, I still am proud to refer to myself as a Michigander. On the one hand, the state supports and cherishes their lighthouses. Emmett County even went so far as to buy a private lighthouse and return it to its original state and relight it. But on the other hand, there are certain clueless city managers that refuse and obstruct the transfer of one of the most historic lighthouses in the state to their care. That manager is Bruce Brown, City manager of Port Huron, Michigan, pictured at left. An article in the Port Huron Times Herald appeared today that completely shocked me. If my calling Brown clueless sounds harsh, it’s because I’m privy to certain knowledge about what has been going on behind the scenes. And there is absolutely NO excuse for Brown wanting to send back the deed for “further negotiation.” Let me explain…

No One Tells the Coast Guard?

The backup (and only) light at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse near Pescadero CA has been down for over a week, and no one has called the Coast Guard? A letter posted online at the Coastsider by Rob Johnson, a Pigeon Point Light Station Docent, answers a question that had apparently been posed to the community driven site. “Some folks have been wondering why the beacon at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse has been out recently. We received the following answer from a docent at the lighthouse.”

His answer follows.

Malabrigo Point Lighthouse Suffered Major Damage

In what was a shocking story of disregard for an historic structure, the Malabrigo Point Lighthouse in the Philippines was the scene of an unauthorized film shoot by an independent company that left in its wake structural damage to the site. It’s not enough that the lighthouse and buildings had previously been broken into by people ripping out the antique brass doorknobs and hardware. And previously littered the place, kicked out its century-old metal grills, tore out or chopped down its wooden doors. No, this was much more and so very wrong on so many levels.

Targeted Ten Eleven Times In Past Year

Picture this. You’ve just received funding to paint the lighthouse that houses your museum. Your group is so excited, the paint is bought. Your volunteers are busy painting until 7:30 in the evening. The next morning at opening time, you show up, and lo and behold, vandals have hit you again, before the paint had even fully dried, and your lighthouse is covered with graffiti. Well, that’s what happened to Low Lighthouse, which is home to the Harwich (England) Maritime Museum. No pun intended here, but just how low can these vandals go?

The Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses have been refused a $1,000 grant which they’d requested for help with printing and mailing expenses by the city of Newport, Oregon. At a recent council meeting, the money was denied to the group by a 7-0 vote against the application for the special event grant. The special event is the Yaquina Nights, Jazz in January Celebration, which is a fundraising event that will be held this weekend, January 17, and features The Legendary Mel Brown Quartet.

Reviewing Its Navigational Necessity

Wow. Just in time for Halloween comes this scary news out of Coast Guard District Thirteen. They are currently soliciting comments and input from local mariners around Puget Sound, Washington, to determine the navigational necessity of Mukilteo Lighthouse, with an eye to possibly replacing its light with another beacon on the tower, the seawall, or nearby on the water. Or even shut it down completely. Mukilteo is one of the few lighthouses in the United States that beams its light on a 24 hour basis.

From the News Release dated October 30, 2008:

Bolton Hayes Found Dead of Gunshot Wound

Although manner of death hasn’t yet been published, it’s being assumed that Hayes Bolton took his own life with a gun sometime between the evening of Thursday, September 4, when he was last seen alive, and Saturday, September 6, when he was found dead in his house. The investigation is ongoing at this time, and further details will be revealed at a later date.

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.