Lighthouse News

England, Scotland and Wales Lighthouses

The eighth International Lighthouse Weekend intends to raise the profile of lighthouses, lightvessels and other navigational aids, promoting our maritime heritage.

Many lighthouses and places of associated interest will be open to the public, and there will be special events at lighthouses and lightvessels both at home and abroad.

There will be radio and press publicity before the event. Trusts and Friends groups will be able to use this day to raise awareness of their work and involvement in the preservation of the history of lightkeeping.

See 13 Rhode Island Lighthouses

Join the American Lighthouse Foundation for a fun and educational cruise of Rhode Island’s beautiful Narragansett Bay on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Departs Warren, RI at 10:30am and returns at 3:30pm. Tickets are $50 per person.

All proceeds benefit the foundation’s lighthouse preservation efforts.

This cruise aboard the Bay Queen Cruises vessel Vista Jubilee will pass close to…Nayatt Point, Conimicut Point, Warwick Point, Bristol Ferry, Hog Island Shoal, Prudence Island (Sandy Point), Conanicut Island North Light, Poplar Point, Plum Beach, Pomham Rocks, Rose Island, Newport Harbor (Goat Island) & Ida Lewis (Lime Rock) lighthouses. Weather dependent, we may also see Castle Hill & Beavertail Lights.

East Charity Shoal Lighthouse On the Block

An offshore lighthouse in Jefferson County, New York, in NE Lake Ontario has become the fist lighthouse up for auction in 2009. The East Charity Shoal lighthouse auction opened May 11, and has no set closing date at this time. No bids have been received, and as all government lighthouse auctions require, a $5,000 deposit is needed to bid. The suggested opening bid is $10,000. Historic covenants and USCG easements will be included in the deed to the successful high bidder. Registration on the General Services Administration auction site is required. Also, you will need to follow their rules carefully regarding the placing of bids.

Not a Real Lighthouse, But…

It might as well be. This 30 acre oceanfront property in Nova Scotia is up for sale for a mere $1,495,000 CDN. The property has a lighthouse-like tower attached to its cozy home with two bedrooms and bath and an observation deck inside it.The main house has a master bedroom suite, a great room, loft, galley kitchen, storage, utility and bath. Other buildings include a large garage and a building to house a generator. This beautiful location is on Second Peninsula, which is about halfway between the towns of Lunenburg and Mahone Bay. Oh heck, let me just put the description from the realtor’s site:

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.

$2500 Reward Offered For Return

Eighteen silver Spanish coins have been stolen from the museum at Horton Point Lighthouse during the recent Long Island Lighthouse Challenge. The coins were recovered from a shipwreck in 1994 and were enclosed in a plexiglas case. Police have no suspects at this time, but are in the process of compiling a list of the visitors who came through on May 16. The Museum bought them for $2000 eleven years ago, and they are the only documented Spanish treasure recovered from Long Island waters.

Press Release

America’s largest lighthouse museum, The Maine Lighthouse Museum, in Rockland, Maine, is in financial trouble and may have to close its doors unless immediate financial help is received. Dot Black, a Board member of the Maine Lighthouse Museum and the widow of the museum’s founder, Ken Black, reported that “unless more financial help is forthcoming soon, the lights may go out in the largest and most important lighthouse museum in the nation.”