Lighthouse News

Bell Rock Lighthouse To Be First

Fifteen, count them, fifteen, lighthouses in Scotland are slated to be repaired by the Northern Lighthouse Board in the next few years. And the first one to be getting a makeover will be the Bell Rock Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. The NLB is advertising for contractors, for the work is set to begin in August. But the repairs will be almost as dangerous as the actual building of the lighthouse. Urgent repairs include metalwork repairs, replacing the anti-bird netting around the lantern and building an extension to the entrance platform.

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.

Original Buyer Fails To Complete Purchase

Lee Spence, an owner of Shipwrecks Inc. of South Carolina, who bought the Frying Pan Shoals Light Tower at government auction for $515,000 has backed out of the purchase. The offshore structure, which is 35 miles from the mouth of the Cape Fear River, and 25 miles southeast of Southport was offered in an on again, off again auction late last year and early this year through the Government Services Agency (GSA). Spence planned to rehab and use the tower as a diving platform and home for a dive charter business. However, he has refused to pay out the rest of the money owed because he wasn’t allowed to inspect the tower.

Devil’s Island Lighthouse In Imminent Danger

Fearing the remaining lighthouse on Devil’s Island, near Halifax, Nova Scotia, will not survive another winter without major work, the Devil’s Island Lighthouse Preservation Society presented a petition with 3200 signatures to Peter Stoffer, the NDP member of Parliament for the area, to take to the House of Commons. By the time the new Canadian Lighthouse Heritage Act comes into effect in 2010, the lighthouse may be too damaged to be eligible under the program.

Ready For Relighting May 30

McGulpin Point Lighthouse, dimmed and lost for 106 years, is one of the better lighthouse recovery stories of the year. Built in 1869, after a ten year wait, it shone only for a few years. The Old Mackinac Point Light and Fog Signal Station came along in 1892, and it was determined that McGulpin Point Lighthouse was no longer needed. It stayed lit for a few more years, until November 12, 1906, when the Keeper, James Davenport, extinguished the light for the last time. The lantern was removed and the house was put up for auction, becoming the private home of several families until 2008, when it was put on the market by its latest owners, the Pepplers.

Collectors Group Seeks Help in Lighthouse Preservation Fund Raiser

Harbour Lights retailers and collectors have teamed up in an effort to raise funds for U. S. lighthouse preservation. Collector Forums, a meeting place for Harbour Lights collectors and lighthouse enthusiasts, along with The Cape Cod Store.com and Bronze Lady of Orlando, Florida kicked off the fund raiser on April 21st.

“Each year, the Collector Forums runs a fund raiser of some sort among its members to raise funds for a lighthouse preservation group in the U.S.,” says Roland Babineau, owner of The Cape Cod Store.com and Collector Forums member. “This year, we are taking our fund raising effort one step farther and bringing it to the general public.

Town To Seek Grants Under New Law

With the good news that the Canadian Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act is moving forward, the town of Fort Erie, Ontario, will apply for Heritage Protection status and seek money for the $460,000 (CDN) rehabilitation under the National Historic Sites of Canada Cost Sharing Program. The town has owned the lighthouse since 2003, but has not put any effort into its preservation until now. The lighthouse, built in 1917, was decommissioned by the Canadian Coast Guard in 1995 and has sat neglected since then. The amount estimated for its repair is from 2003, however.