St. Helena Closed

The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has announced that, because of the current Pandemic, its restored St. Helena Island Lighthouse will be closed for the summer season. The restored 1873 lighthouse is located in the Straits of Mackinac in Lake Michigan.

St. Helena Gets Grant

The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association has been awarded a $60,000 grant for its St. Helena Island Lighthouse from the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program through the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office. The money will be used to remove all existing paint from the lighthouse tower, replace deteriorated mortar and brick, clean all masonry and stone surfaces, replace sealant around openings, rehabilitate the lantern to be watertight, and repaint the entire tower.

Cape Hatteras to be Restored

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, America’s tallest beacon, will receive a myriad of both large and small restoration projects in 2021. According to the National Park Service, the work will include, but is not limited to, restoration of the marble floors in the entryway, repairs to deteriorated masonry, windows, and the lantern itself. Also to be addressed are missing pediments over the lighthouse windows and missing interior doors, as well as renovations to the interior stairs. The spiral-striped 193-foot-tall tower will also get a fresh coat of paint. The lighthouse may be closed to the public during certain times due to the restoration

Light Keeper’s Star Correction

In the last issue of Lighthouse Digest, we mistakenly reversed the color description of the U.S. Lighthouse Service’s Inspector and Commissioner stars. It should have read as follows: “A lighthouse keeper was awarded the red-colored Inspector’s Efficiency Star for a well-maintained station. If a keeper was awarded the Inspector’s Star for three years in a row, he would then be awarded the blue-colored Commissioner’s Efficiency Star. We apologize for this error.

Gravestone Found

When planning last year’s Memorial Marker ceremony for seven lighthouse keepers at the Bayview Cemetery in Lubec, Maine, a U.S. Lighthouse Service Memorial Marker was scheduled to be installed at the gravesite of Herbert E. Robinson. However, when his gravesite could not be found, even after 15 people searching for it, including some of his descendants, his marker was only ceremoniously placed during the ceremony that was held on September 27, 2019 and then removed. However, this year while placing flags for Memorial Day at the cemetery, Kathleen Finnegan discovered his gravesite and the marker honoring Herbert E. Robinson’s years of service to our country was finally installed.

Nonprofit for Annandale

Members of a family on Prince Edward Island, Canada have formed a nonprofit to take over ownership of that island’s 1901 Annandale Rear Range Lighthouse. The Canadian government recently moved the lighthouse back from the water’s edge to keep it from toppling. As soon as renovations of the tower are complete, the government will declare the tower as surplus, opening the way for a nonprofit to take ownership to maintain the tower into the future. The new nonprofit formed by Christian Norton, his mother, and sister is called Annandale Lights, Inc.

Lightship Bell Correction

On the bottom left of page 63 in the May/June 2020 edition we posted a photo of a polished fog bell that we said was on the deck of the Barnegat Lightship LV-79. This is incorrect; the photo is actually from the deck of the Swiftsure Lightship WLV-83. We apologize for this error.

Sculpture enhances Port Clinton Lighthouse

A sculpture by artist Andy Sacksteder will enhance the grounds at Ohio’s Waterworks Park by the Port Clinton Lighthouse until this fall when it will be removed, unless benefactors to the Port Clinton Lighthouse Conservancy can make it a permanent fixture. The sculpture reportedly is of the lighthouse keeper and his faithful dog leaving the light after a long night’s watch.

Alki Point Closed for 2020 Season

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Coast Guard Auxiliary has not been given permission to offer public access and tours for the 2020 season at Alki Point Lighthouse in Seattle, Washington. However, this may change as events change. Please check with them ahead of time if planning to visit.

This story appeared in the Jul/Aug 2020 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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