Baker's Island lens video

I just revamped my history of Baker's Island Lighthouse in Salem, Massachusetts. In the course of doing this, I found a video clip from nearly 20 years ago. It shows the fourth-order Fresnel lens removed from Baker's Island in the 1970s. At the time I shot the video, the lens was on display at the Shore Village Museum in Rockland, Maine. That museum later grew into the Maine Lighthouse Museum on Rockland's waterfront.

The man you hear talking about the lens is Mr. Lighthouse himself, Ken Black. Most New England buffs are very familiar with Ken -- he was a retired Coast Guard officer who rescued many artifacts and built an incredible collection that's now the basis of the Maine Lighthouse Museum. Sorry the quality of the video isn't great. The transfer was done many years ago. I need to dig up these old tapes to do new digital transfers one of these days.

Photo of the Day: Spiral stairway inside Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, New Hampshire

The stairs inside Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse never cease to fascinate me.

Surf at Portland Head Light

Here's a nice video I just found, showing heavy surf at Portland Head Light in Maine on August 23, 2009.

A classic! "Lighthouse Mouse"

Cabo da Roca, Portugal

This photo of the lighthouse at Cabo da Roca in Portugal was taken by my brother, Jim D'Entremont, during a recent visit there. Cabo da Roca, near Sintra, is the westernmost point of mainland Europe.




The tower was built in 1772, placing it among the world's oldest working lighthouses.

A plaque at the site reads, "Onde a terra se acaba e o mar começa" ("Here ends the land and begins the sea," a line from a poem by Luís de Camões.)

Plum Beach Lighthouse license plate

The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse are now accepting applications for a Rhode Island license plate featuring their lighthouse. In October 2009, RI's General Assembly passed a bill giving the group the right to sell the plate, and the governor signed the legislation in November. The friends have now entered the next phase toward making the plate a reality. Before issuing the new plates, the DMV requires payment for 900 orders before committing to making them. The plate charge is $41.50, $20 goes to the state for plate production, $1.50 goes to the DMV for computer enhancement, and $20 goes to the Friends to help them maintain the lighthouse.

Click here for more info.

More in this clip from WNAC FOX 64 Providence:

Photo of the Day: Aerial View of Poplar Point Lighthouse, Rhode Island

I took this photo a couple of years ago during a memorable helicopter flight from Newport. I also had the pleasure of touring the property a few years ago when I was working on my book, The Lighthouses of Rhode Island. Russell and Cathy Shippee were very gracious hosts.

This spectacular property is now for sale. Click here to read all about it.

There's also more on the property here.