New England Lighthouse Tours

The fourth season of my "New England Lighthouse Tours" is underway, and I've added lots more tour dates. Hope to see you on one of my tours this year!

www.newenglandlighthousetours.com

"Perfect New England Day trip!" - Brad & Denise Gardner.

"There is not a more rewarding lighthouse tour than this. The personal touches that Jeremy offers, along with his thorough knowledge of lighthouses, makes this a real fun way to experience the lights!" - Bob Trapani, Jr., executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation.

"We found New England Lighthouse Tours on the internet, and we couldn't have gotten luckier!  Jeremy is very knowledgeable and informative.  We are looking forward to taking another tour with him." - Kevin and Susan Himrod.

"Sentinels on the Sound" in New London, CT, July 1-3, 2011

July 1-3, 2011 - The New London Maritime Society presents:

"Sentinels on the Sound: New London's Lighthouse Heritage"
A weekend of Lighthouse Tours, Special Exhibitions & Events

New London Harbor Light (Jeremy D'Entremont photo)

New London, CT-- Join the New London Maritime Society, July 1-3, when New London hosts a city-wide weekend of lighthouse exhibitions, tours, and special events.

And for the first time, ever, the public will be allowed to step inside all three lighthouses in New London Harbor: Avery Point, New London Ledge Lighthouse, and New London Harbor Lighthouse.

Experience lighthouses by boat, by bike, in discussions, in art, through history, through science, and from the inside looking out. Special events include a Shoreline Lighthouse Bicycle Tour, Sentinels on the Sound discussions, a Lighthouse Cake Competition, Sea Shantyman John Roberts in concert, art exhibitions, and more.

From the lantern of New London Harbor Light, one can see an amazing number of lighthouses -- perhaps more than from any other spot on earth, according to the United States Coast Guard. Last fall, the New London Maritime Society assumed stewardship of New London Harbor Light, the oldest lighthouse on Long Island Sound and the 4th oldest lighthouse in North America.

To mark the first summer of their stewardship and celebrate New London's rich lighthouse heritage, the New London Maritime Society presents a weekend of lighthouse activities,  Sentinels on the Sound: New London's Lighthouse Heritage, to take place Friday through Sunday, July 1-3, 2011. Working with a number of New London- area lighthouse and other organizations , the weekend will include lighthouse
tours, special exhibitions, and a Saturday symposium to be held at the Custom House Maritime Museum featuring New England lighthouse expert Jeremy D'Entremont.

New London Ledge Light (Jeremy D'Entremont photo)

The New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation is a major partner in the weekend's festivities. On Friday evening  July 1, at 6:30 p.m., Todd Gipstein, the Foundation's president, will sign copies of his new novel, Legacy of the Light, at the Custom House Maritime Museum. On Saturday  and Sunday,  New London Ledge Lighthouse and its new information center can be visited through tours run by Project Oceanology, which will leave from New London's Custom House Pier.

The lighthouse weekend and the new lighthouse exhibition are made possible by a generous grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.

The printed daily schedule is available at the Custom House Maritime Museum and throughout downtown New London, or download your schedule HERE.

Avery Point Light (Jeremy D'Entremont photo)

In addition to New London Maritime Society and the New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation, other partners include area lighthouses:  Avery Point Foundation (chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation), New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation  (chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation), Noank Historical Society (Morgan Point), Mystic Seaport, Stonington Historical Society (Stonington Light); and  Bike New London, Caruso Music, Expressiones Cultural Center, Fort Trumbull State Park, Friends of Fort Trumbull,  Hygienic Art, Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London Community Boating, the New London County Historical Society, New London Main Street, NLart, Ocean Beach Park, PINC!, Project Oceaneology, Provenance Center, Public Library of New London, Spirit Gallery, Studio 33, The Gallery at Firehouse Square, the U.S. Coast Guard and the USCG Museum.

Sentinels on the Sound launches New London's exciting Waterfront Summer, with 2011 SailFest up next, July 8-10.

Go to the Lighthouse Weekend Web page to see a complete updated listing of events.

Pam Nobili of the Nauset Light Preservation Society

Tireless volunteers who dedicate themselves to the cause of lighthouse preservation over the long haul are few and far between. Pam Nobili of Eastham, Massachusetts, who recently died at 77, was one of those rare people. I just received the following message from Bud Griffin of the Nauset Light Preservation Society:

With deep regret the Nauset Light Preservation Society announces the death of Pam Nobili of Eastham, MA on May 31, 2011.  

Nearly 20 years ago, Pam Nobili and her husband Conrad were deeply involved in the effort to save Nauset Lighthouse which was endangered by severe erosion of the nearby coastal bank. Through their actions, along with other concerned citizens of Eastham and Cape Cod, the Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed, and sufficient funds were collected to pay to move the Lighthouse, Keeper's House and Oil House to a safer location from 1996 to 1998. The Nauset Light Preservation Society has operated and maintained the lighthouse since the move, and Pam continued to play a significant role: for many years Pam operated NLPS’ extremely successful gift shop which provided a large share of the funds collected for the move and for future operations and maintenance; she served as the Society's President for several years and most recently she was the Society's Treasurer. Pam came to be known as "Mrs. Lighthouse" for all her efforts and for her constant presence at the light.

We shall all miss Pam Nobili’s charm and good humor and her devotion to the cause of the Nauset Light Preservation Society.

Race Point Lighthouse, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

I took this photo during a visit in late March. Race Point is a beautiful, remote spot, and you can spend the night here -- see racepointlighthouse.net.

"Legacy of the Light" by Todd Gipstein

 Todd Gipstein has been working as a photographer, writer, producer and lecturer for almost 40 years. He's currently the chairman of the New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. You can read more about Todd's impressive credentials here.

Todd has published a new novel, Legacy of the Light, a thriller that tells the story of two generations of keepers at Race Rock Lighthouse off the shore of New London, Connecticut.

The tale spans two generations, from the early 1900s to the worst hurricane in New England history on September 21, 1938.

Click here to learn how you can get a copy.

Joshua K. Card Day - June 25, 2011

Saturday, June 25, 4 p.m., Riverside Cemetery (174 Route 1B), New Castle, NH:

You're invited to join Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses (FPHL) for a commemorative gathering marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Joshua Kenney Card, longtime keeper (1874-1909) of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse in New Castle.

At the time of Card's death at the age of 88, a local newspaper reported, "The captain’s fidelity to duty cannot too highly be praised. Punctual to the minute, he literally stayed at his post year after year without a break. . . No man stood higher in the estimation of the Lighthouse Board, at Washington, than the keeper of Portsmouth Light." When he retired as a lighthouse keeper at the age of 86, he was believed to be the oldest keeper in the United States.

The memorial gathering will include readings about Joshua Card's life, as well as a special performance of the song "Lighthouse Keeper" by Neptune's Car. The folk duo will be performing a concert later that evening at Captain and Patty's restaurant as part of a weekend-long celebration of the tenth anniversary of the founding of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses as a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation in June 2001.

Admission to the memorial gathering is free. For more information on the weekend's events, see www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org

Trapped in the ice near Green's Ledge, CT

Life at offshore lighthouses was a challenge for many reasons. Isolated lighthouses were often difficult to access in the warm months, but even more so in the winter if ice surrounded the structure. Green's Ledge Light, a caisson lighthouse built at the entrance to Norwalk Harbor, Connecticut, in 1899, was no exception.

Sarah DeMaria has provided the following story involving her grandfather, Andrew J. Simso II, who was one of the Coast Guard keepers at Green's Ledge 1945-47:

He and another Coast Guardsman went ashore to get supplies in February. They docked about 6 or 7 p.m., retrieved the needed supplies and began home. In their efforts to return to the lighthouse, they attempted to follow a channel cut through the ice by another ship. Unfortunately, this was futile; the ship had passed too long prior and my grandfather and his fellow sailor became trapped as the ice surrounded their small boat, leaving them stranded.

In the pitch dark the men yelled for help but no one heard. They decided to try to walk back to shore on the frozen ice, but both men fell through into the frigid waters. The men managed to pull themselves out of the water and get back to the boat. The two -- shivering and freezing wet -- continued to yelled for help. This time people ashore, hearing their calls, contacted the authorities. The two men, on the verge of hypothermia, were rescued. 

For more history of Green's Ledge Light, click here.