Connie Small - clip #1

Connie Small (1901-2005) was married to Elson Small, lighthouse keeper at several stations in Maine: Lubec Channel, Avery Rock, Seguin Island, and St. Croix River. Elson anc Connie finished their lightkeeping years at Portsmouth Harbor Light, New Hampshire, in 1948. Connie went on the write the book The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife when she was 85 years old.  In this clip, recorded when Connie was 97 years old, she recalls having electricity for the first time.

"Thriller" in Portsmouth, NH, 2010 Halloween Parade

OK, it has nothing to do with lighthouses, but I thought you might enjoy seeing this video I shot at last night's Halloween parade in Portsmouth.

Beavertail Lighthouse receives 2010 Rhody Award

Congratulations to the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association for their recognition by Preserve Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission as a volunteer organization completing a major restoration project. The award was presented to BLMA past president Richard Sullivan and vice president Varoujan Karentz at Newport’s Tennis Hall of Fame on October 21, 2010.

The 10-month, $327,000 restoration of Beavertail Lighthouse in Jamestown, Rhode Island, was recently completed. The restoration of other buildings continues.

Beavertail Lighthouse is one of the most visitor-friendly lighthouses in New England, with a hard-to-beat combination of spectacular surroundings and rich history (it's the third oldest light station in America). There's an excellent museum and shop in one of the keeper's houses, and a small aquarium in another building. Hopefully, the restored lighthouse tower will soon be opened to the public, making Beavertail even more of lighthouse lover's dream destination.

Click here for more on the award.

Click here for more about Beavertail Lighthouse.

Faulkner's Island Lighthouse Restoration October 20, 2010

The latest on the restoration of Faulkner's Island Lighthouse in Guilford, Connecticut.

Help the Burnt Island Lighthouse in Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Connie Conover of Curtis Island crosses the bar

Garrett Elliott “Connie” Conover, Jr., the longtime volunteer "keeper" of Curtis Island Lighthouse in Camden, Maine, has died after a long illness at the age of 81. Connie, along with his wife Deedee, dedicated much of his life to the care and preservation of one of New England's prettiest light stations, nestled in Camden's spectacularly beautiful harbor.

I'm sorry I never had the chance to meet Connie. My friend Bob Trapani knew him, and Bob has posted a very nice tribute. Click here to read it.

Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse fall newsletter

The latest newsletter of the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, is now online -- click here.