Lighthouse Enthusiasts to Spend Weekend on Star Island

White Island Lighthouse in the Isles of Shoals

PORTSMOUTH, NH—Lighthouse enthusiasts have a chance to spend a September weekend on Star Island in the Isles of Shoals, six miles off the New Hampshire coast. Open to the public, the September 7-9 weekend program is entitled “New England Lighthouses and the People Who Kept Them.”

American Lighthouse Foundation historian Jeremy D’Entremont will be the featured speaker. The author of nine books and hundreds of articles, D’Entremont also edited the works of legendary lighthouse historian Edward Rowe Snow and is the founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses. 

Participants will leave Portsmouth mid-afternoon Friday, September 7, aboard the Thomas Laighton and return Sunday afternoon, September 9. Casual social events, island strolls and a candlelit service in 212-year-old Gosport Chapel will round out the weekend’s activities.

Attendees will stay in rustic yet comfortable accommodations in the historic Oceanic Hotel and surrounding buildings on Star Island. Registration is $60 per person. Room and board, including all meals and round-trip boat transportation from Portsmouth, is $260 per person and up, depending on type of accommodations, with reduced rates for children under 18. The nonprofit Isles of Shoals Historical and Research Association (ISHRA) is the event sponsor.

Reservations are now being accepted as long as places remain available. For information visit ishra.org, email rmschlegel@comcast.net or call 617-334-5675.

Ghost Hunt at Wood Island Lighthouse!

Have you ever wanted to go on a ghost hunt?

Now is your chance! This September 8 – 9, join author, radio personality, and paranormal investigator Ron Kolek, with other members of the New England Ghost Project, for an overnight investigation of Wood Island Lighthouse off the coast of Biddeford Pool, Maine. 

The lighthouse was featured in the book Ghost Chronicles and has a history of unusual occurrences. Former keepers, Coast Guard personnel, and others have witnessed strange events associated with the island and lighthouse.  

In 1896, a tragic murder-suicide took place on the island. Do their spirits still inhabit the island? Or is it that of a former lighthouse keeper? Or is it something more sinister? Join Ron the rest of the NEGP crew for an unbelievable night as they attempt to unravel the mystery of Wood Island.

The price of this overnight investigation is only $150. The Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse will be providing free transportation to the island. Space is extremely limited. So sign up today.

All funds will be donated to The Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse (a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation) for preservation of the lighthouse.

Do you have what it takes to become a ghost hunter? Sign up and find out!

CALL THE FOWIL RESERVATION LINE   207-200-4552

Maine Windjammer Lighthouse Cruises

There is no better way to see what lighthouses were built to do than from the sea, and Maine Windjammer cruises are a wonderful and unique way to do just that. Windjammer Lighthouse Cruises visit as many a dozen lights or more and are captained and crewed by people with great knowledge of the histories of the various lights.

 

There are still several Lighthouse Cruises planned for the 2012 sailing season. Here is a list of the vessel and dates:

* Angelique: August 19-23.

* Isaac H. Evans: September 9-12.

* Mary Day: September 5-9

* Nathaniel: September 23-27.

 

Visit www.sailmainecoast.com for more information.

Wood Island Lighthouse Exhibit at University of New England’s Campus Center

The August exhibit at the University of New England (UNE) Campus Center in Biddeford, Maine, will focus on Wood Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1808 off the coast of Biddeford in Saco Bay. It is visible from the UNE campus.

Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse (FOWIL), a chapter of the nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation, has been raising money over the past years to restore the lighthouse to its 1906 appearance.  Much restoration has been completed on the tower's exterior and the keeper's house. 

Part of the exhibit at UNE will feature photos of the original lighthouse and its history. Information will also be included about the boat tours that FOWIL provides to the lighthouse in July and August. The biggest part of the exhibit will feature paintings depicting the island and lighthouse. Plein-air artists took a boat trip to the island on Saturday, June 16, 2012, to paint. These works and others by local artists will be showcased and will be for sale, with 25% of the sales going to FOWIL to help with future restoration work.

An opening reception will be held on Thursday, August 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Campus Center lobby. All are welcome to attend. For more information about the exhibit contact Diane Noble at: (207) 284-6394.

Guiding Lights: Nantucket’s Lighthouses, Keepers and Their Families - at the Nantucket Shipwreck and Lifesaving Museum

The Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum features permanent and changing exhibitions that will fascinate both children and adults. Highlights of the Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum’s collection of over 5,000 objects include period surfboats, beach carts, Fresnel lenses from Brant Point and Great Point lights, vintage photographs, and more.

The exhibitions are devoted to the history of Nantucket lifesaving, famous shipwrecks and rescues around the island, life-saving equipment, daily routine at life-saving stations, and the United States Coast Guard today.

New for 2012  in the Monaghan Gallery, May 24 – October 8, 2012:  

Guiding Lights: Nantucket’s Lighthouses, Keepers and Their Families  

 

For centuries, Nantucket’s lighthouses – Brant Point, Great Point and Sankaty Head – housed keepers and families and were the first true guiding lights for all mariners traversing the treacherous shoals surrounding Nantucket.  At that time, when navigational tools were scarce or rudimentary, the welcome sight of these beacons of light was quite often, and most assuredly, all that captains of the sea had to rely on in order to sail their vessels to safety.


This season, you'll want to visit the museum to learn about these historic monuments and their past keepers and families. The photos and stories in this exhibit pay tribute to the strength and greatness of these remarkable lighthouses and the men, women, and children who lived and worked at them.

Come visit the Nantucket Shipwreck and Lifesaving Museum, and enjoy new exhibits, family-friendly programs and more designed to appeal to all ages. Click here for the museum's website.

 

Boston Harbor Island Alliance and National Park Service offer guided tours of Boston Light

Summer-long tours of the United States’ first and oldest lighthouse station

Boston MA- The Boston Harbor Island Alliance will once again take visitors on a journey that unleashes the history and splendor that the Boston Harbor Island national park areas have to offer, with summer tours of Boston Light—the oldest lighthouse station in the United States. 

The three hour excursion begins with a boat cruise, taking visitors on a voyage with a 45-minute park ranger-narrated tour of the Boston Harbor Islands.   Sights include the two other historic lighthouses of Boston Harbor – Long Island Head Light and The Graves Light.  Once docking at Little Brewster Island, home of Boston Light, visitors meet with the Lighthouse keeper and get a close up look at Boston Light's Fresnel lens—the only Fresnel lens still in use. 

Visitors also have the option of packing a picnic to eat while taking in the spectacular views of the harbor. By the tour’s end visitors will be left in admiration for the awe inspiring views and unique experience.

WHO:  All are welcome! 

WHAT: A three-hour boat trip to the Boston Harbor Islands and a tour of the Little Brewster Island and Boston Light 

WHEN:   June 30 - September 30, 2012. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Departing at 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. 

WHERE:  Boston Harbor Islands; Trip departs from the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion.

COST:  $39 for adults, $35 for college students, military and seniors with valid ID, $29 for children between ages 3 and 11 

TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased online at brownpapertickets.com.  Walk up sales available at the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion 60 minutes prior to departure ($5 service fee applies).

For more information and the full schedule of ferry service, visit www.bostonharborislands.org.

Whale Watch provides lighthouse views, too!

(Guest blog by Elizabeth of  Capt. Bill & Sons)

As you climb aboard the Miss Cape Ann to depart on a Capt. Bill & Sons whale watching tour, you are in for a trip of a lifetime! Capt. Bill & Sons Whale Watch has been a family owned and operated business in Gloucester, Massachusetts, since 1959.

Located on Gloucester’s historic Harbor Loop, when you join Capt. Bill & Sons for one of our exciting whale watches you’re guaranteed to see whales.

Each whale watch lasts about three hours, and is guided by an expert naturalist who creates a fun and educational trip for visitors of all ages.



As you are taking in the amazing oceanic view from the deck of our boat, the Miss Cape Ann, you’ll also see several historic lighthouses.

Ten Pound Island Lighthouse – Located on Ten Pound Island in Gloucester Harbor, this beautiful lighthouse was built in 1821 to guide boasts and help them navigate Gloucester’s inner harbor.

Eastern Point Lighthouse – Built in 1832, this historic lighthouse is located on Gloucester’s Eastern Point. The lighthouse's large station is used as housing for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Annisquam Lighthouse – Marking the entrance to the Annisquam River, which connects Ipswich Bay to Gloucester Harbor, this lighthouse was built in 1801.

Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse – Built in 1835 to mark the entrance of nearby Rockport Harbor, the Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse flashes a green light every six seconds. The present brick lighthouse was built in 1896 and is 37 feet high.

Thacher Island Twin Lighthouses – Often referred to as the Cape Ann Light Station, the two lighthouses on Thacher Island are the only remaining working twin lighthouses in the US. These magnificent lighthouses were constructed in 1861, replacing an earlier (1771) pair.

Not only is a Capt. Bill & Sons whale watching cruise a fun and exciting way to spend an afternoon in Gloucester, it’s also an educational trip for all ages! Visit us today at CaptBillAndSons.com to learn more about our adventurous whale watching tours.