The Lighthouse Lowdown

Listener Lighthouse! I'm trying to think of a lighthouse where I have this hard of a time saying it's name out loud... Regardless, Crisp Point Lighthouse was close neighbors with a Life-Saving Station, along with three others built along "Shipwreck Coast" in 1876. This red-capped light still shines today as a private ATON. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Crisp Point Light Historical SocietyCrisp Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Light Lists | Navigational Center USCG

What's prettier than a lighthouse on a cliff edge? Point Bonita lives up to its name, adjacent to a mini version of the Golden Gate Bridge. It shines on to this day with its original second order Fresnel lens! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: https://miladidit.com/2017/12/12/point-bonita/Point Bonita LighthousePoint Bonita Lighthouse - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)Point Bonita Lighthouse, California at Lighthousefriends.com

In honor of Maine Open Lighthouse Day coming up on September 13, we are covering one of the over a dozen participants! Little River Lighthouse's forest green-turned-mint lantern room is just a plus. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Maine Open Lighthouse Day 2025 | American Lighthouse FoundationLittle River Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsMaine Open Lighthouse Day at Little RiverLittle River Light History | New England Lighthouses

Not many original lighthouses last longer than their replacements, but this is the case for the second oldest brick lighthouse in American history! Sapelo Island Lighthouse was lit in 1820, and still stands today on the island with the last known Gullah community. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Stations | USLSSHAOhio Life Saving Station No. 10 | Belle of LouisvilleSapelo Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsUSLHS Keeper's Log 1988

Where is whitefish fishing good? Probably at the Whitefish Township, at Whitefish Point in Whitefish Bay...which is why we needed Whitefish Point Lighthouse! Have I said whitefish too much? This skeletal lighthouse is unique in many ways, with a decagonal lantern room, second floor covered walkway, and a lifeboat station that physically left the grounds to return decades later. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Stations | USLSSHAWhitefish Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsWhitefish Point Lighthouse | Great Lakes Shipwreck MuseumWhitefish Lifeboat Station

Vince is back from Sweden, and he brought back tales of a lighthouse that took many daymarks over it's lifetime! The Väderöbod Lighthouse is one of many Swedish lighthouses built on the islands of the Väderö archipelago. Although it is 9 miles off the coast, if you can handle yourself in a kayak you are welcome to visit and even stay on the island! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: David Lyle and his Life Saving Gun - Springfield Armory National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)About the lighthouse – Föreningen Väderöbod

While Lobster Cove makes me think of a rocky beach and open seas all around, what you'll find in Newfoundland is vastly different! Surrounded by a lush national park, glacier-carved fjords and thundering waterfalls, Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse flashes white over 100 feet above the waves. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsLobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Parks CanadaSun Valve | Go Industrial

If the cute name of this lighthouse doesn't catch your attention, the history sure will! That is, if you like lighthouses that are also a post office. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Nova Scotia Explore PagePeggy's Cove WebsitePeggy's Point WikipediaNova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation SocietyThe Canadian Lighthouse RouteNova Scotia Lighthouse RouteNova Scotia Lighthouse Road trip | Travel Bunny

Unfortunately, the name Cape Fear directly correlates to how mariners felt about the area, dubbing the Frying Pan Shoals almost as fearsome as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. However, efforts to light the area were a struggle, and we ended up with many different lighthouses (and lightships) in an attempt to mark the shoals. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: The Cape Fear Lighthouse's Prism Project | Our State Cape Fear Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsFrying Pan Lightship | Lighthouse FriendsFrying Pan Lightship Restaurant

We've all heard stories here and there of what keepers went through on the job at their lighthouses - the position was rife with danger! Vince takes us on a deep dive of what was really at stake for our lighthouse keepers and the perils they faced in daily life. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: In Memoriam | United States Lighthouse SocietyLighthouse Oil Myths & Folklore - Ponce Inlet LighthouseThe Dangers of Lighthouse Keeping - Lighthouse ExplorersThe Dark Side of Lighthouses | Hakai MagazineStannard Rock: The Loneliest Place on the Continent - Lake Superior Magazine

Didn't get enough of Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse in our last episode? Us either! Listen in as historian Ralph Krugler gives the inside scoop about the lighthouse's restoration project, history, and interesting stories! Please consider donating towards the restoration at https://www.hillsborolighthouse.org/ Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

Like most inlets in eastern Florida, Hillsboro Inlet's waters were filled with wrecked ships. But it wasn't until 1907 that a lighthouse was built there, sturdy enough to withstand hurricanes, shifting sands, and the ocean waves. Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was home to some of the best lighthouse keepers the US had to offer, and still shines brightly today with it's original Fresnel lens in its lantern room! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Cap's Place Island RestaurantHillsboro Inlet Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Reef LocatorHillsboro Inlet Lighthouse Website

While we cover Walton Lighthouse as our history buoy this time, the meat of this episode covers mercury floats! How did they work? Why were they implemented? Did they really have a negative effect on keepers? Listen in as we answer all these questions and more! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Santa Cruz Breakwater | Lighthouse FriendsSanta Cruz Breakwater Light | WikipediaLights with Mercury Floats | USLHSLens Rotation | USLHSMercury Float Rotation by James WoodwardMercury + Aluminum Reaction | Reddit

Vince takes us to sunny Mexico to look at a golf course that is blessed with not one, but two lighthouses on the tip of the Baja California Sur. While the area beckons with it's pristine golf courses and resorts, the real treasure are the lighthouses hundreds of feet above the thrashing surf. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Quivira Los Cabos ResidenceEl Faro Viejo Cabo San Lucas – Old CaboOne Course, Two Lighthouses: Quivira Golf Club - InMexicoGolf Resorts Mexico | GolfLighthouses near the world's golf coursessymphony.cdn.tambourine.com/quivira-los-cabos-residence/media/old-lighthouse-5dcc571a03cee.mp4https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A51ataq4h/

In honor of WIC week, we are covering the lighthouse with the most years kept by women keepers! Biloxi Lighthouse is also known well in Mississippi as a symbol of resilience after surviving Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Biloxi Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsBiloxi Lighthouse Throughout the Years | City of BiloxiBiloxi Lighthouse | USLHS

Listener Lighthouse! Thank you to Megan for sending this in. Commonly known as the I Love You Lighthouse, Minot's Ledge actually has a deadly history as a strange lighthouse on stilts! When that one failed, engineers used the successful construction tactics from the Eddystone Lighthouse to build a stone tower that still stands today. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Minot's Ledge Lighthouse | Lighthouse StarsMinot's Ledge Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsMinot's Ledge Light history | New England LighthousesMinot's Ledge | USLHSMahan Lens Video

We're headed back over to California today to talk about a lighthouse that, like many others, went dark after the beginning of WWII - however, Point Fermin Lighthouse was never relit. Decades later, its Fresnel lens was found in an unlikely location... Liked this episode? Leave us a review on thelighthouselowdown.com References: Point Fermin Lighthouse | LA ParksPoint Fermin Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsPoint Fermin | USLHS

If you are one of our wonderful UK listeners, these two names may be familiar to you! Vince is taking us across the pond to one of the oldest lighthouses in the UK, and the first lighthouse to be built on a rock in open sea. While the first two editions of the light were shaky at best, John Smeaton created a version that stood the test of time (and we're convinced even a nuke couldn't bring it down!). Enjoyed this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: The Eddystone Lighthouse • John Smeaton • MyLearning(1) The Lighthouse that inspires the invention of a new cement! | LinkedInAn Eddystone Adventure - Sandeman’s Yachting ChroniclesThe Eddystone Lighthouse | National Coastwatch Institution

Welcome to the second installment of our Christmastime at Lighthouses special! Last year we covered classics like St. Augustine Lighthouse and Nauset Light, and this year we selected five special lighthouses from our 2024 lineup that do something special for the holidays. Listen in for some festive magic and lots and lots of Christmas lights! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: https://www.mainelightstoday.com/nubble-lightlike-no-other-lighthouse-at-christmastime/https://www.mnhs.org/events/2948https://www.christmasinedgartown.com/https://www.vineyardsquarehotel.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-christmas-in-edgartown/https://www.kporttrust.org/flying-santahttps://tworivertimes.com/historic-lighthouse-becomes-christmas-beacon/https://www.skogasafn.is/skogar-museum/artifacts/deck-prism/

You probably wouldn't dream of using a lighthouse for bombing target practice...right? Unfortunately, that was the fate of Waugoshance Lighthouse, built in the 1850s and hanging on by a thread today. Efforts to restore the light were abandoned in 2021, leaving this light to fall to into the waiting arms of Lake Michigan. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Waugoshance Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsWaugoshance Light | WikipediaWe Bombed Waugoshance Light | Restless VikingWhat do the numbers mean on a nautical chart? | National Ocean Service