Circa late 1800s photo of Pointe aux Barques Light Station, Michigan. U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office.

Pointe aux Barques, on Lake Huron at the northeastern tip of the part of Michigan known as “The Thumb,” takes its name from a French phrase meaning “point of little boats.” A dangerous reef extending almost two miles from the point was a hazard to shipping traffic heading north along the Lake Huron shore.

The first lighthouse on the point was constructed of stone in 1848, on a three-acre site carved out of dense wilderness. In addition to warning mariners of the reef at Point aux Barques, the light served to guide shipping into Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River.

Marolyn and Larry Becker

The original keeper’s house was destroyed by fire in 1849. The first tower was poorly built and had to be replaced in 1857. The new keeper's house and attached 89-foot tower were built of the finest brick available. The light remains an active aid to navigation, making Pointe aux Barques one of the oldest continuously operating lights on the Great Lakes. The light was automated in 1934 and the last keeper left five years later. The light station property was transferred to Huron County in 2003. A nonprofit group, the Point aux Barques Lighthouse Society, was formed.

Larry Becker is the past president of the Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse Society. His wife Marolyn is a longtime volunteer and membership chair for the Society.

Pointe aux Barques Light Station, Michigan. USLHS photo by Chad Kaiser.

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In this special episode, Light Hearted host Jeremy D'Entremont interviews Tetiana Manziuk of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. Tetiana -- or Tanya, as she's known -- is the Alumni Officer at House of Europe, a non-governmental organization fostering professional and creative exchange between Ukrainians and their colleagues in European Union countries.

Tetiana Manziuk at the Lower Berdiansk Lighthouse in Ukraine

In this conversation, Tanya and Jeremy discuss what life in Kyiv is like currently during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They discuss the beauty and history of the city of Kyiv. And they also touch on the cultural and symbolic importance of lighthouses in Ukraine and the world.

Article about the keeper of the Lower Berdiansk Lighthouse in Ukraine

Thank you to Yana Gultiayeva for making this interview possible.

Tetiana Manziuk

Here is what Tanya posted yesterday on her Facebook page:

Dear friends from abroad, I am in Kyiv, my home. My big wide windows which I always considered as an advantage now are taped and covered. Due to our municipal services doing their job despite everything, I have electricity, water, WiFi. Our metro works as transport and as a shelter from shelling. Our army fights like hell defending our cities from Russian occupants – that’s why I am still able to write this post.

We need support.We need strict sanctions against Russia, especially banning from SWIFT and No-Fly Zone over Ukraine. Here are some offers from Ukraine Сrisis Media Center

No-Fly Zones and Other Ways the International Community Can Help Ukraine

Here is a link to support charity foundation Повернись живим (Come Back Alive) helping army and veterans https://savelife.in.ua/en/donate/

Hospitallers - medical battalion working directly on the frontline in Ukraine.

This is an account from The National Bank of Ukraine to assist the Ukrainian Armed Forces https://bank.gov.ua/.../natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrah

Open Petition: People around the world ask NATO to close the airspace over Ukraine.

Change.org: No-Fly Zone for Ukraine Now!

Thank you so much for being in touch with me. It is very important to know that we are not alone. Many greetings from Kyiv!

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Located on the historic waterfront of Rondout, New York, the Hudson River Maritime Museum was established in 1979 and is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. The museum's collections include historic vessels, objects, archival material, and art related to Hudson River transportation, industries, and recreation, with paintings, prints, photographs, artifacts, ship models, boats, and more.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum, New York. (Courtesy of HRMM)

Of the dozens of lighthouses and smaller lights that once dotted the Hudson River, only seven remain. Rondout Lighthouse, located at the confluence of the Hudson River and Rondout Creek, was established in 1838. The present lighthouse building, still fully operational as a navigational light, was completed in 1915.

Rondout Lighthouse, New York. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.

Sarah Wassberg Johnson

Rondout Lighthouse is owned by the City of Kingston and operated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum, and guided tours of the lighthouse are available seasonally.

Sarah Wassberg Johnson is the director of exhibits and outreach at the Hudson River Maritime Museum. She was also the co-author of the book Hudson River Lighthouses, published in 2019.

Together with filmmaker Jeff Mertz of Moonbow Imaging, the Hudson River Maritime Museum is creating a feature-length documentary film, Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River. Here is the trailer for the film:

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The Port of Galveston, Texas, which was established in 1825, eventually became the busiest port on the Gulf Coast and the second busiest in the country after New York City. Bolivar Point is at the southwestern end of the Bolivar Peninsula, marking the east side of the entrance to Galveston Bay. The first lighthouse on the point began service in late 1852. In 1870 Congress appropriated funds for a new 117-foot-tall cast-iron lighthouse.

Mark Boyt and Amy Maxwell Chase

The third-order Fresnel lens was first illuminated in the rebuilt Bolivar Point Lighthouse on November 19, 1872. The light station weathered devastating hurricanes in 1900 and 1915. With an increase in the intensity of Galveston Jetty Lighthouse in 1930, Bolivar Lighthouse was considered expendable and the light was extinguished. In 1947, the War Assets Administration sold the property for $5,500 to rancher E. V. Boyt. In 2015, descendants of the first private owners of the light station property created the nonprofit Bolivar Point Lighthouse Foundation to address the restoration and preservation of the lighthouse. Amy Maxwell Chase is the executive director of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse Foundation, and Mark Boyt is a founder and board member of the organization.

Bolivar Point Light Station (Courtesy of Bolivar Point Lighthouse Foundation)

Click here for a virtual tour of Bolivar Point Lighthouse

Lighthouses save lives and serve as symbols of hope, and first responders do the same in our communities every day. On Tuesday, February 1, first responders rescued three fishermen after their fishing boat sank off Scituate, Massachusetts. Shortly after 2:30 that afternoon, a local woman called 911 and reported seeing a fishing boat overturn and sink, with black smoke filling the air. She saw that the three fishermen were clinging to debris to stay afloat. The water was 42 degrees and the men were in the water for 45 minutes. Scituate Fire Chief John Murphy discusses the rescue in a "Be a Lighthouse" segment.

Drone footage of the February 1 rescue captured by Scituate Fire Department Lieutenant Erik Norlin:

https://youtu.be/jl4Lq42-plc

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The mission of the Noble Maritime Collection, an art and history museum on Staten Island, New York, is to present exhibitions and programs that celebrate the working waterfront of New York Harbor in the tradition of the distinguished artist John A. Noble. The museum is located on the former grounds of the retirement home known as Sailors' Snug Harbor, on Staten Island's North Shore.

Robbins Reef Lighthouse, New York Harbor. Photo by Peter Yuschak, courtesy of Noble Maritime Collection.

The museum also works to preserve Robbins Reef Lighthouse, a spark-plug-style tower located between the Statue of Liberty and Staten Island's North Shore. Robbins Reef is best known as the home of the famous Kate Walker, who was its keeper from 1895 to 1919.

Megan Beck (Courtesy of Noble Maritime Collection)

Curator Megan Beck began working at the Noble Maritime Collection in 2013. She researched and helped develop exhibits on Sailors Snug Harbor and Robbins Reef Lighthouse, and she oversees all curatorial and archival projects for the museum.

Below: Kate Walker, the celebrated keeper of Robbins Reef Lighthouse. (U.S. Lighthouse Society archives)

Today’s “Be a Lighthouse” subject is from Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Scarves tied around poles were recently spotted in that city, along with notes that said, “If you need this scarf, please take it and be warm and safe.” The person behind this act of kindness is Aunika Sharrock, an 18-year-old Oak Ridge high school senior who enjoys helping others. And this isn’t the first time Aunika has performed selfless acts of caring. Co-host Michelle Jewell Shaw interviewed Aunika for the podcast.

Retired Rear Admiral Daniel R. May U.S. Coast Guard photo

Retired Rear Admiral Daniel R. May graduated with a degree in ocean engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1979. He spent more than three decades working on many lighthouse-related projects from the Carolinas to Maine.

In part two of this two-part interview, Dan talks about more lighthouses he worked on, including Plum Island in New York, Watch Hill in Rhode Island, Mount Desert Rock in Maine, Isles of Shoals in New Hampshire, and Lynde Point in Connecticut. Also discussed is his work on buoy-related projects, and his involvement with Friends of Plum Island Light in his home city of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Plum Island (Newburyport Harbor) Lighthouse was transferred to the City of Newburyport, Massachusetts, on May 10, 2003. Left to right: Captain Daniel R. May, commander of Coast Guard Group Boston, Newburyport Mayor Alan Lavender, Friends of Plum Island Light President Jim Frey, Congressman John F. Tierney, and Coast Guard Rear Admiral Vivien S. Crea, who at the time was commander of the First Coast Guard District. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

Lynde Point Light Station in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Dan May was involved with a project to modernize the automated light and fog signal, as well as the repointing and repainting the of the stone tower. The actress Katharine Hepburn was a neighbor. Photo by Dan May.

Daniel R. May graduated with a degree in ocean engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, in the Class of 1979. After time aboard the Coast Guard cutter Ingram, based in Portsmouth, Virginia, Dan became the ocean engineer for the Fifth Coast Guard District. He earned a master’s degree in ocean engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1982.

Retired Rear Admiral Dan May with his wife, Leslie, at Boston Light. Courtesy of Dan May.

Block Island Southeast Lighthouse, Rhode Island, before its 1993 move back from the edge of the eroding bluff. Photo by Dan May.

During his time as the ocean engineer for the Fifth District, Dan worked on lighthouse projects from Delaware Bay to the Carolinas, along with other engineering projects involving buoys and other structures on the water. After time as the commanding officer of Coast Guard Station St. Louis, Dan moved to Civil Engineering Unit Providence, Rhode Island, where he served as the project engineer for several major lighthouse projects including the relocation of Block Island Southeast Light, the first move of a major lighthouse structure in the United States.

Dan May with Gordon Russell of the Truro (MA) Historical Society just prior to the 1996 move of Highland Lighthouse on Cape Cod. Courtesy of Dan May

Dan retired as a rear admiral in 2013. This is part one of a two-part interview.

In part one, Dan talks with host Jeremy D'Entremont about projects involving erosion control at Montauk Light Station, New York, the moves of Block Island Southeast Lighthouse in Rhode Island and Highland Light in Massachusetts, and several projects involving Boston Light.

Neil Hargreaves

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Neil Hargreaves was a light keeper for Trinity House in England from 1974-1988, and he is the founder and chairman of the Association of Lighthouse Keepers. Neil, who was originally from Lancashire, spent the first two years of his light keeping career on light vessels, mostly the Newarp lightship off the Norfolk coast in southwest England. Neil’s first appointment as an assistant lighthouse keeper was at the Smalls Lighthouse, a wave-swept granite tower on a rock about 20 miles off the coast of Pembrokeshire. After two years at the Smalls station, he spent seven years on the Inner Dowsing tower – a converted coal rig – in the North Sea off England’s east coast.

Neil Hargreaves in the radio room at Longships Lighthouse, 1987. (Courtesy of Neil Hargreaves)

The Smalls Lighthouse, Wales. U.S. Lighthouse Society photo.

Neil’s final three years working for Trinity House were spent traveling around to various light stations in England, Wales, and the Channel Islands. He spent time at Longships, Souter, Wolf Rock, and several other stations. His last station as a keeper was Portland Bill on the Dorset coast. Neil founded the Association of Lighthouse Keepers, or ALK, in 1988, and he serves as its chairman. The ALK manages a lighthouse museum on the south coast of England. The group also runs lighthouse tours and produces a quarterly journal called Lamp.

* * * *

Lighthouses are seen around the world as a symbol of hope, guidance, and strength along with lots of other positive qualities. The playwright George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “I can think of no other edifice constructed by man as altruistic as a lighthouse. They are built only to serve.” In recognition of that, Light Hearted will be doing occasional segments called “Be a Lighthouse,” discussing people and organizations who are being lighthouses, or beacons of hope, in our communities.

The first “Be a Lighthouse” segment focuses on a nonprofit organization on the New Hampshire Seacoast. Gather serves those in the community experiencing hunger by providing nutritious food through innovative distribution programs. The organization also collaborates with community partners to address the root causes of hunger throughout the Seacoast in New Hampshire and Maine. Seneca Adam Bernard is the associate executive director of Gather.

* * * *

Following is the transcript of the interview with Neil Hargreaves.

JEREMY

I'm speaking today with Neil Hargreaves, who is a former

lighthouse keeper in England and also the founder of the Association of Lighthouse

Keepers. You know, I was reading some interviews with you lately. And in one of

the interviews, you talked about how you worked on fishing trawlers before you

became a lighthouse keeper. I'm sure that was an interesting job that could

probably be pretty scary at times.

NEIL HARGREAVES

Yeah. It was a dangerous job. I sailed out of Fleetwood

and then I ended up on deep sea in the Faroes in Iceland. That was a beautiful sight

to see when I first saw Iceland, and these white mountains rising sheer out of

the sea with pink tints on the top. Absolutely magical. But, unfortunately, we

weren't allowed to land at the time, because it was during the time of the Cod

Wars with Iceland. We had the Icelandic gunboats trying to cut our nets away.

JEREMY

But there must have been some heavy seas you encountered

at times.

NEIL HARGREAVES

Oh, for sure. Yeah. I mean there was one trip, we ended up

sailing right around Iceland. The skipper kept sailing north and right to the

top to escape the weather. The weather was that bad. There was one sea, the

vessel actually keeled over and half the boat deck was underwater. But it was

pretty close, I think, that one. I only did it two years before I transferred

over to lighthouses.

JEREMY

You worked on the lightships at first, but what, what

exactly led you to work for Trinity House?

The growing limestone trade in Midcoast Maine led to the establishment of a light station at Owl's Head, at the entrance to Rockland Harbor, in 1825. A tall lighthouse wasn’t necessary because of the height of the promontory. The light is exactly 100 feet above sea level. The present 30-foot brick lighthouse tower replaced the original one in 1852.

Owls Head Lighthouse. Photo by Dominic Trapani (do not use without permission).

The station was automated in 1989 and the last Coast Guard keeper was removed. In December 2007, the lighthouse tower was licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF). Then, in late 2012, it was announced that the keeper's house had also been licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation and that it would serve as the organization's headquarters.

Bob Trapani and daughter Gianna next to the still active fourth-order Fresnel lens in Owls Head Lighthouse.

Ann Trapani

Bob Trapani, Jr., has served as the executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation since 2005. As associate director of the American Lighthouse Foundation, Ann Trapani is involved in many aspects of the organization’s operation. Bob and Ann’s son Dominic, at the age of 23, has already established himself as one of the top photographers of the Maine coast.

Dominic Trapani

In this interview, Ann, Dominic, and Bob discuss the special experience of working at Owls Head Lighthouse in all kinds of weather conditions, the photographic beauty of the Penobscot Bay region, and the day to day operation of the interpretive center and gift shop at the light station.

Owls Head Light Station in August 2019. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.

Photographer Mike Leonard lives in Yarmouth, Maine. His work is frequently seen in books, magazines, and on television, including the Weather Channel. His photos have also been seen on the National Geographic Wild program. He enjoys shooting landscapes and seascapes, including lighthouses, as well as nighttime scenes.

Mike offers workshops on digital photography, which you can read about on his website at phototourismbymike.com. He leads a Photoshop User Group in Portland, Maine. He’s also provided instruction aboard lighthouse photo cruises and other special cruises around New England.

Mike Leonard

This is Mike’s third time on Light Hearted. In this conversation with host Jeremy D'Entremont, Mike discusses five factors that make great photos, including some details about photographing lighthouses.

Photo Tourism by Mike on Facebook