Light Hearted

The strait between Bristol and Portsmouth, Rhode Island, was busy in the early 1800s, with all manner of vessels passing between Narragansett Bay to the west and Mount Hope Bay to the east. A lighthouse was built on the Bristol side in 1855, with a small brick dwelling and a lighthouse tower attached to its southern end. The lighthouse’s days as an aid to navigation ended with the construction of the Mount Hope Bridge in 1929, almost directly over the lighthouse. The lantern was removed and the property passed into private ownership.

Owners Carol and Bob Lundin restored the building and had a new lantern room fabricated and installed in the 1990s. Today, the lighthouse is owned by Simon and Laura Thomas and managed as an inn, with bookings available through AirbnB and Vrbo. Simon and Laura are interviewed in this episode along with Rhode Island marine photographer Matthew Cohen. Judianne Point co-hosts.

Below: inside Bristol Ferry Lighthouse, photos by Jeremy D’Entremont

This is an edited version of the second part of an interview with Dave and Lynn Waller, owners of Graves Lighthouse in outer Boston Harbor, a classic wave-swept granite tower on a barren, rocky ledge. The interview was first heard in May 2020 in episode 61.

One of the subjects discussed is the “Franklens” created by Dave Waller and friends — a first-order Fresnel lens made of spare panels from various Chance Brothers lenses. Also discussed are the observation of wildlife near Graves Ledge, the experience of changing weather and storms at such a dramatic location, the conversion of the oil house into living space, the many challenges of restoration in a place that’s often inaccessible, and the Wallers’ partnership with well-known Boston philanthropist Bobby Sager. Taking part in the interview along with Light Hearted host Jeremy D’Entremont is Bob Trapani, Jr., executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation.

Neil Hurley’s interest in Florida lighthouses goes back to the mid-1980s. He was serving as a staff officer for the Seventh Coast Guard s District Aids to Navigation Branch, and he often had to answer questions about lighthouses in Florida. Neil decided to make Florida lighthouse history his off-duty hobby. That led to countless hours of research, and he’s been the historian for the Florida Lighthouse Association since it was founded.

His books include Florida’s Lighthouses in the Civil War, An Illustrated History of Cape Florida Lighthouse, and Lighthouses of the Dry Tortugas: An Illustrated History, and he was co-author of the first edition of The Florida Lighthouse Trail. The articles he’s written include several for the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s quarterly journal, the Keeper’s Log. Neil retired as a commander from the Coast Guard, and today he continues to work in the defense industry. This is episode is co-hosted by Ralph Krugler, historian for Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse and historical archivist for the U.S. Lighthouse Society.

This is an edited version of an interview that was first heard in episode 60 in May 2020. The guest is Dave Waller, the owner of Graves Light in Boston Harbor. This is part one of two parts.

The ledges in outer Boston Harbor called the Graves – about 10 acres in all – have been home to a lighthouse since 1905. The 113-foot tower is made of granite, and a first-order Fresnel lens was installed in the lantern. After the light’s automation in 1976, weather and vandalism took its toll. Under the guidelines of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, the lighthouse was sold in a government auction in September 2013 to businessman David Waller. Another partner for the preservation of Graves Light is the well-known Boston philanthropist Bobby Sager.

Dave Waller owns a video special effects company headquartered on Newbury Street in Boston, and he also collects and restores old neon signs. He and his wife, Lynn, a graphic designer, live in a restored fire station in the Boston suburb of Malden.

In 1828, Congress appropriated five thousand dollars to construct a lighthouse in Barcelona Harbor on Lake Erie in New York. The harbor had just been designated an official port of entry when the lighthouse was built. In the early 1800s, lumber, salt, flour, and fish were shipped to and from the port. The lighthouse is a conical stone tower, 40 feet tall. It’s believed to be the very first natural gas-powered lighthouse in the world.

The light was discontinued as an aid to navigation in 1859, and the property was transferred to New York State Parks in 2007. There’s a museum in the keeper’s house, and currently there’s a major project in progress that includes the rehabilitation of the lighthouse tower. Our guest is Marla Bingham-Melcher, the manager of the five state parks in Chautauqua County, including Barcelona Lighthouse. This episode is co-hosted by Averie Shaughnessy-Comfort, executive director of Lake Erie Lights of Pennsylvania.

This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 43 in January 2020. Conimicut Lighthouse is a cast-iron caisson structure built in 1883 to mark a dangerous shoal at the mouth of the Providence River. 18-year-old Coast Guardsman Frederick Mikkelsen was assigned to the station in 1958. One of his most memorable experiences in his three years at the lighthouse was a 1960 hurricane.

Shortly after Fred Mikkelsen left, Conimicut became one of the last lighthouses in the nation to be converted to electricity. The light was automated and the resident keepers were reassigned in 1963. The lighthouse is owned today by the City of Warwick, RI, and it has recently been restored.

Desiree Heveroh describes herself a steward and keeper of the history of the city of Richmond, California, located in the San Francisco Bay Area’s East Bay region. She was a longtime board member of the East Brother Light Station, which is situated on an island in the strait that separates San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. East Brother is open to the public as a B&B inn, and Desiree actually lived in the lighthouse for 14 months during the COVID pandemic. She’s also the shipkeeper for the historic SS Red Oak Victory Ship in Richmond.

Desiree has a new book out, co-written with Victoria Stuhr. The book is simply titled Richmond. It’s one of Arcadia Publishing’s “Past and Present” series, which offers a special view of American life by placing historical images side-by-side with contemporary photographs. Jen Lewis, fundraising and outreach manager at the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse in northern California, co-hosts this episode.

This is another episode of Light Hearted Lite, the series where we revisit interviews from the past six years of Light Hearted. First is a chat about an upcoming virtual conference the U.S. Lighthouse Society will be hosting in March. The conference will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 and will feature a broad spectrum of presenters. Joining us for this discussion are Henry Gonzalez, president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, and Kathy Fleming, vice president.

Author Shona Riddell was interviewed in episode 82 back in September 2020. Shona lives in Wellington, New Zealand, and her 2020 book, Guiding Lights: The Extraordinary Lives of Lighthouse Women, shares the stories of lighthouse women from around the world and through the centuries, including heroic female keepers, isolated families, and dedicated caretakers. This is an edited version of the 2020 conversation.

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is at the northern end of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, offshore from the community of Riverside. Alex Dias joined the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse (a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation) in 2012, but his fascination with lighthouses dates back to 2005 when he was in the 5th grade. He’s been involved with virtually every aspect of the group, including the development of the museum inside the keeper’s quarters, the ongoing restoration of the building inside and out, and helping to facilitate public tours. Alex has a captain’s license and brings many guests out to the lighthouse, in addition to serving as a tour guide himself.

Alex became the chairman of the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse earlier this year, and he’s on the board of directors of the American Lighthouse Foundation. He received a Len Hadley Volunteerism Award from the foundation in 2017. His brother, Adam, is also a volunteer and currently serves as the treasurer of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. Adam received the Len Hadley Volunteerism Award in 2023. Judianne Point co-hosts this episode.

This is a re-edited version of an interview that was first heard on “Light Hearted” in 2019.  Jim Pope was a keeper at rugged Whaleback Lighthouse in Maine from 1960 to ’62, and the light was automated and de-staffed a short time later. Whaleback is a ledge on the northeast side of the entrance to the Piscataqua River, on the approach to the harbor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The 70-foot granite lighthouse tower was built in 1872. The keepers lived inside the tower itself.

Jim Pope was born in Scarborough, Maine, in 1938. After graduation from Traip Academy in Kittery he began a lifelong career on the water. After his time in the Coast Guard, he worked as a tugboat captain for Moran Towing for more than 25 years. He lived for many years in Eliot, Maine, near Kittery, and was fondly known as the Pope of Elliot.