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:

1. Point Fermin Lighthouse | LA Parks
2. Point Fermin Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
3. Point 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:

1. The Eddystone Lighthouse • John Smeaton • MyLearning
2. (1) The Lighthouse that inspires the invention of a new cement! | LinkedIn
3. An Eddystone Adventure - Sandeman’s Yachting Chronicles
4. The 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:

1. https://www.mainelightstoday.com/nubble-lightlike-no-other-lighthouse-at-christmastime/
2. https://www.mnhs.org/events/2948
3. https://www.christmasinedgartown.com/
4. https://www.vineyardsquarehotel.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-christmas-in-edgartown/
5. https://www.kporttrust.org/flying-santa
6. https://tworivertimes.com/historic-lighthouse-becomes-christmas-beacon/
7. 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:

1. Waugoshance Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
2. Waugoshance Light | Wikipedia
3. We Bombed Waugoshance Light | Restless Viking
4. What do the numbers mean on a nautical chart? | National Ocean Service

Many know which lighthouse was the last to be automated in the US, but what about second to last? Goat Island Lighthouse of Kennebunk, Maine was not automated until 1990, and even today there are caretakers who watch over the light and the island it rests on.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of our US listeners!

Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

References:

1. Islands & Lighthouse — Kennebunkport Conservation Trust
2. Goat Island Light | Lighthouse Friends
3. Station's Facebook
4. Goat Island Lighthouse | Jeremy D'Entremont
5. Thanksgiving at The Rock
6. Thanksgiving Miracle at Tillamook Rock Light
7. Thanksgiving at Boon Island Light

You've heard of nuclear bombs and nuclear power plants, but have you ever heard of a nuclear lighthouse? Baltimore Harbor Lighthouse was a pain in the behind to build, but it's troubles didn't stop there! Listen in for the story of the first (and only) US light to be run with nuclear power!

Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

References:

1. Baltimore Light Station > United States Coast Guard > All
2. The Baltimore Light | Lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay
3. Caisson (engineering) - Wikipedia
4. Measuring Worth - purchasing power of the dollar.
5. Baltimore Lighthouse, Maryland at Lighthousefriends.com

Happy Halloween everyone! Today we're covering the spooktacular Pensacola Lighthouse, home of the Blue Angels and spirits of long past...Listen in for the story of how this 40 foot lighthouse became a 150 foot beauty.

Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

References:

1. Pensacola Lighthouse Website
2. Pensacola Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
3. Pensacola Lighthouse considered one of most haunted in America | WKRG
4. Winslow Lewis: A Nineteenth Century Lighthouse Scalawag | USLHS
5. Winslow Lewis | USLHS Archives
6. Winslow Lewis | National Archives
7. Pensacola Lighthouse Timeline
8. Pensacola X | Reddit

It is not often that a lighthouse is built to replace an old tower, only for both to remain in service (and not as range lights)! This is the case for the Cape Romain Lighthouses, very different in color, stature, and light characteristic, but only a few yards apart! Listen in to this episode to hear about their exciting history and how you can visit them today.

Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

References:

1. Cape Romain Lighthouses | Lighthouse Friends
2. Keeping the Lights On | The Maine Mag
3. Cape Romain Lighthouse Boat Tour | Coastal Expeditions
4. Light List | USLHS
5. Cape Romain Suicide | Lighthouse Digest

Best known for it's annual Christmas lighting ceremony, Cape Neddick Light, or Nubble Lighthouse, sits out of reach of visitors on a tiny island in Maine. Although it can't be visited now, Nubble Light has a rich history of tourism, including by the cat Sambo Tonkus (amazing name!).

Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

References:

1. Nubble Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
2. The Wreck of the Isadore | NE Lights
3. Cape Neddick Nubble Light History | New England Lighthouses

Can't think of anything fun to do next month? Pack up the kids and head to New Jersey! The third weekend of October is the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey, where anyone can drive the state shoreline to collect lighthouse, museums, and life saving stations!

Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com

References:

1. Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey (lighthousechallengenj.com)
2. 2023 Lighthouse Challenge of NJ Sites - Google My Maps
3. 28837 Daboll Fog Alarm Patent.pdf (uslhs.org)