The Lighthouse Lowdown

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!

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References:

1. https://miladidit.com/2017/12/12/point-bonita/
2. Point Bonita Lighthouse
3. Point Bonita Lighthouse - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)
4. 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.

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References:

1. Maine Open Lighthouse Day 2025 | American Lighthouse Foundation
2. Little River Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
3. Maine Open Lighthouse Day at Little River
4. Little 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.

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References:

1. Stations | USLSSHA
2. Ohio Life Saving Station No. 10 | Belle of Louisville
3. Sapelo Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
4. USLHS 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.

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References:

1. Stations | USLSSHA
2. Whitefish Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
3. Whitefish Point Lighthouse | Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
4. Whitefish 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!

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References:

1. David Lyle and his Life Saving Gun - Springfield Armory National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)
2. 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.

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References:

1. Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
2. Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Parks Canada
3. Sun 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.

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References:

1. Nova Scotia Explore Page
2. Peggy's Cove Website
3. Peggy's Point Wikipedia
4. Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
5. The Canadian Lighthouse Route
6. Nova Scotia Lighthouse Route
7. Nova 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.

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References:

1. The Cape Fear Lighthouse's Prism Project | Our State
2. Cape Fear Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends
3. Frying Pan Lightship | Lighthouse Friends
4. Frying 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.

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References:

1. In Memoriam | United States Lighthouse Society
2. Lighthouse Oil Myths & Folklore - Ponce Inlet Lighthouse
3. The Dangers of Lighthouse Keeping - Lighthouse Explorers
4. The Dark Side of Lighthouses | Hakai Magazine
5. Stannard 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/

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