I find these long ago comments by Henry Clay Barnabee, an American singer and actor, to be quite insightful. Staying at or in a lighthouse is an experience like no other. And one need not be a …
The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lantern Pane Duties
Looking back through lighthouse history, you might say that keepers were very good at cleaning windows. Maybe not by choice, but duty called nonetheless. When it came to the panes of a lantern, …
U.S. Lighthouse Service Pennant
An eye-catching pennant once flew proudly aboard Lighthouse Service vessels, and later at the best kept light station in each district during the era of the United States Lighthouse Service. This …
Recalling a Flying Santa Visit to Fort Point Light
For over nine decades, the beloved Flying Santa made a number of visits to Fort Point Lighthouse in Stockton Springs during his annual Christmastime journey through the skies of Maine. Whether it was …
Alone on Nubble Light for Christmas until Flying Santa Showed Up
Christmastime is always more special when the holiday is shared with family and friends. Though a delicious meal and gifts add nicely to any Yuletide celebration, it is the warm company of those we …
Lofty Words for the Flying Santa
Following the first time that Flying Santa – the legendary Captain Bill Wincapaw, took to the air to show his appreciation to Penobscot Bay area lighthouse keepers by dropping gift bundles on …
A ‘Story Kind of Nice’ from Matinicus Rock Keeper
The 1950 Christmas season was anything but normal for the keepers on Matinicus Rock. Just one month earlier on November 26, 1950, a storm for the ages battered the Rock with such fury that to this …
A Flying Santa Memory at Hendricks Head Lighthouse
When Maine’s light stations were staffed by keepers and their families, Christmastime was more than a heartwarming holiday. Anticipation of Christmas was something that buoyed the lonely spirits of …
A Happy New Year Day
Words from the past can often find relevance in the presence – even when the circumstances have no direct connection. In a letter from the keepers of Matinicus Rock Light Station written ninety-two …
A Maine Lighthouse and its Connection to a National Christmas Tree
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the American people were thrust into a state of shock and fear as a war that was engulfing much of the world had suddenly become all too …