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, …
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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 …
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 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 …
Nubble Light…Like no other Lighthouse at Christmastime
Some traditions tarry through time and are simply observed, while others rekindle our spirits with a vibrant joy that is undiminished by familiarity. A decorated Cape Neddick Lighthouse – or Nubble …
Thanksgiving at The Rock
I was thinking how very different Thanksgiving 2020 feels compared to holidays in years gone by, and how – in some strange way, it mirrors aspects of many a Thanksgiving Day at offshore lighthouses …
Storm Wreaked Havoc on Maine Lighthouses
A late-winter storm caused major damage at a number of Maine lighthouses up and down the coast on March 2 and 3, 1947. At offshore lights like Saddleback Ledge, keepers no doubt were concerned for the …
Foggy September at Browns Head Light in 1946
Given the fact that the last part of September 2020 encountered ample fog along the Maine coast, we thought it was worth looking back seventy-four years to another foggy September. Keeper Merrill E. …