Episodes

  • Light Hearted ep 288 – Cori Convertito, Key West, Florida

    Light Hearted ep 288 – Cori Convertito, Key West, Florida
    Jul 28 2024
    Key West Lighthouse, courtesy of KWAHS Key West Lighthouse has stood as a well-loved landmark in one of America’s most colorful cities since 1848, when it replaced an earlier lighthouse that began service in early 1826. The original tower was destroyed by a hurricane in 1846. The tower that stands today is constructed of brick and stands 73 feet tall. Dr. Cori Convertito, courtesy of KWAHS After the navigational light was discontinued in 1969, the property was turned over to Monroe County. It was then leased to the Key West Arts and Historical Society. The Society opens the lighthouse to the public and also manages a museum in the former keeper’s house. A centerpiece of the museum is a first-order Fresnel lens from the Sombrero Key Lighthouse. Dr. Cori Convertito is the curator and historian for the Key West Arts and Historical Society, which manages three sites in addition to the lighthouse. Ralph Krugler co-hosts. Courtesy of KWAHS
    Show more Show less
    1 hr
  • Light Hearted 287 – Larry Wright, Great Lakes lighthouses author & photographer

    Light Hearted 287 – Larry Wright, Great Lakes lighthouses author & photographer
    Jul 21 2024
    Larry Wright is a national gold medal award winning photographer who has been involved with lighthouse preservation since 1991. He was on the Board of Directors for the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association based in Mackinac, Michigan, for 20 years. Larry has co-written four books about lighthouses on the Great Lakes along with his wife Pat. They are The Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia; Bonfires and Beacons; Bright Lights, Dark Nights; and Lightships of the Great Lakes. Larry is currently working on a project called Chronicles of Lighthouses on the Great Lakes. The chronicles have now exceeded 9,000 pages and when finished, Larry says it will be about 12,000 pages. The Chronicles will be housed at a number of universities and non-profit museums and lighthouse organizations. Averie Shaughnessy-Comfort, executive director of Presque Isle Light Station in Pennsylvania, co-hosts.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Light Hearted 286 – Ken Burke, Piney Point, MD

    Light Hearted 286 – Ken Burke, Piney Point, MD
    Jul 14 2024
    Piney Point Lighthouse and keepers house, Maryland. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont This episode has three segments. In the first, photographer Pete Lerro describes a photo workshop he will be leading in Maine in October. In the third segment, Judianne Point discusses some exciting happenings at Chatham Light in Massachusetts and Beavertail Light in Rhode Island. Sandwiched in the middle is a conversation about the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park in Maryland. Ken Burke In 1836, a 35-foot-tall, conical lighthouse was built at Piney Point on the north side of the entrance to the Potomac River. It was the first of 11 lighthouses built on the river, and one of only three that survive today. The property was transferred to St. Mary’s County in 1983. The buildings were restored in the years that followed, and the grounds were transformed into a public park. Today, the park, museum, and the lighthouse are open all year. Our guest today is Ken Burke, museum supervisor for the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park. Ben Ridings, curator for Cape May MAC in New Jersey, is the guest co-host. A replica Fresnel lens is on display in the museum at Piney Point The beach at Piney Point Inside the lighthouse
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Light Hearted ep 285 – Bill McIntyre and Carie Palmer, Concord Point, MD

    Light Hearted ep 285 – Bill McIntyre and Carie Palmer, Concord Point, MD
    Jul 7 2024
    Concord Point Lighthouse, photo by Jeremy D'Entremont Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland, was built in 1827. That makes it the second oldest standing lighthouse in the state. The conical, 36-foot tower was built of stone that was barged down the Susquehannah River from Port Deposit. In 1918, the light was automated. After that, the property changed hands at least 10 times and for a while served as a rooming house, restaurant, and bar. The light was decommissioned in 1975, and ownership went to the City of Havre de Grace two years later. By 1979, a citizens group called the Friends of Concord Point Lighthouse was formed. Today, the lighthouse and keeper’s house are open to the public on weekends from April through October. Our guests today are Bill McIntyre, who is on the board of directors for the lighthouse and is also a local historian, and Carie Palmer, who is coordinator for volunteers, events, visitor services, and customer success. Early postcard of Concord Point from the USLHS archives
    Show more Show less
    53 mins
  • Light Hearted ep 284 – Annapolis Maritime Museum & Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, MD

    Light Hearted ep 284 – Annapolis Maritime Museum & Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, MD
    Jun 30 2024
    Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse The Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park, or AMM, is devoted to teaching people about the area’s maritime heritage and Chesapeake Bay ecology through exhibits, programs, and events. The museum is also the starting point for public tours of Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, a national historic landmark. Interviewed in this episode are Alice Estrada, the president and CEO of the Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park, and Bill Cogar, who is the curator of collections. Aboard the Annapolis Maritime Museum's traditional skipjack, the WIlma Lee The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, in the town of St. Michaels, explores and preserves the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region. The museum is also home to the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse. The guests in this episode are Suzanne O’Donnell, school age educator, and Marketing and Communications Manager Eric Detweiler. The museum’s special programs for children and families are discussed. Hooper Strait Lighthouse Jennifer Anielski, librarian for the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia, is the guest co-host.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Light Hearted Lite #6 – Author Lenore Skomal discusses lighthouse heroine Ida Lewis

    Light Hearted Lite #6 – Author Lenore Skomal discusses lighthouse heroine Ida Lewis
    Jun 25 2024
    Ida Lewis This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 48 in February 2020. The guest is author Lenore Skomal. Ida Lewis was possibly the most famous lighthouse keeper in American history. She was born in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1842. She became the official keeper at Lime Rock in Newport Harbor in 1879 and held the position for 32 years. Officially, Ida Lewis is credited with 18 lives saved. She became a celebrated national heroine. Writer Lenore Skomal is the winner of multiple awards for literature, biography, and humor. Her book on Ida Lewis, The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter, was originally published in 2002. Booklist called it “[a] sensitive biography. . . . A remarkable story of an ordinary woman who did some extraordinary things.”
    Show more Show less
    21 mins
  • Light Hearted ep 283 – Sea Girt, New Jersey

    Light Hearted ep 283 – Sea Girt, New Jersey
    Jun 23 2024
    Sea Girt Lighthouse Before Sea Girt Light was established in 1896, there was a long stretch of more than 38 miles with no lighthouses on the New Jersey coast from the Navesink Twin Lights south to Barnegat Light. In addition to helping coastal maritime traffic, the lighthouse served to aid mariners entering Sea Girt Inlet and Wreck Pond. The design of Sea Girt Lighthouse is unusual for the New Jersey coast. It consists of a square, red brick tower rising 44 feet and attached to a keeper’s dwelling. Jude Meehan After World War II, an automatic light was mounted on top of the tower and the lighthouse was decommissioned. By 1980, the building was in a deteriorated state and was closed. An organization called the Sea Girt Citizens Committee was formed to save the lighthouse, and today it's open to the public. Our guest today is Jude Meehan, who is the president of the Sea Girt Citizens Committee. Co-hosting this episode are Heather Porter and her daughter, 11-year-old Guinevere, of Kentucky. Heather and Guin discuss their recent visit to New England to see lighthouses, including Portland Head, Nubble, and Goat Island in Kennebunkport, Maine. Heather & Guin at Nubble Light Guin at Portsmouth Harbor Light
    Show more Show less
    43 mins
  • Light Hearted Lite #5 – Terry Rowden, Little River, Maine

    Light Hearted Lite #5 – Terry Rowden, Little River, Maine
    Jun 20 2024
    Terry Rowden This is an edited version of an interview that originally appeared in Light Hearted episode 25 in September 2019. Terry Rowden, a native of Michigan, served as a keeper at Little River Light Station in Cutler, Maine, for the U.S. Coast Guard from 1968 to 1970. Almost four decades later, when the Friends of Little River Lighthouse was founded as a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, Terry became a volunteer. For ten years, he has been the resident caretaker on the island. Also taking part in the interview is Bob Trapani Jr., the executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation. The interview took place inside the keeper’s house at Little River. Little River Light Station. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.
    Show more Show less
    21 mins