When Little Sable Lighthouse, MI, goes dark, neighbor's impromptu donation brings it back to life

Thanks to the unexpected help of a neighbor, this Lake Michigan lighthouse is shining bright again.

Little Sable Point, MI - David Zapatka 

Little Sable Point Lighthouse went dark this fall and remained in shadow for about a month.

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Click here to see more of Little Sable on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Here's why a simple Fresnel Lens makes traffic lights safer

The most important thing to know about Fresnel lenses, before casually attempting to drop them into a conversation, has to do with phonetics : "Fresnel" is pronounced "Fruh-Nel."

Traffic Light - Basher Eyre 

If the silent "S" makes you suspect Fresnel lenses have French origins, you're correct.

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Click here to see more of Augustin Fresnel on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Historic arrow ceremony to return to Hook Head, IRE,  on New Year's Day

A traditional arrow ceremony is to take place at Hook Lighthouse in Co Wexford on New Year's Day, reviving a custom that dates back more than three centuries.

Hook Head, Ireland - Robert Bachand 

The event will be held at the 800-year-old lighthouse, which will host members of the Dunbrody Archers for the ceremony.

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Coast Guard cleans lead from West Chop Lighthouse, MA

Years after a U.S. Coast Guard facility in Tisbury was found to have contaminated the surrounding soil and affected people living on the property is finally under way to remediate the soil.

West Chop, MA - Jeremy D'Entremont 

Remediation work has been underway at West Chop Lighthouse Station since at least Friday to clean up lead from paint that was historically used to paint the building.

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Click here to see more of West Chop on the USLHS Research Catalog

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12 Michigan Lighthouses with easy access in winter

Michigan has nearly 120 lighthouses, which sounds like a fun problem until winter shows up and reminds you that not all of them are a casual stop.

Grand Traverse, MI - Thomas A Tag 

Snow, ice, closed roads, and lake effect reality narrow the list fast.

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Click here to see more of Michigan lighthouses on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Here are 5 Cape Cod Lighthouses with festive holiday decorations

AS Christmas grows closer, people all across Massachusetts are putting up decorations, including everything from lit trees to wreaths on doors to outdoor light displays.

Nobska, MA - Jeremy D'Entremont 

However, on Cape Cod, decorations do not only go on trees or doors, but also on lighthouses.

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Click here to see more of Massachusetts on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Living the solitary life in the after hours at Owl's Head Lighthouse, ME... or so you think

Fred may or may not reside eternally on the property of the Owl's Head Light Station.

Owl's Head, ME - Jeremy D'Entrmont 

It could be one ghost. It could be multiple. Many a lighthouse keeper has claimed to have experienced irrational occurrences during his time as guardian over Penobscot Bay.

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Click here to see more of Owl's Head on the USLHS Research Catalog

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Mystery of the missing lighthouse keepers

Just over 125 years ago three lighthouse keepers vanished from the remote Flannan Islands west of the Isle of Lewis in the Hebrides and were never seen again - a mystery as baffling as the Mary Celeste.

Flannan Isles, Scotland - USLHS archive 

At about midnight on December 15, 1900 the steamship Archtor passed the Flannan Islands and was puzzled to see the lighthouse without any light.

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Cruise ship visits to Battle Island Lighthouse, Canada, on hold due to First nation's land claim

A historic lighthouse on Lake Superior's north shore was removed from the itinerary for visiting cruise ships after the federal government suspended an agreement with a registered charity that's worked for years to improve facilities on the site.

Battle Island, Canada - Susan Miller 

The decision is tied to a land claim by Pays Plat First Nation that includes Battle Island.

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RPV council OKs Point Vicente Lighthouse 100th anniversary logo

The City Council this week approved a new logo to commemorate the 100th birthday of the historic Point Vicente Lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes, a milestone that will be celebrated next year.

Point Vicente, CA - Skip Sherwood 

The first beam of light from the lighthouse appeared on April 14, 1926, and the facility "has functioned as a guide for safe maritime navigation ever since."

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Click here to see more of Point Vicente on the USLHS Research Catalog

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U.S. Lighthouse Society News is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research.

If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to Ralph Krugler at ralph@uslhs.org 

Submitted by Ralph Krugler on