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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
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U.S. Coast Guard “Flexes its Muscle” For
Little River Lighthouse
By Bob Trapani, Jr.
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“Keeping a good light” has been a time-honored tradition of the United
States Coast Guard. A fine example of this tradition proudly beamed
forth from Little River Light Station on July 18-19, 2005, when members
of the U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team (ANT) Southwest Harbor,
Maine, lent a huge hand to helping save this Downeast lighthouse
treasure.
The
American Lighthouse
Foundation,
owners of |
Photo by Chessie Johnson
U.S. Coast Guard
ANT Southwest Harbor...
(L to ) DC3 Sean
Maring, BM3 Sean Fearing, SNBM Kevin Doherty, DC2 Michael Molnar, EM3
Nate Sammons, MK3 Will Hine,
BMCM Dennis Dever
and seated is
ALF volunteer Hal
Biering
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the Little River
Light Station in Cutler,
Maine, have been unwavering in their
efforts to restore the offshore lighthouse ever since obtaining ownership of
the property in 2002 under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation
Act. Every inch of progress to save and restore this beautiful light station
has been hard fought given the lack of volunteers in such a remote area as
Cutler Harbor. The fact that the project is now nearly 75% complete speaks
volumes for the tenacity and commitment of the ALF volunteers.
Given
the inherent challenges associated with saving Little River Light Station,
you can imagine the joy of the American Lighthouse Foundation |
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Photo by Tim Harrison
EM3 Nate Sammons
walks ahead of DC2 Michael Molnar checking for rocks with a
weed whacker
before the brush cutter
makes a pass
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to learn that
six personnel under the command of BMC Charles A. Petronis, U.S. Coast
Guard ANT Southwest Harbor, as well as Master
Chief Dennis Dever, Aids to Navigation Officer, Sector Field Office,
Southwest Harbor, volunteered to journey out to the Little River Island
to help “spruce things up” earlier this month. As Hal Biering,
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ALF’s
lead preservationist at the lighthouse, stated, “this is the most help I
have had in three years – what a great day!” The seven Coastguardsmen
combined with ALF volunteers to bring about two days of spectacular progress
at the island station.
“Flexing
their muscle” in a big way for lighthouse preservation, USCG ANT Southwest
Harbor personnel mowed the overgrown landscape with a brush cutter and
“weed-whackers,” cut down trees that threatened to topple onto the former
keeper’s dwelling, hauled wood from one end of |
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the island to
the other, scraped peeling paint, water-proofed the lantern room
windowpanes inside the tower and even found time to perform the Coast
Guard’s regular preventative maintenance work on the optic and sound
signal equipment at the light station.
“It
was great to see these young Coastguardsmen |
Photo by Chessie Johnson
(L to R) MK3 Will
Hine, BMCM Dennis
Dever & SNBM Kevin
Doherty work to
clear away fallen
trees blown down by
Mother Nature and
overgrown brush
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working so hard
to help preserve a part of the rich heritage and history of the Coast Guard
and our nation,” said American Lighthouse Foundation president Tim Harrison.
“They were all hard workers, very polite and never once did anyone of them
utter a complaint about all the hard work. In fact they were
self-starters who seemed honored to lend a helping hand. It made me, as an
American, proud to know that young people of this caliber are part of our
nation's Coast Guard.”
With fog
shrouding the seascape, the sounds of buzzing saws, vivacious lawn equipment
and the humming of the station’s tractor in constant |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
DC3 Sean
Maring (on tractor) hauls away
wood & brush that
MK3 Will Hine and
SNBM Kevin Doherty
finished loading
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motion filled
the air with the joyful noise of energy that proved to be a stark
contrast to the doleful warning constantly emitting from the light
station’s dutiful foghorn. “The crew really enjoyed themselves and would
not hesitate to do it again,” said BMC Petronis. “The hospitality
provided was very much appreciated. They left there with a |
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feeling they had
contributed and that the work they did was truly appreciated. They all
played a part in preserving this living / working artifact. I think it's a
wonderful thing that organizations such as ALF stepped up to the plate and
adopted these historic sites to ensure they will be available for future
generations. These lighthouses are a huge part of America's heritage - not
just the Coast Guard's”
One of
the Coastguardsmen on hand to help the American Lighthouse Foundation is no
stranger to the realm of lightkeeping. Master Chief |
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Dennis Dever,
a former lighthouse keeper at historic Boston Light Station in 1988-90
has a keen appreciation for lighthouses and their place in our nation’s
history and that of the U.S. Coast Guard. “The ATON crew enjoys work
that makes them a part of the lighthouse's history while connecting
it to the modern day and the |
Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Master Chief
Dennis Dever uses a chain
saw to
remove fallen trees from near
the keeper's
dwelling
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future. Its much
more satisfying for us to get involved with the restoration than simply
maintain the modern light and horn systems.”
Master
Chief Dever went on to say, “I think that the younger people who didn't have
the opportunity to serve on a light station, or are yet to
experience diverse work on numerous lighthouses, find the remnants of the
antiquated systems rather fascinating and learn from the ingenuity that
created them. At Little River this included the simple cupola vent system
that was infinitely adjustable depending on wind speed and direction and
allowed the old oil lanterns to burn as brightly as possible, or the cellar
cistern fed by wooden gutters that made it possible to live out there. The
Little River lighthouse has been serving an important purpose for a long
time and if the long hard work done by "Mr.. Hal" and ALF is any indication,
it will continue to do so well into the future. The Coast
Guards' opportunity to help out clearly shows the young and old what it was
like for the keepers and families to live and work there with the advantage
of being able to leave when we want to. Trouble is, I really didn't want
to!”
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The
American Lighthouse Foundation is extremely appreciative of
the help
provided by the
USCG
ANT Southwest Harbor and wishes
to
thank:
BMC
Charles A. Petronis, Officer in Charge,
USCG ANT
Southwest Harbor
As well as (in alphabetical order):
BMCM
Dennis Dever
SNBM
Kevin Doherty
BM3 Sean
Fearing
MK3 Will
Hine
DC3 Sean
Maring
DC2
Michael Molnar
EM3 Nate
Sammons
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