are ecstatic over
a wood chisel that was recently donated to the museum’s collections.
The 16 ½”-long wood chisel that is engraved with the letters USHLS, which
stands for the old United States Lighthouse Service, was donated to the
museum by Tom and Judi Kearney of Ambler, PA.
Tim Harrison, president of the nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation,
which owns and operates the Museum of Lighthouse History said, “This is
probably one of the most unusual artifacts that has been donated to us in
some time.”
“When thinking of lighthouse artifacts people tend to think of lenses,
lights and foghorns,” said Bob Trapani, executive director of the group,
“but few think of carpenter tools.” He went on to explain that wood chisels
and other tools such as wood planes, which were all engraved with the
Lighthouse Service letters, were part of the standard issue of supplies for
toolboxes at many lighthouses as well as at the lighthouse depot’s and on
many lighthouse tender vessels.
Harrison went on to explain how the old Lighthouse Service was a
self-contained organization that manufactured some of the items they needed
for lighthouses with many of their employees being involved in lighthouse
construction, maintenance and repairs. “When we think of lighthouses, we
tend to think of lighthouse keepers, but the old Lighthouse Service also
employed a number of laborers, masons and carpenters,” said Harrison.
Maritime antique expert, Jim Claflin, of Kenrick Claflin and Sons Nautical
Antiques, said in all his years in business, he has seen only a few similar
wood chisels before and those are held in private collections. He placed a
value on the wood chisel at $600.00.
The Museum of Lighthouse History is located at 2190 U. S. Rt. 1 in Wells,
Maine. Open in season 10am - 4pm. To learn more about the American
Lighthouse Foundation contact us by email at
info@lighthousefoundation.org
by phone: 207-646-0245 or mail at: P.O. Box 889, Wells, ME 04090.
Posted 7/13/2006
