The following
article was penned by the staff of in Brewer, Maine, and appeared in the December 1,
2005 edition of their newspaper…
Valuable Antiques in Danger...
Saving America’s Lighthouses
The word antique
describes an object made in an earlier period and, according to various
customs laws, is at least a hundred years old, as defined in Webster’s
dictionary.
One hundred years
ago, in 1905, Las Vegas, Nevada, was founded when 110 acres, in what would
later become downtown, was subdivided into 2,500 lots and auctioned off.
Henry Fonda was born in 1905; so were Tex Ritter, Joan Crawford and Greta
Garbo. The first airplane flew at Kitty Hawk two years earlier and Marconi
was still four years away from getting a patent for radio. The United States
produced 25,000 new automobiles and the Ford Model K cost $2,800. However,
remember, in 1905, there were no interstate highways yet, and, in fact, no
cross-country roads at all and relatively few paved streets.
One hundred years
ago, there were approximately 2,400 lighthouses in operation being manned
and maintained by the Lighthouse Board under the supervision of the Treasury
Department.
Today there are
less than 600 lighthouses still standing that act as day marks for mariners.
Those that still show a light are maintained by the Coast Guard and all, but
one, are unmanned and automated.
Living now in the
beginning of the 21st century, it is difficult to imagine what
life was like in the port cities of the United States just one hundred years
ago.
Everything that is
now transported by truck moved along the coasts by ship and was then
transferred to a horse and wagon in port. Such commodities as furniture,
food, grain, oil, clothing, appliances and people moved on the water by
boat. There were hundreds of ships moving from port to port every day and
night.
The lighthouse was
regarded as a symbol of safety and guidance by warning ship crews of
dangerous coastlines and as a guide to the safe entry into port. The primary
motivation in constructing a lighthouse, on any given point of land, was to
save lives and the precious cargo.
Whenever several
ships crashed into an underwater sandbar or onto a rocky coast, the
government established a lighthouse at that spot.
One hundred years
ago, a ship could be fifty miles off course in the middle of the ocean and
not be in serious trouble. However, a vessel that was fifty yards off
course, coming into port, would probably become another shipwreck. In the
early days, a mariner guided his vessel into port, at night, by lining up a
lighted beacon in a direct line with the lighthouse. Lighted buoys were not
yet invented.
These lighthouses,
sending out a steady light every night, became a symbol of hope to the
community. The families waiting for the safe arrival of loved ones were
comforted by the rays of light, ready to guide the ships home to port. In
the summertime, proud families in rowboats would go out, as tourists, to
visit island lighthouse stations.
The keepers had
special written instructions from the Lighthouse Board in Washington on how
to act as the host on these Sunday excursions.
Because they were
built as lifesaving devices, they were frequently used as religious symbols
both in art and in music. On June 16, 1833, John Henry Newman wrote a hymn
verse while his ship was on the “becalmed straits of Boniface,” at a time
when he was anxious to get home to his native England:
“Lead kindly light, amid th’ encircling
gloom,
Lead thou me on,
The night is dark, and I am far from home;
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene – one step enough for me.”
Lighthouses are
very popular in our culture today. We often see them in the background shots
on television commercials. Many people collect miniature lighthouses for
room décor. Some people have a series of lighthouse photographs set up as
colored screensavers on their computer screens. Oil paintings of lighthouses
are done by well-known artists and lighthouse calendars are very popular,
also.
Valuable antiques
all have one thing in common; they are very old and are often in need of
repair. They require the tender, loving care of skilled craftsmen.
Saving America’s
historic lighthouses is both a very costly and time consuming effort that
can only happen when people just like you choose to get involved. Holding
the responsibility as a “keeper of the lights” is a real honor and an
opportunity to help preserve these beautiful historic buildings. Yet most
lighthouse, though considered antiques, are hardly just icons from our
nation’s past.
These enduring
symbols to our American heritage are “guiding” our country into the future
by standing tall as tributes to where we have been as a country.
We all agree that
lighthouses must be preserved but who will take the lead in this costly
effort to “keep the lights shining?” One group stands out in this cause.
The nonprofit
American Lighthouse Foundation of Wells, is working hard to save and
preserve our beloved lighthouses but the organization cannot do it alone.
The nonprofit group has the daunting responsibility of caring for 22
historic lighthouses throughout New England, as well as the Museum of
Lighthouse History in Wells, and is dedicated to sharing these timeless
treasures with the general public. Yet like all great missions, lighthouse
preservation costs a tremendous amount of money to protect our coastal
beacons from the ravages of Mother Nature.
Nearly everyone,
young or old, male or female, sailor or landlubber, is in love with
lighthouses because they are unusual, historical, mysterious and they are
filled with meaning. We can only imagine the pride that a keeper felt, on a
dark moonless night, staring out at the black void of the ocean, hoping that
the beam from his light might guide a sailor home from the sea.
For those people
who are inspired to help the American Lighthouse Foundation save our state’s
lighthouse heritage, the opportunity to go “above & beyond” in your support
of lighthouse preservation has never been greater. By supporting ALF with
meaningful gifts that match your personal inspiration and dedication to
lighthouses, you enable ALF to expand its effort and stay one step ahead of
Mother Nature. Whether you can commit $20 or $10,000 each gift is sincerely
appreciated and your confidence rewarded through ALF’s efforts to ensure our
lighthouses “show the way” to our children’s children!”
