The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank November 10th, 1975. Gordon Lightfoot's song brought it to posterity in 1976, and we've been talking about it since. Listen in as Vince does a solo-episode about the infamous ship, wreck, and song!Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Gordon Lightfoot – The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Lyrics | Genius LyricsThe Cruelest Month - Edmund Fitzgerald Newsweek, November 24, 1975 | PDF | Water Transport | ViolenceTIL Gordon Lightfoot was inspired to write "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" when he saw the name misspelled as "Edmond" in Newsweek magazine. He felt the misspelling dishonored the memory of the 29 men who died when the freighter sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975. : r/todayilearnedSS Edmund Fitzgerald - Wikipedia#105 - Marine casualty report : SS Edmund Fitzgerald; sinking in Lake ... - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library
Like most beachy lighthouses, Point Betsie battled shifting sands for its whole lifetime, now shielded by at least three methods of erosion control to keep the light shining! Point Betsie Lighthouse is a standing testament to what a community can do (whether that's saving a lighthouse, building a road, or saving lives) when they work together.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Point Betsie Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsFriends of Point Betsie LighthouseAnnual Reports of the Lighthouse Board| National Archives and Records Administration
Although this was the last lighthouse built in Connecticut, it is the first for us to cover in the state, and the first we've covered that skipped straight to 200 Watt bulbs! Avery Point Lighthouse was built by the Coast Guard in 1944 as a part of their training center, later becoming a physics laboratory for the University of Connecticut.Thank you to all who left us reviews! Merch (and a giveaway) is coming your way.References:Avery Point Light | American Lighthouse FoundationAvery Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsAvery Point | USLHSAvery Point Light | Wikipedia
Listener Lighthouse! I'm trying to think of a lighthouse where I have this hard of a time saying it's name out loud... Regardless, Crisp Point Lighthouse was close neighbors with a Life-Saving Station, along with three others built along "Shipwreck Coast" in 1876. This red-capped light still shines today as a private ATON.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Crisp Point Light Historical SocietyCrisp Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Light Lists | Navigational Center USCG
What's prettier than a lighthouse on a cliff edge? Point Bonita lives up to its name, adjacent to a mini version of the Golden Gate Bridge. It shines on to this day with its original second order Fresnel lens!Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:https://miladidit.com/2017/12/12/point-bonita/Point Bonita LighthousePoint Bonita Lighthouse - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service)Point Bonita Lighthouse, California at Lighthousefriends.com
In honor of Maine Open Lighthouse Day coming up on September 13, we are covering one of the over a dozen participants! Little River Lighthouse's forest green-turned-mint lantern room is just a plus. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Maine Open Lighthouse Day 2025 | American Lighthouse FoundationLittle River Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsMaine Open Lighthouse Day at Little RiverLittle River Light History | New England Lighthouses
Not many original lighthouses last longer than their replacements, but this is the case for the second oldest brick lighthouse in American history! Sapelo Island Lighthouse was lit in 1820, and still stands today on the island with the last known Gullah community.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Stations | USLSSHAOhio Life Saving Station No. 10 | Belle of LouisvilleSapelo Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsUSLHS Keeper's Log 1988
Where is whitefish fishing good? Probably at the Whitefish Township, at Whitefish Point in Whitefish Bay...which is why we needed Whitefish Point Lighthouse! Have I said whitefish too much? This skeletal lighthouse is unique in many ways, with a decagonal lantern room, second floor covered walkway, and a lifeboat station that physically left the grounds to return decades later.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Stations | USLSSHAWhitefish Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsWhitefish Point Lighthouse | Great Lakes Shipwreck MuseumWhitefish Lifeboat Station
Vince is back from Sweden, and he brought back tales of a lighthouse that took many daymarks over it's lifetime! The Väderöbod Lighthouse is one of many Swedish lighthouses built on the islands of the Väderö archipelago. Although it is 9 miles off the coast, if you can handle yourself in a kayak you are welcome to visit and even stay on the island!Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:David Lyle and his Life Saving Gun - Springfield Armory National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)About the lighthouse – Föreningen Väderöbod
While Lobster Cove makes me think of a rocky beach and open seas all around, what you'll find in Newfoundland is vastly different! Surrounded by a lush national park, glacier-carved fjords and thundering waterfalls, Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse flashes white over 100 feet above the waves. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsLobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Parks CanadaSun Valve | Go Industrial
If the cute name of this lighthouse doesn't catch your attention, the history sure will! That is, if you like lighthouses that are also a post office.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Nova Scotia Explore PagePeggy's Cove WebsitePeggy's Point WikipediaNova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation SocietyThe Canadian Lighthouse RouteNova Scotia Lighthouse RouteNova Scotia Lighthouse Road trip | Travel Bunny
Unfortunately, the name Cape Fear directly correlates to how mariners felt about the area, dubbing the Frying Pan Shoals almost as fearsome as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. However, efforts to light the area were a struggle, and we ended up with many different lighthouses (and lightships) in an attempt to mark the shoals.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:The Cape Fear Lighthouse's Prism Project | Our State Cape Fear Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsFrying Pan Lightship | Lighthouse FriendsFrying Pan Lightship Restaurant
We've all heard stories here and there of what keepers went through on the job at their lighthouses - the position was rife with danger! Vince takes us on a deep dive of what was really at stake for our lighthouse keepers and the perils they faced in daily life.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:In Memoriam | United States Lighthouse SocietyLighthouse Oil Myths & Folklore - Ponce Inlet LighthouseThe Dangers of Lighthouse Keeping - Lighthouse ExplorersThe Dark Side of Lighthouses | Hakai MagazineStannard Rock: The Loneliest Place on the Continent - Lake Superior Magazine
Didn't get enough of Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse in our last episode? Us either! Listen in as historian Ralph Krugler gives the inside scoop about the lighthouse's restoration project, history, and interesting stories!Please consider donating towards the restoration at https://www.hillsborolighthouse.org/Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com
Like most inlets in eastern Florida, Hillsboro Inlet's waters were filled with wrecked ships. But it wasn't until 1907 that a lighthouse was built there, sturdy enough to withstand hurricanes, shifting sands, and the ocean waves. Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was home to some of the best lighthouse keepers the US had to offer, and still shines brightly today with it's original Fresnel lens in its lantern room!Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Thank you Ralph Krugler!!Cap's Place Island RestaurantHillsboro Inlet Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Reef LocatorHillsboro Inlet Lighthouse Website
While we cover Walton Lighthouse as our history buoy this time, the meat of this episode covers mercury floats! How did they work? Why were they implemented? Did they really have a negative effect on keepers? Listen in as we answer all these questions and more!Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Santa Cruz Breakwater | Lighthouse FriendsSanta Cruz Breakwater Light | WikipediaLights with Mercury Floats | USLHSLens Rotation | USLHSMercury Float Rotation by James WoodwardMercury + Aluminum Reaction | Reddit
Vince takes us to sunny Mexico to look at a golf course that is blessed with not one, but two lighthouses on the tip of the Baja California Sur. While the area beckons with it's pristine golf courses and resorts, the real treasure are the lighthouses hundreds of feet above the thrashing surf.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Quivira Los Cabos Residence El Faro Viejo Cabo San Lucas – Old CaboOne Course, Two Lighthouses: Quivira Golf Club - InMexicoGolf Resorts Mexico | GolfLighthouses near the world's golf coursessymphony.cdn.tambourine.com/quivira-los-cabos-residence/media/old-lighthouse-5dcc571a03cee.mp4https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1A51ataq4h/
In honor of WIC week, we are covering the lighthouse with the most years kept by women keepers! Biloxi Lighthouse is also known well in Mississippi as a symbol of resilience after surviving Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Biloxi Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsBiloxi Lighthouse Throughout the Years | City of BiloxiBiloxi Lighthouse | USLHS
Listener Lighthouse! Thank you to Megan for sending this in.Commonly known as the I Love You Lighthouse, Minot's Ledge actually has a deadly history as a strange lighthouse on stilts! When that one failed, engineers used the successful construction tactics from the Eddystone Lighthouse to build a stone tower that still stands today.Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Minot's Ledge Lighthouse | Lighthouse StarsMinot's Ledge Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsMinot's Ledge Light history | New England LighthousesMinot's Ledge | USLHSMahan Lens Video
We're headed back over to California today to talk about a lighthouse that, like many others, went dark after the beginning of WWII - however, Point Fermin Lighthouse was never relit. Decades later, its Fresnel lens was found in an unlikely location...Liked this episode? Leave us a review on thelighthouselowdown.comReferences:Point Fermin Lighthouse | LA ParksPoint Fermin Lighthouse | Lighthouse FriendsPoint Fermin | USLHS