Heron Neck Lighthouse During Reconstruction
Lighthouse Preservation Act Twenty Five Years Later and the American Lighthouse Foundation
Establishment of the Maine Lights Program
Lighthouses signify endurance and strength in our culture. They have acted as guides for mariners, fishermen, tourists, and immigrants alike. These beacons welcomed most of our ancestors as they came to our country. The allure of these structures beckons us to explore these lighthouses and maybe learn about their history.
Vintage image of Heron Neck. Courtesy of US Coast Guard.
Maine has been at the forefront of conservation efforts for its lands, wildlife, and lighthouses. As automation of lighthouses began in the middle to late 1900s, and as government budget cuts became more frequent, many of Maine’s lighthouses and lighthouses across the nation fell into disrepair from neglect and became targets of vandalism.
Peter Ralston of the Rockland-based Island Institute devised the Maine Lights Program to transfer lighthouse properties to local agencies and organizations with a more personal interest in the structures’ survival, with the Coast Guard retaining responsibility only for the lights themselves. In 1993, the Coast Guard handed over Heron Neck Lighthouse, which was deteriorating and in need of much repair, and the first lighthouse under the program, to the Island Institute, which Ralston founded and which, in turn, leased the property to a private party who restored the beacon and still own the lighthouse today.
Heron Neck Project allowed the Coast Guard to maintain only the beacon itself.
This idea of having local organizations maintain lighthouses started initially with the rebuilding of Maine’s Heron Neck Lighthouse, called the Heron Neck Project, under the Maine Lights Program in 1993. Organizations soon began to sprout up to preserve the heritage of lighthouses nationwide. In 1992, Lighthouse Digest Magazine was created to educate and inform readers nationally of lighthouse history and preservation. In 1994, the American Lighthouse Foundation was established with its primary mission of becoming directly involved in lighthouse preservation on a national scale. Both of these organizations started in Maine.
By 1996, with help from Senator George Mitchell and Senator Olympia Snowe, the Maine Lights Program had become a model for lighthouse preservation on a national scale under the supervision of the National Park Service and was passed into law by Congress. This allowed 28 designated light stations in Maine to be transferred to selected non-profit organizations as the Coast Guard relinquished ownership of those lighthouses deemed in need. Specially selected non-profit organizations would provide approved plans to help maintain and provide public access to a particular lighthouse and become directly involved in raising funds for restoration efforts. These organizations protected these coastal beacons in need and transformed some into tourist attractions and living history centers to raise funds to maintain these beacons.
Owls Head Lighthouse in Maine
The Lighthouse Preservation Act and the American Lighthouse Foundation
The Maine Lights program provided a national and international blueprint for modern-day lighthouse conservation. In 2000, Congress passed the Lighthouse Preservation Act, used today to help maintain structures needing repairs. Twenty years later, there are still many lighthouses in desperate need of repairs, as the program has saved countless beacons that would have been destroyed and became simple earmarks of our nautical history. Many volunteers across the country have been busy over the years working on projects involving the preservation of various lighthouses throughout the country. As mentioned, many non-profit organizations under the Lighthouse Preservation Act have worked tirelessly to raise funds to rebuild these magnificent structures embodying our strength and the American spirit.
Volunteers are always needed; you can also become a member of the American Lighthouse Foundation with a small donation. The ALF sponsors events at many lighthouses and has many non-profit organizations or chapters, especially in New England, that assist those beacons in need. Their headquarters is now at Owls Head Lighthouse, in the keepers’ building. Their growing army of volunteers contributes over 25,000 hours of service annually towards the cause of lighthouse preservation. They provide educational and public access programs and the ability to reuse various historical sites nationwide.
The website for the American Lighthouse Foundation provides all kinds of lighthouse news, history, events, and gifts, most proceeds of which help with lighthouse preservation. There is also info on tours as well. You can also visit Owl’s Head Lighthouse, where their headquarters are, and explore the grounds. The foundation also offers tours. They also coordinate Maine Open Lighthouse Day during September, where visitors can enjoy rare opportunities to climb the towers of about two dozen historic Maine lights. They also sponsor each year, usually around the end of June or beginning of July, the Midcoast Maine Lighthouse Challenge around seven lighthouses, among other events.
Portland Head lighthouse at sunset.
“National Lighthouse Day”: August 7
On August 7, 1789, Congress approved an act supporting lighthouses, buoys, and public piers. Although not congressionally approved, August 7 is celebrated each year as National Lighthouse Day, with many lighthouse sponsor groups offering general public tours, cruises, and historical presentations for education to pay tribute to America’s lighthouses. Many organizations are trying to get Congress to permanently designate August 7 as National Lighthouse Day, which hopefully will become a designated national reality soon.
Enjoy the summer!
Allan Wood
Books to Explore
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships: Stories of the Six and Seven-Masted Coal Schooners of New England. In the early 1900s, New England shipbuilders constructed the world’s largest sailing ships amid social and political reforms. These giants were the ten original six-masted coal schooners and one colossal seven-masted vessel, built to carry massive quantities of coal and building supplies and measured longer than a football field! This self-published book, balanced with plenty of color and vintage images, showcases the historical accounts that followed these mighty ships.
Available also from bookstores in paperback, hardcover, and as an eBook for all devices.
Enjoy a 10% discount on the hardcover version. Printed and distributed by IngramSpark.
Book – Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Southern New England: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Southern New England: Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. This 300-page book provides memorable human interest stories from each of the 92 lighthouses, including some information on lighthouse history. You can explore plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions, including whale-watching excursions, lighthouse tours, windjammer sailing tours, parks, museums, and even lighthouses where you can stay overnight. You’ll also find plenty of stories of hauntings around lighthouses.
Book – Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. This 300-page book provides memorable human interest stories from each of the 76 lighthouses, including some information on lighthouse history. It also describes and provides contact info for plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions and tours. These include whale watching, lighthouse tours, unique parks, museums, and lighthouses where you can stay overnight. There are also stories of haunted lighthouses in these regions.
Book- New England Lighthouses: Famous Shipwrecks, Rescues & Other Tales
New England Lighthouses: Famous Shipwrecks, Rescues & Other Tales contains over 50 stories and detailed information on some lighthouse history. This image-rich book also contains vintage images provided by the Coast Guard and various organizations and paintings by six famous Coast Guard artists.
You can purchase this book and the lighthouse tourism books from the publisher Schiffer Books or in many fine bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.
Copyright © Allan Wood Photography, do not reproduce without permission. All rights reserved.
American Lighthouse Foundation
Join, Learn, and Support The American Lighthouse Foundation
