Long Island Lighthouse Notes

The free online newsletter from LongIslandLighthouses.com

Published semi-regularly to keep the online community informed about current events at Long Island's lighthouses.

Please Note: The opinions expressed here are mine, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of anyone else (although they should). No endorsement by any organization is implied by their mention here. Comments and questions can be sent to me at:: Bob@LongIslandLighthouses.com.

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This page last updated on 10/20/04

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CEDAR ISLAND'S RESTORED OIL HOUSE LOOKS GREAT - The 1902 brick oil house at Cedar Island, restored by DeGroot Historical Restorations with funds raised by the Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society, is saved. The project, which began in late 2003 and was completed in the Spring, cost about $16000 and required work on all aspects pf the building. The foundation was excavated and reinforced, the walls -- parts of which were missing --- were repaired with bricks conditioned to match the existing ones; the door and hinges were handmade; and much of the roof had to be completely rebuilt. The roof, a standing seam metal design, was recreated based on a photo from the family album of the descendants of William Follett, the light's last keeper. The entire building was then painted to match its appearance in the 1920s-30s, when Follett was the keeper. The big test for now is to see how vandals react to the restored building.

HUNTINGTON HARBOR'S INTERIOR IS COMING ALONG - With the exterior of the Huntington Harbor Light pretty much complete, attention has turned to the interior. The wall between the two rooms has been reconstructed (albeit modified for interpretational purposes). Also, the plastering of the interior, in its original sea foam green, has begun. You can see the progress by visiting the offshore light. I have the dates on my events page.

ABOUT HALF OF BOOKS SOLD, AMID GREAT REVIEWS - The reviews of my book have been quite positive, which is nice, and sales have also been good. About 1000 books have thus far been sold, raising funds for several Long Island lighthouse groups.

USCG AUX CANNOT "ADOPT" LONG BEACH BAR LIGHT BECAUSE OF ACTIONS OF LOCAL GROUP - A local Coast Guard auxiliary group recently wanted to "adopt" the Long Beach Bar Light, handling the maintenance of the optic so that local Coast Guard personnel could concentrate on more demanding tasks. The legal problems at the site, caused by a local "lighthouse group" trying to wrest control of the lighthouse away from its owners, has caused the Coast Guard to deny the Auxiliary's request, though. Thankfully, the current Long Beach Bar Light s not an actual historic lighthouse (It is probably the only vinyl-sided plywood lighthouse in the nation), so the troubles at the site don't directly threaten a historic structure -- yet.

PLUM ISLAND REVETMENT SHOULD START THIS SUMMER OR FALL - The stone revetment at Plum Island, which will help protect the Plum Island Lighthouse from erosion, is scheduled to start this Fall. The rocks for the project were obtained by the Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society a few years ago, but have been sitting in piles on the island awaiting placement. Despite the claims of a group making all sorts of statements to get you to send them money (the same group that caused the Long Bear Bar problem) , don't expect the lighthouse to be relit any time soon.

FINALLY, THE BOOK IS AVAILABLE - Obviously, this is the biggest news for me personally. It's been nearly six years since I started this project. I have worked hard at it, strived to be precise and thorough (yet readable), and have high hopes for what the book might accomplish. Visit www.LILighthouseSociety.org to order a copy via PayPal, or print out a form and mail it with your check. Remember, all proceeds benefit historic preservation and education. I'm not getting a cent of the money.

MEDIA ATTENTION FOR THE BOOK - This morning, I was interviewed by Bill Bleyer of Newsday, (his article appears in Monday's paper). After the interview, I went to Fire Island for the photo shoot. Next Tuesday, I am doing a radio show (In Nassau County, I'm not sure of the station). In late May (the 21st, I believe), I'll be on an East End cable show. And several newspapers have requested copies for review. It'll be interesting to see what kind of reviews it gets.

SUFFOLK COUNTY LIGHTHOUSE DAY IS ALMOST HERE - The U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation team from Station Shinnecock will be participating in the Suffolk County Lighthouse Day celebration at Cedar Point County Park. This will be a rare opportunity to see and speak with the modern-day lightkeepers. There will also be former lighthouse keepers (from the days of manned lighthouses), a Harbour Lights display (with free gifts for the first 400 guests), history walks to the Cedar Island Lighthouse, vendors, artists, live entertainment, historical societies, lighthouse societies, kite demonstrations, historical demonstrations, educational activities for the kids, the debut of my book, and more. Saturday, May 1, at Cedar Point County Park in East Hampton.

GOLD COAST CRUISE IS SOLD OUT - The May 2 cruise is sold out, but you can make reservations for the September 18 Beacons of the Night sunset/moonlight/lighthouse cruise. That one will sell out, too, so don't wait too long to make your reservations. www.LILighthouseSociety.org

CEDAR ISLAND OIL HOUSE ALMOST DONE - Walter DeGroot, of DeGroot Historical Restorations, expects the Cedar Island Light's 1902 brick oil house to be completed for Suffolk County Lighthouse Day. The oil house, the only remaining outbuilding at Cedar Island, was getting dangerously close to being lost to the elements and vandals, until the restoration began last Fall. The next issue of The Long Island Light Keeper will have a full story.

PLUM ISLAND EROSION PROJECT TO BEGIN SOON - A recent call from the Plum Island Animal Disease Center confirmed that the Army Corps of Engineers plans to build the erosion control revetment in front of the Plum Island Lighthouse by this Fall. The stone for the project was procured by the Long Island Lighthouse Society in 2001, and it has been sitting in the harbor on the island since, awaiting the acquisition of proper permits and funding. This will be an important step toward ensuring the future safety of the lighthouse.

BOOK SIGNINGS IN 2004 - I have always believed that authors and nonprofits have an obligation to support their products and serve the community. Since my book is a fundraiser for a nonprofit group, that belief doubly applies in this case. So I will be having public, and private book signings. Suffolk County Lighthouse Day will be the first signing. Next will be at the Fire Island Lighthouse, on Saturday, May 22, at the opening of their new exhibit of postcards of the Fire Island Light.. I will also be speaking and signing at the Riverhead Free Library later this year, and several other locations. I will also be available to sign books at every LI Lighthouse Society meeting and event (unless something serious prevents me from attending, but that hasn't happened yet). I will also be available for private groups, as I have done many times in the past. I hope that readers of the book will attend these signings and events and share their thoughts about it. Your feedback will help to make the next book better.

FALL LIGHTHOUSE COURSE - In October and November, I will be teaching a ten-hour adult education course on the history of Long Island's lighthouses. This course will be at the East Islip High School, in Islip Terrace. The school is easy to access from Sunrise Highway or the Southern Parkway. The dates: October 14, 21, and 28, and November 4 and 18 - all Thursdays, from 7pm to 9pm. A Saturday trip to a lighthouse will be optional. Tuition has not been set, but should be in the $50-$70 range. The cost will not include a  copy of my book, which is not necessary, but is, of course, recommended. :-)

ON THE EVENTS PAGE - I have been trying to add more events that will appeal to visitors of my site. One of the additions is the schedule of meetings for the East Islip Historical Society, which is perhaps best known for its fine guest speakers. If you have any more suggestions, please send them to me.

NEW LI LIGHTHOUSE WEB SITE ON THE WAY - The Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society is expected to launch a new web site this year. I will announce it when it is available and, of course, will provide links from my site to theirs.

LONG ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE SOCIETY MEETS AT FIRE ISLAND - The LI Lighthouse Society (AKA, The Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society) met at the Fire Island Lighthouse on Sunday, February 29 for their first general meeting of 2004. Updates on the society's 2003 accomplishments and 2004 plans preceded a slide presentation on Long Island lighthouse preservation efforts over the years. Watch for several more free public meetings this year. www.LILighthouseSociety.org

SPEAKING OF THE FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE - February 29 was one busy day. I was at the lighthouse from 10am to about 6:30pm. We did a total of nine tours that day, including a sunset tour. Near-perfect weather brought out lots of folks. If you haven't been to Fire Island lately, consider making the trip before the Summer traffic, crowds, and haze set in. www.FireIslandLighthouse.com

HARBOUR LIGHTS SUPPORTING LONG ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE WEEKEND - A recent call to Kim Andrews of Harbour Lights confirmed their support of, and participation in, the first Long Island Lighthouse Weekend. On Saturday, May 1, Kim will be at Suffolk County Lighthouse Day and will have ornaments for the first 400 guests of the day. On May 2, Kim will be aboard the Skyline Princess for the Gold Coast Lighthouse Cruise. She will be providing a Harbour Lights Little Light of Mine for all the guests onboard. Harbour Lights has been a strong supporter of the Long Island Lighthouse Society since its inception nearly four years ago, and has been a big part of the society's success. I have some more info on my home page, or you can visit www.LILighthouseSociety.org. Sales have been increasing for the cruise, so don't wait too long to make your reservations.

BARON'S COVE INN ALSO SUPPORTING LONG ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE WEEKEND - The Baron's Cove Inn, in historic Sag Harbor, is offering special rates for those participating in Long Island Lighthouse Weekend. The inn is near Cedar Point County Park, home of the Cedar Island Lighthouse and the Suffolk County Lighthouse Day festivities. For your reservations and special rates, call Call 631-725-2100 and ask for Bill Dalton.

PROGRESS AT THE HUNTINGTON HARBOR LIGHT - Work on the Huntington Harbor Light's interior has progressed, and may be completed this year. Take advantage of the Huntington Lighthouse Preservation Society's free trips to the offshore light, see what they've been up to, and please make a donation to help them continue the great work they have been doing. Call 631-427-2636 or 631-271-3535 to find out about donating, volunteering, or visiting the lighthouse.

NEW EVENTS ON THE SITE - I have been adding new 2004 events, including schedules for Fire Island, Montauk Point, Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum, Long Island Maritime Museum, and Mashomack Preserve. If you have some free weekend time this Spring or Summer, you should be able to find something fun and educational to do with just a quick visit to LongIslandLighthouses.com. I'll be adding more events as I find out about them. Check out Events.

WATCH OUT FOR FRAUDULENT CLAIMS ABOUT THE PLUM ISLAND LIGHT - Many Long Islanders, and especially North Fork residents, know that we have one group on Long Island (East End Lighthouses, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation) known for making false claims. Recent claims on their web site have included fraudulent fundraising claims for the lighthouse, announcing work they will be doing on it, and a relighting date of June 4 (Last year, they were going to relight it on August 9). Calls to the State Historic Preservation Office, Coast Guard, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS, which owns the lighthouse and property) proved all of those claims to be false. DHS made the group change the aforementioned information on their web site, but there are still some more lies on there. I say this every so often, but cannot stress it enough: Don't believe everything you read, and be careful to whom you give your hard-earned money. You could end up actually harming legitimate historic lighthouse preservation and education.

Now turn off the computer and go visit a lighthouse. :-)

1 February 2004 - Hello all! This is the first web-based edition of Long Island Lighthouse Notes, a newsletter that started out as an e-mail newsletter in July 1999. The time needed to maintain an up-to-date list, as well as everyone's increasing spam problems, led me to move the newsletter to the web site. Here, the information will be available to more people, there will be links to help you get more information, and you will have access to past editions, too.

• WHALE SIGHTING - I was at the Fire Island Light this afternoon, where I am  National Parks Service volunteer tour guide, and had a very cool experience: For the first time, I saw whales from the top of the lighthouse. It was a cold, but very clear day. We didn't have many volunteers, nor too many visitors. Our 2:00 tour was delayed as we waited to see if we could get a few more people. At about 2:40, we started the tour with nine people. I did my usual babble on the way up to the top. When I got to the top and opened the door to the catwalk, I saw a puff of steam come up from the ocean, less than a mile offshore. I thought "Could that have been a whale?" I had seen a presentation by whale expert Arthur Kopelman of Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island (CRESLI) at the East Islip Historical Society a few weeks prior, so I thought maybe I just had whales on my mind. I didn't mention the thought to the folks on the tour (I didn't want them to think they were stuck with a crazy tour guide 150 feet above the ground). But once everyone was out on the catwalk, I saw it again, and pointed it out. We saw the whale (or perhaps it was more than one, even) several times, blowing steam and barely surfacing. I had been told by another tour guide that whales were sometimes visible offshore, but this is the first time in about 5 years of volunteering there that I saw one. It was very cool.

• LONG ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE WEEKEND, MAY 1-2 - It's already February; before you know it, May will be here. And that means the first Long Island Lighthouse Weekend. The Weekend combines two existing events, Suffolk County Lighthouse Day and the Gold Coast cruise, into one big celebration of Long Island lighthouses and history. As a member of the committee for both of these events, I can tell you that planning is moving along well. Suffolk County Lighthouse Day (SCLHD), on May 1, will be bigger and better than last year, and will once again be at Cedar Point County Park in East Hampton. SCLHD is an official County holiday, and Cedar Point County Park is home to the only lighthouse owned by the County: the Cedar Island Light. The FREE event will feature historical societies and lighthouse societies, historic demonstrations, vendors, stunt kite demonstrations, live entertainment by Long Island bluesmen Little Toby Walker and Joe Vicino and the Smokedaddys, history walks to the Cedar Island Light, and more (attractions are still being scheduled). I'll be there to sign copies of my book and talk about lighthouses. The next day will be the 2004 edition of Long Island's premier lighthouse cruise. Leaving out of Port Washington at 9am, we'll see the lights at Stepping Stones, Execution Rocks, Sands Point, Cold Spring Harbor, Eaton's Neck, and Lloyd (Huntington) Harbor. This was a cruise I had thought about for a few years before we tried it last year, and it was a blast. The ship, Skyline Princess, is much nicer than what you'd expect on a lighthouse cruise (I heard some of the people comment on that on the boat), with three levels (the first two carpeted and set up much like a nice restaurant), and indoor and outdoor viewing areas. We'll once again have a continental breakfast, hot buffet lunch, live entertainment (artist TBA), some lighthouse keepers aboard, and some special guests (I'll give names when everything is confirmed). I will probably handle the historic narration this year. Visit www.LILighthouseSociety.org for more info or to make reservations.

• THE BOOK SHOULD BE OUT IN APRIL - After consuming nearly six years of my life, the Long Island's Lighthouses: Past and Present book is just about here. The publisher expects to deliver it in April. I'll be happy to hold a copy in my hand, but don't expect me to read it. I know if I read it, I'll see lots of things I'd like to have done or said differently, and it'll make me nuts. I do think that the rest of the world will enjoy it, though. It ended up with more than 370 pages and 140 photos, covering 24 historic light stations, plus an introduction, a chapter on the area's minor aids to navigation, and a chapter on the future of Long Island's lighthouses. There's also a large bibliography, a glossary for lighthouse initiates, and a suggested reading list. I included the suggested reading list because I've read almost every lighthouse book on the market (and there are so many bad ones) and I wanted to share the ones that I thought were worth your time and money. I think that the way the book ended up, it will be useful for lighthouse fans, students, historians and researchers, and the general public. We'll see. I hope you will share your thoughts on the book, so I can make the next one better. To can still pre-order one, and save $5 of the price. Remember, ALL of the proceeds benefit historic lighthouse preservation and education. When the book is released, it will be available at several lighthouses, some museums, and Long Island Lighthouse Society events, as well as through the mail. I'll post the locations when the books are delivered. There may be a couple of local gift shops that will have them, too (In that case, a portion of the purchase price will go to that business, with the rest going to lighthouse preservation and education). If your local library or school library does not have a copy by this Summer, you might consider donating one. As  of right now, the first run is over 40% sold out, so don't wait too long to order your copy.

• SUNRISES AND SUNSETS AT FIRE ISLAND - This is the time of year to do the sunrise and sunset tours at the Fire Island Light. There's no traffic and the air is clear (you can clearly see the NYC skyline). Call 631-661-4876 or contact programs@fireislandlighthouse.com for more info. I am scheduled to do a sunset on February 15 and a sunrise on February 22.

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  More soon...

The Long Island Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society and Suffolk County Parks Department have teamed up to restore and preserve the Cedar Island Lighthouse. For more information on how you can help preserve this piece of history, contact the lighthouse society at 631-207-4331 or e-mail@LILighthouseSociety.org.