Marilyn Turk's Blog, page 10

To Have and To Hold On! – Lighthouse Weddings

Mile Rocks Lighthouse, CA, old postcard courtesy Lighthouse Digest.

Weddings take place in a variety of places. In addition to traditional church weddings, many couples opt for more picturesque or unique settings. From beaches to gardens to mountaintops, marriages are performed in places significant to the two being wed.

Lighthouses have long been chosen for wedding sites. In the past, weddings of lighthouse keepers’ children often took place at lighthouses or keepers’ houses, as that was the most practical location. Today, many couples love the romantic atmosphere a lighthouse can add to the ceremony and the wonderful setting it provides for wedding pictures.

But some couples go to great lengths, or heights, to have more unique weddings.

One such example happened at Mile Rocks Lighthouse which stood south of the Golden Gate Bridge near the entrance to the harbor of San Francisco, CA. Called “The Wedding Cake Lighthouse,”  the lighthouse resembled a wedding cake with its three different size tiers topped by the lantern room.

Not only was the location unique – it was dangerous to reach, set on top of rocks and accessed by a boat, then climbed by way of a Jacob’s ladder. Rough seas could make a boat’s approach difficult and could also prove challenging and possibly life-threatening to someone climbing the ladder, as history has shown.

Wedding at Mile Rocks Lighthouse, CA, photo from Library of Congress, courtesy of Lighthouse Digest Magazine

 

But two vaudeville performers took the risk when they wed at Mile Rocks in 1924. Married high above the water on the gangplank of the lighthouse, the couple became Mr. and Mrs. Ole Olson, and their wedding photograph is now preserved in the Library of Congress.

 

Wherever weddings take place, the result is a marriage. As my oldest son gets married this weekend, I’m thankful it won’t take place on the gangplank of a lighthouse. And I’m deeply thankful for this blessed event between him and his wonderful fiancé as they become one.

 

 

“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 18:22

 

“For more on this story, see  http://www.lighthousedigest.com/diges...

Keeping the Faith at the Lighthouse

Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, MA, 1891, photo courtesy USCG

 

Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, at the western end of Cuttyhunk Island, provided guiding light into both Buzzard’s Bay on one side and Vineyard Sound on the other. The two-mile-long island was home to lighthouse keepers and their families for many years, beginning in 1823.

In 1911, Levi B. Clark became Cuttyhunk’s keeper and moved to the island with his wife Sophia and two children. During their stay on the island, their third child was born.

There were many challenges to family life at an offshore location, and special attention was given to providing the children with a proper education.

Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, 1880’s, photo courtesy USCG

The Clarks also wanted their children to have spiritual teaching as well, but attending church services was extremely difficult. Keeper Clark decided to handle this aspect of his children’s growth by acquiring a license as an Episcopalian lay reader. Keeper Clark began preaching to his family and any others who happened to be on the island, which included tourists during the summer. In August 1913, Clark preached to a crowd of over 200 vacationers and promised he’d continue to preach every Sunday as long as one person attended.

In the Bible, chapter two of Luke, verse 52, Jesus is described as growing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Known as four-dimensional growth, the verse refers to educational growth, physical growth, spiritual growth and social growth.  Keeper Clark and his wife went to great lengths to supply all these aspects of growth for their children. Are we doing this today? Would the world be different if we did?

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)

*Special thanks to Kraig Anderson @lighthousefriends.com, for sharing this story.

 

The Lighthouse Keeper who came back from the Dead

Race Rock Lighthouse, NY, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com

Off the eastern end of Long Island Sound, you’ll find Fishers, Little Gull, Great Gull, and Plum – a string of islands. Many ships pass between the islands, but the deepest gap, called “The Race,” is just off the end of Fisher Island near a reef called Race Rock. The dangerous current that flows through the gap has been the doom of many vessels, especially before 1871, when the lighthouse built on the reef became active.

A stag station, the lighthouse housed one keeper and two assistant keepers. The families of the married keepers lived on the mainland, visited when a keeper had leave. Located eight miles off the coast from New Haven, Connecticut, going to and from the lighthouse was sometimes difficult for the keepers, depending on the tide. Waves can run in two directions where the water at the mouth of the Race meets the water of Fisher’s Island Sound. In bad weather, these waves can be quite large.

In April 1892, the new head keeper at Race Rock, twenty-four-year-old Christopher Culver, ran into those huge waves. After a brief shore leave to visit his family in New London, Culver set out to return to the lighthouse in a twelve-foot rowboat with a sail. Captain R.M. Jerome, a retired sea captain, watched Culver as he made his way out to the lighthouse. When Capt. Jerome saw Culver’s sail go down in the rough seas, he reported that the boat had capsized.

Race Rock Lighthouse, 1965, photo courtesy US Coast Guard

The ensuing search showed no trace of the keeper, and the newspaper reported his drowning.

In reality, Keeper Culver had abandoned his attempt to reach the lighthouse, lowered his sail, and rowed instead to Great Hay Harbor on Fishers Island where he found food and shelter at Mr. Oakley’s farm. Two days later, the keeper arrived back in New London aboard a steamship, and was reunited with his relieved and jubilant family.

At his sixty-ninth wedding anniversary, Culver recalled his premature death notice published sixty-four years before, thankful for the life he’d had since his “death.”

Author Mark Twain faced a similar situation a few years later when he was rumored to have become ill and died while visiting in London.  A reporter contacted Twain and told him of the rumor,  to which Twain’s oft-misquoted response was, “I have even heard on good authority that I was dead…The report of my death was an exaggeration.”

 

“You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Acts 2:28

Race Rock Lighthouse, NY

 

 

The Lighthouse Master Craftsmen

 

Skerryvore Lighthouse, photo by Ian Cowe

The Stevenson family of Scotland is renown around the world as a dynasty of lighthouse builders. For five generations, the Stevenson’ engineering skills were employed to build structures that are still impressive, having withstood the onslaught of nature and time.

Names like “Skerryvore” and “Bell Rock,” are recognized as icons of lighthouse design and achievement.

“They don’t build them like that anymore,” is a phrase appropriate to lighthouses the family built. No doubt, few lighthouses are still built anywhere anymore, thanks to technological advances like GPS. But beyond the strength and durability the Stevenson lighthouses possess, their attention to detail is not found in modern structures.

Staircase of Buchan Ness Lighthouse, Scotland, photo by Ian Cowe

Brass ventilator head, Chanonry Lighthouse, photo by Ian Cowe

Like many present-day structures, form is dictated by functionality and artistic value is often secondary. Even if design is innovative, smaller details are considered unimportant. Not so for the Stevensons, whose buildings showed detail in the most unlikely places.

A ventilator cover, a window astragal (bar separating panes of glass), a stairwell, or an entryway was often decorated like a piece of art instead of a common element in the building. Top quality materials such as brass were employed to add to the imaginative designs.

Ventilator Cover, Coversea Lighthouse, Scotland, photo by Ian Cowe

 

Today, we appreciate such historic details with awe and wonder, signs of the value people had in craftsmanship in the past. These man-made structures are distinguished by their uniqueness.

But do we appreciate the detail found in nature as much? We may marvel at a colorful sunset, a beautiful bird, or an exquisite butterfly, but do we appreciate the intricate detail of the human body?

 

Lion head detail on the lantern astragal, Girdie Ness Lighthouse,, photo by Ian Cowe

A study of the way the body functions with such precision, its components a microscopic factory of working parts all interacting in necessary coordination, shows the amazing detail of our Creator.  And not two of us are exactly alike. We are each unique creations, an example of the Master Craftsman’s handiwork.

 

So the next time you look in the mirror, you can say, “They don’t make them like this anymore.”

 

“For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,” Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV)

 

*** Photographer Ian Cowe has published a beautiful book, Scottish and Manx Lighthouses, that is full of his wonderful photos.

 

Spring Splendor Arrives at the Lighthouse

Start Point Lighthouse, Devon, UK

Start Point is one of the most exposed peninsulas on the English Coast, running sharply almost a mile into the sea. The rugged, windswept headland was not a popular assignment for the families of lighthouse keepers sent to the 150-year-old lighthouse situated at the end.

Winters seemed especially long for those stationed there as the wind howled relentlessly, often bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms. The long dreary days took its toll on attitudes and emotions, causing many to hope for transfer to more pleasant places.

Then just when it seemed that winter would never end, the signs of Spring began to appear, and along with them, hope for better days. First, the nights grew shorter as the sun rose earlier, warming the earth.  Then the once-fierce winds became milder and more friendly.

But what transformed the island was the appearance of bluebells. Known as the favorite flower in the United Kingdom, these lovely flowers covered the landscape with blankets of blue. And as if their beauty was not enough, the delicious aroma they emit permeated the air.

 

In the words of former keeper Gordon Partridge, “Suddenly, the bleak and hostile place became beautiful to behold. Mentally, we seemed to change as if uplifted by the arrival of the bluebell. Hundreds of people made the trek to share in the joy, perhaps to picnic and celebrate the passing and ending of wintertime.”

The sound of sheep grazing on the headland, and lambs romping in the meadow added to the delight of the new season. Easter arrived in the midst of this renewal of nature, adding its celebration to the atmosphere, and reminding the keepers of the joy found in new life with Christ. As their environment transformed, so did their attitudes.

As Gordon said, “It felt good to be alive and gifted by serving on this often overlooked, remote place.”

Has springtime arrived where you are? If not, I’ve attached some photos of bluebells to help you make the transition in your mind.

“The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.” Song of Solomon 2:12 NIV

 

 

 

 

New Book Just Released!

I’m excited to announce the release of my newest book, The Gilded Curse.

No, it’s not about lighthouses, but there’s a lighthouse in it, of course! If you like historical suspense novels, you’ll like The Gilded Curse. Here’s a preview:

In 1942, Lexie Smithfield becomes the only heir to her family’s dwindling fortune after her brother is killed at Pearl Harbor. A mysterious telegram beckons her back to Jekyll Island. Ten years before, the family quit coming to the exclusive Millionaire’s Club after tragic events convinced her mother the island was cursed. Club Superintendent Russell Thompson knows the truth, but he swore never to tell. Will he and Lexie discover the real danger before it’s too late?

 

Get your copy now on Amazon or your local bookstore. http://www.amazon.com/Gilded-Curse-Ma...

 

 

A Symbol of Hope

Blackistone Lighthouse

For many people throughout the world and the ages, a lighthouse has come to represent many things. A sailor seeking safe passageway through dangerous waters welcomed the sight of a lighthouse to guide the way. It not only told him where he was, but warned him of  danger. For some, the sight of a lighthouse gave them relief that land was near, a sign that their long and often perilous journey was coming to an end.

It was a symbol of hope, strength and stability, a symbol of security and reliability.

The cross is another symbol representing many things to many people. Where once an instrument of torture, it is now used around the world to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of Jesus, that sacrifice we recognize especially at Easter.  It too, represents spiritual strength, stability, security and reliability – characteristics Christ demonstrated in his love for us as he accepted the pain of the cross for our salvation.

Each lighthouse has a place in history and the lives it saved. However, that salvation was temporary to a mortal life.

The salvation the cross represents, though, is eternal. For those seeking a true, life-changing experience, they must come to the spiritual cross of Jesus, the only lasting symbol of hope.

May God richly bless you during this season of hope.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

 

St. John’s Point LIghthouse in St. Patrick’s Land

 

St. John’s Point Lighthouse, Ireland, photo by Storefix, wikimedia commons

Just down the road from the first church built by St. Patrick stands St. John’s Point Lighthouse.

Set near ancient ruins, the lighthouse is located on the most easterly point of Ireland and marks the entrance to Dundrum Bay, an area notorious for the high number of shipwrecks resulting from hidden reefs.

Since its inception in 1839, St. John’s Point Lighthouse has been an important part of Ireland’s history. As the tallest land lighthouse on the Irish coast, the lighthouse served as a marker for the Titanic as it made its trial runs in 1912.

ruins of church near St. John’s Point

In 1918, the lighthouse witnessed the sinking of a merchant ship after it was torpedoed by a German U-boat.  In World War II, the lighthouse became a temporary home for United Kingdom evacuees, as well as, a military station for British and American troops. The site also housed a camp for German prisoners of war.

The lighthouse was fully automated in 1981, and the keepers were withdrawn. And in 2011, the fog horn was the last in the country to be deactivated.  St. John’s Point has been named one of the twelve Great Lighthouses of Ireland and is one of the most visited by tourists, who can now stay in one of the recently renovated keepers’ cottages.

Recently, the Commissioners of Irish Lights (CIL) proposed replacing the current lamp which rotates in a bath of mercury, citing the dangers of mercury poisoning.  In its place, the CIL wants to put a static, flashing, LED light, a cost-saving measure. Locals intent on preserving the heritage of the lighthouse have begun a campaign to retain the original antique lamp with its sweeping beam. The present lamp is a six ton, first order, two tier rotating Fresnel lens with three panels on each level. The lower tier is the main light while the upper tier is the reserve light. The current range of the light is 25 miles. The range of the suggested replacement will be about 18 miles.

 

 

 

Will progress prevail or will tradition be preserved?

Time will tell whether the lighthouse has “the luck of the Irish.”

 

 

 

 

“Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations.” Deut. 32:7a

 

 

Lighthouse Kids to the Rescue

 

White Island (Isles of Shoals) Lighthouse

People on the New Hampshire seacoast knew it was out there.

Several miles from shore, on the southern tip of White Island in the Isles of Shoals, the only lighthouse off the coast of New Hampshire, sat sadly alone and decaying.

Built in 1859, the White Island Lighthouse had seen keepers, their families, and Coast Guard come and go. It had witnessed shipwrecks and rescues. It had also weathered blizzards and Atlantic storms, including the “Perfect Storm” of 1991.

White Island Lighthouse, old photo

The lighthouse lost its inhabitants in 1986, when the light became automated and no one was needed to man it anymore. The abandoned lighthouse was eventually turned over to the state of New Hampshire’s Parks Department, but the buildings continued to deteriorate.

Locals would talk about the lighthouse and its plight, shaking their heads about the result of years of neglect. “Someone should do something,” they’d say. But no one stepped forward to help the lighthouse.

No one, that is, until a school teacher named Susan Reynolds, became so upset about the situation that she did something. Susan had spent summers on the beach as a child, staring out at the lighthouse and planning to visit it in person as an adult. The lighthouse was important to her and important to the history of the area.

So in 2000, Reynolds formed a community service group with her seventh grade students to raise money and spur interest in saving and preserving the lighthouse. Called the “Lighthouse Kids,” the group became a nonprofit organization devoted to service projects and volunteer efforts for the cause. Another group called Friends of the Lighthouse Kids consisting of more than 150 adults joined the Kids to support them and their work for the lighthouse.

LIghthouse Kids on their way to the lighthouse, photo courtesy Jeremy D’Entremont.

One of the activities the Lighthouse Kids did was send letters to businesses and individuals asking for donations. They also sent letters to state and local officials asking for help with restoring the lighthouse. As a result, the group was awarded a grant in 2003 that allowed them to have major repairs done.

Since that time, the Kids have continued their efforts, even as they’ve grown into adulthood and new kids have joined the group. Renovations have included repairing cracks in the brick tower, repainting it, putting a new roof and new windows in the keeper’s cottage, and replacing the covered walkway that connected the tower and the cottage.

In addition, the Lighthouse Kids have kept close contact with the Coast Guard, who still maintains the light, its solar panels, and the fog signal.

Lighthouse Kids inspect damage to lighthouse

The Kids have also started a Stewardship program with “stewards” who go the island to clean up the station, host visitors, paint and handle ongoing repairs.

Thanks to one person’s vision and a bunch of eager kids, White Island Lighthouse is now restored and ready for company.   “Do What’s Right, Save the Light,” their motto, is worth remembering when it comes to lighthouse preservation.

“Even a child is known by his deeds,

Whether what he does is pure and right.” Proverbs 20:11

 

For more information, see http://www.lighthousekids.com.

Lighthouses and Sea Serpents

 

Eastern Point Lighthouse, Gloucester, MA, photo courtesy Kraig Anderson

Massachusetts’ Gloucester Harbor is known as America’s oldest seaport, supporting fishermen, whalers, traders and even smugglers since 1616. The area is also known for its dangerous currents, ledges, and storms which claimed 779 vessels and 5,305 lives between 1830 and 1910.

But another danger also lurked in the waters nearby – the Gloucester Sea Serpent. The first recorded sighting of the monster was in 1848 by John Josselyn Gent. Gent raised his gun to shoot the monster, but was stopped by an Indian who said killing the serpent would bring bad luck. In 1817,  Amos Story, future keeper of Gloucester’s Ten Pound Island Light, reported seeing the beast. He said, “I saw a strange marine animal that I believe to be a serpent… His head appeared shaped much like that of the sea turtle and he carried his head from ten to twelve inches above the surface of the water.” Story ‘s wife also reported seeing the serpent lounging on the rocks, thinks at first it was a log until it slithered into the water. Sixteen other sightings reported the monster who was nicknamed “His Snakeship.” Although the town offered a $5000 reward, the beast was never caught.

Sightings of His Snakeship continued along the coast of Massachusetts during the 1800s. Often seen near lighthouses like the Eastern Point Lighthouse, the creatures were thought to be attracted to the towers or its lights.

Theobold Rooney, keeper at St. Andrews Lighthouse at Sand Reef off New Brunswick, Canada, reported a sea monster passing his lighthouse in 1906. Rooney claimed the beast was twenty to thirty feet long and had a snakelike head.

Pentland Skerries, photo by Ian Cowe

At Scotland’s Pentland Skerries Light, lightkeeper John Brown reported a huge sea creature near his lighthouse. “A great object rose up out of the water; anything up to twenty to thirty feet … it was round-shaped and appeared to have a head.”

Sea monsters were also sighted on the Pacific Coast. Not far from the lighthouse on Discovery Island, a family was sailing when they heard a loud noise behind their boat described as a grunt or a snort. They looked back and saw a large creature watching them. The greenish-brown beast had a distinct head and serrated markings along its back and sides. The animal dove and resurfaced farther away, still observing the people in the boat before it dove again. Other sightings of a snakelike, toothed dorsal fin, ninety to one hundred feet long, dark green or brown, hissing, snorting creature were reported in the area as well.

 

Haceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com

The first mate aboard the Columbia River Lightship reported seeing a sea creature in 1934 he named “Colossal Claude.” He described Claude as about forty feet long with “a neck some eight feet long, a big round body, a mean-looking tail, and an evil, snaky look to its head.” Three years later the creature was sighted by a fishing trawler off the Washington Coast and two months after that was reported fifty miles south near Haceta Head Lighthouse. A couple who saw the creature described it as having a horselike head with ears and a seaweed-colored mane. Its neck and back had a row of bumps.

In 1953, the creature was sighted near New Dungeness Lighthouse in Washington, then in 1969, two fishermen sighted it near Discovery Island Lighthouse, British Columbia, noticing its “large red eyes and short ears.”

Various theories exist as to what these creatures are, if in fact, they’re real. Some suggest they’re species that have survived since prehistoric times. Others propose that sea monsters may just be large whales or sharks, frightening creatures concocted by overactive imaginations. Movies such as The Foghorn, The Monster of Piedras Blancas, and even Godzilla have preyed upon these sightings. Strangely enough, a lighthouse is usually depicted as the victim of the creature in these films.

 

from the movie, “The Foghorn”

 

Do you believe such creatures exist? “Leviathan” is referred to in the Bible several times, including the book of Job, believed to be the oldest book of the Bible. Translated from ancient Hebrew, the word means “coiled or twisted” and refers to a sea serpent. So sea serpents existed at some time, but do they still exist?

 

 

 

“So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems, and that moves in it” Genesis 1:21 (NIV)

 

*story sources: The Lighthouse Menagerie by Elinor De Wire and  http://lighthousefriends.com/