Marilyn Turk's Blog, page 11

Love Signals from the Lighthouse

The Maidens Lighthouses, Ireland

Where did a young person who lived at a lighthouse meet other young people? How did they find someone to date, fall in love with, and marry?

At other lighthouses, of course. Due to the remoteness of lighthouses, the children of keepers often met and married the children of other keepers – people who lived the same type of lives as they.

Off the coast of Northern Ireland lies a group of islets, marine hazards since the early days of shipping.

The two largest islands, about half a mile apart, are called The Maidens, and in 1829, a lighthouse was built on each one.

Hugh Redmond, lighthouse keeper at one of the lighthouses during the 1800’s, had a daughter. When the daughter met the assistant keeper at the other Maiden lighthouse, it was love at first sight. The young couple visited each other by boat if possible, but many times they couldn’t. Still, the need to communicate was strong. So how did the young couple speak to each other across the water before the invention of cell phones?

I LOVE YOU in Semaphore

Semaphore, the system of signaling with flags, was the only way. The couple became known as the “Maidens Lovers” and signaled their messages of affection from one island to the other. However, legend says that the parents disagreed about the romance and tried to end it. But love couldn’t be kept apart, so the couple eloped and married.

Apparently, semaphore was used in the courtship of another couple, Pauline Fitzgerald and Larry Butler. Both of them came from lightkeeping families, and when Pauline’s father was stationed on Eagle Island, she met young Assistant Keeper Larry. Soon the attraction grew to the point that Pauline’s father noticed it and sent her back to Dublin where she was to continue her nursing career.  But Larry couldn’t let her go, followed her and proposed. Then they too, eloped.

What happened to Pauline and Larry? They became parents to fifteen children and served at several Irish lighthouse stations. At Galley Head Lighthouse, Pauline became Assistant Keeper. Two of their children continued the family tradition and became lightkeepers too.

So how will you tell your sweetheart how much you care for him/her this Valentine’s Day – with a card, flowers, an email, a text? How about semaphore?

Galley Head Lighthouse, Ireland, photo from wikipedia public domain

 

 

Thank God for the gift of love!

 

 

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7

 

 

How Lighthouse Keepers Spent Their Free Time

Casquets Lighthouse, UK, photo courtesy Trinity House

Lighthouse keepers had a 24/7 job, but even they had free time, especially on stations where their families weren’t allowed. When the sea was peaceful and the duties were done, what did a light keeper do with his time?

Of course many lightkeepers liked to fish, and a lighthouse was located in a perfect place for such a pursuit. In addition, lightkeepers often used their time to catch up on reading – books brought with them or  magazines delivered with their relief supplies. Others listened to music with whatever device worked in such remote locations, from records to tapes in the twentieth century.

When Terry Branfield was a relief keeper at Longships Lighthouse off Land’s End in Cornwall, he discovered that the other keepers at the lighthouse enjoyed making rope mats. Terry learned the craft and pleased his mother with a new rope mat on his next trip home.

Many lighthouse keepers took advantage of their solitude to take correspondence courses from colleges, improving their skills or adding to their knowledge.

One of the keepers at Needles Lighthouse in the U.K.  had recording equipment that enabled him to record books designated for the blind.

At Casquets Lighthouse, there was enough land for the principal keeper to construct a driving range and practice his golf swing. This feat was accomplished by applying netting over a framework of old scaffolding material. During bad weather, he used the bedroom hallway for a putting green. The keeper eventually used  his improved golf skills to become  manager of a golf club.

Keeper Gordon Partridge discovered a use for  extra wood carpenters left at the lighthouse to create a doll house for a family member.  Partridge said the most difficult aspect of making the dollhouse was transporting it back home aboard a commercial airplane.  Lesson learned, his future doll house constructions were made in panels that could be assembled at their destination.

Other keepers applied themselves to the craft of building ships in bottles or light bulbs, a hobby which required great patience and a lot of uninterrupted time. Still other keepers made knot display boards, a popular item to sell on the mainland.

At Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie, Keeper Charles Hunter kept busy during the three winter months when the light was inactive with several hobbies. He carved a grandfather’s clock, as well as, wove beautiful tapestries of nautical scenes, and even wrote short stories.

These keepers made good use of their hands and their time, dispelling the image of a bored lighthouse keeper.

What do you do with your free time? Are you bored? Maybe you could take up a hobby too.

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—

    yes, establish the work of our hands.” Psalm 90:17

Marblehead Lighthouse, Ohio, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com

 

 

 

The Optimistic Lighthouse Keeper

Start Point Lighthouse, Devon, UK, source Wikipedia Commons, photo by Nilfanion

 

Gordon knew it was only a matter of time before his occupation and his way of life would be gone.

Trinity House, the governing body of lighthouses in the United Kingdom, had detailed to its lighthouse keepers the plans to automate the lighthouses. First on the list would be the rock stations – those remote stations that could only be serviced by boat or helicopter – due to their expense.

After sixteen years in the lighthouse service, Gordon Partridge became Senior Assistant Keeper at Start Point Lighthouse in Devon, U.K. when most of the offshore lighthouses had been turned over to automation. Start Point was a land station, more accessible to the public and closer to home for Gordon. However, it too, would become unmanned when the new technology was installed there.

For some lighthouse keepers, the intrusion of automation into their lives was feared and unwelcome. Many of the older lighthouse keepers wanted nothing to do with the technology that would replace them, so many took retirement.

Gordon’s attitude was different, though. The same attitude which carried him through years of lighthouse service continued as automation approached. Gordon saw the need to adapt to the change and to apply himself to the necessary training.

In his words, “I have always enjoyed any form of offered training, and in particular, relished the opportunity of learning, at least a little, of this new computer age.”

His positive attitude and enthusiasm toward the new training also resulted in making himself more valuable to the lighthouse service, therefore becoming an asset in the transfer of the lighthouses from keepers to computers.

Flat Holm Lighthouse, Flat Holm Island, UK

He completed twenty-two years in the lighthouse service,  having served at over twenty different stations. During that time, he experienced a variety of living conditions, personalities, difficulties and challenges.

So what did he think about his demanding job? For one thing, Gordon saw the opportunity to travel to so many different places an exciting perk to his career. When he was on a rock tower in the middle of the ocean, he used his free time to read or pursue hobbies. When he was on an uninhabited island, he saw the chance as a gift to explore the territory others might never see. When he was at a land station, he had the opportunity to ride a bicycle into town and familiarize himself with the community.

Gordon scoffs at those who perceive a lighthouse keepers’ life as dull and monotonous. He has often been asked if it was boring, to which he replies, “Never!”

Perhaps another lighthouse keeper would see the job for all its problems and challenges. But Gordon’s positive attitude reflects a verse in the Bible which is good advice for all of us.

Wolf Rock Lighthouse, photo by Alvaro, wikicommons

 

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV

 

Sometimes this attitude is called looking at the glass “half-full” instead of “half-empty.” Which of these attitudes describe you? Which one would show better results?

 

*Thank you to Gordon Partridge, who shared his life as a lighthouse keeper in his book, Hands That Made Lights Work.

 

 

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The Lighthouse Cat

Cats have been friends of mariners for centuries.

They had an important job on ships – to keep the vessel free of rats and mice that not only ate food supplies, but gnawed through the ships’ ropes.  Cats were also common along waterfronts where they controlled rodents in warehouses and helped clean up the remains from fish processing.

 

Mariners had a high respect for cats, often believing them to have special powers. Although considered unlucky in some places, having a black cat on board a ship was believed to offer protection from dangerous weather. Even fishermen’s wives kept black cats at home in hopes that they would protect their husbands at sea.

Polydactyl  cats (with more than the usual number of toes) were popular sea cats because they were thought to have more balance and be better mouse-catchers. Some people believed storms were stored in cat tails, as evidenced by the static electricity that appeared when a cat was petted, making it taboo to pet a cat. If a ship’s cat fell overboard, the ship might be hit by a terrible storm, and if the ship didn’t sink, it would be cursed with nine years of bad luck. Some other feline superstitions concerning weather included – if a cat licked its fur against the grain, a hailstorm was coming; if a cat sneezed, it meant rain; and if a cat was frisky, expect windy conditions.

Highland Light, Cape Cod, MA

Cats often survived shipwrecks and took up residence at nearby lighthouses. People living near Cape Cod believe the area’s high number of polydactyl cats is a result of ship rescues by Cape Cod lightkeepers. At lighthouses, cats were as valuable as they had been on ships, catching rodents and even eating bugs that were drawn to the light. Cats were also alleged to forecast weather at lighthouses. If a cat slept with its back to low pressure and cold, it signaled the arrival and direction of a weather front. If a storm was coming, a cat’s keen ears could hear it in advance, evidenced when the cat went into hiding in expectation of the storm.

 

Of course, cats proved great companions in lonely lighthouse posts, providing warmth and comfort in cold, uninsulated buildings.

The Climbing Cat of Deer Island Light

Perhaps Deer Island Light’s most famous resident was “The Climbing Cat.” The cat was well-known for its ability to climb ladders and negotiate the uneven levels of the lonely caisson lighthouse guarding the passage into Boston Harbor. More than an agile climber, the cat was also an excellent fisherman. The feline would descend to the lowest level of the light and sit there, studying the water. When she spotted a fish, she’d leap into the water, disappearing underneath a few moments before surfacing with a wiggling fish in her mouth. Then she’d swim back to the tower and climb up the ladder with her prize, ready for a private feast.

Keeper Eugene Coleman and Sambo, photo by William O. Thompson, courtesy Jeremy D’Entremont

Sambo was another famous lighthouse cat. Around 1929, Sambo Tonkus (Mr. T) was born at the Nubble Lighthouse. Sambo stayed at Nubble even when the keepers changed. The ginger-striped tabby grew to be a hefty twenty pounds. After clearing the island of its rodents, he decided to go to the mainland for more. Sambo would saunter down to the water’s edge, wade in, and swim over the channel to the mainland. A few hours later, he’d return with a mouse in his jaws before swimming back to the lighthouse island with his dinner. As word spread of his exploits, tourists lined the shore waiting for Sambo to make his swim so they could take pictures of the event.

Cape Neddick, Nubble Light, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com

 

 

 

 

God created a vast variety of animals, each for a purpose.

Even cats have a purpose in God’s plan.

 

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.” Rev. 4:11

 

 

Work at the Lighthouse

 

McNab’s Island Lighthouse on Maugher’s Beach, Nova Scotia

“No fair! Why do I have to do all the work?”

Maybe you’ve heard this complaint before, but you wouldn’t have heard it from lighthouse keepers or their families.

Lighthouse keeping wasn’t an easy lifestyle, but for lighthouse families, it was a busy, active life. In Nova Scotia, most lighthouse keepers were married, a preferred status in the lighthouse service. Keeping a lighthouse and providing for a family took a lot of work, and family members helped share the responsibility.

On remote islands, these families became their own communities – self-sufficient, organized and functional. Most of the parents and children in these locations embraced their lifestyle. As a former lighthouse keeper’s child said, “family life was very close because that’s all you had.

Such was the case with the Cleveland family when Keeper Colin Cleveland, his wife and seven children moved to little three-mile McNab Island near Halifax in 1932.

Keeper Cleveland’s work kept him very busy, but he was never too busy to pitch in and help get the children up and ready for school each day before he took them by boat to school on the mainland.  Then he returned to the island where he not only maintained the equipment of the lighthouse, he cleared land for gardens and took care of the livestock.

His children remember him as a happy man as he went about his work, and whether working in the lighthouse or cutting wood, he could be heard singing. One of his daughters recalled him sitting on scaffolding as he painted the lighthouse singing “Onward Christian Soldiers” at the top of his voice. No doubt Keeper Cleveland’s positive attitude helped motivate his family.

There were plenty of difficulties a keeper faced – tending the light all night,  manning the fog horn sometimes for hours, and often living in cramped, drafty homes without electricity or running water – to name a few. He could complain, which wouldn’t accomplish anything or change his circumstances, or like Mr. Cleveland, he could embrace his work, thankful for the opportunity and committed to his responsibility. Perhaps that’s why he remained keeper of McNab Island lighthouse for twenty-five years.

One of the wisest men that ever lived, King Solomon, once said, “So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot.” Ecc. 3:22

Do you enjoy your work? If not, how would changing your attitude toward it help?

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse – New Year and New Friends

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, photo courtesy of NASA

When Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was first lit in 1848, its location was so remote, no one but the keeper and his family lived near it.

However when the Civil War broke out in 1861, Keeper Mills Burnham had unexpected company. Under the orders of the new Confederate Light House authorities, he was commanded to remove the lighting apparatus of the lighthouse to assure that offshore Union ships would not benefit from its light and not be warned of the dangerous shoals which extended for twelve miles off the cape. Burnham did as he was instructed, taking the apparatus apart, crating it up and moving it to his orange grove where he buried it.

Keeper Burnham, his wife and five daughters lived in their home in the orange grove while the lighthouse stayed dark throughout the war. Two Union camps were in the area, but Burnham’s family was safe from intrusion as Union blockade ships patrolled the ocean nearby.

Unfortunately, civilian boats were impacted by the missing light in the lighthouse too, and in 1865 a small schooner from New York wrecked just off the cape. Two sailors drowned, but the captain, his wife and three other sailors made it to shore. When they went to the lighthouse, they found it deserted. However, they managed to find the Burnham’s home in the orange grove where the starving survivors were provided with a warm fire, food and clothing and were nursed back to good health.

Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, new and old, photo courtesy State Archives of Florida

When the war was over, Burnham was able to retain his position as lighthouse keeper at the lighthouse, but the government decided to build a newer, taller tower to replace it. Therefore, it was 1868 before the new Cape Canaveral’s lighthouse was lit, and Burnham stayed in his position until his death in 1896.

The lighthouse was still active when, in the 1950’s, it acquired a noisy new neighbor. The Cape Canaveral Joint Range Proving Ground began launching rockets, disturbing residents of towns that had sprung up nearby. Soon the towns became government property and the citizens left, but the lighthouse keepers, being government employees, were allowed to remain. However, in 1967, the lighthouse was automated and the keepers were removed.

In 2000, the 151-foot tall Cape Canaveral Lighthouse became the only lighthouse to be owned and operated by the U.S. Air Force. In the years since, visitors have been allowed to tour the lighthouse at various times, but visits ended in 2013, due to government budget cuts. Now, thanks to a joint effort between the Air Force, the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Foundation, and NASA, tours to the lighthouse have commenced again, and the lighthouses can welcome visitors once more.

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2

Is there someone you can show hospitality to this year?

A lifelong dream come true

In November, 2015, I signed a contract with Daily Guideposts for some devotions in the 2017 edition.

A reader of Daily Guideposts for more years than I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a contributor. Finally, this year, that dream and answered prayer came true.

I am so thankful to be part of this wonderful book and organization which has done so much for so many years since its founder Norman Vincent Peale began his ministry to bring hope and inspiration to the world.