Lights of the Seas - Lighthouses!
I love visiting Lighthouses when traveling to places along lakes or oceans. There's just something magical and romantic about those beacons of light, guiding ships to safe passage. They stand majestically strong and tall, yet each one is unique. I admit have a soft spot for the striped towers. I enjoy reading the historical accounts of ships that passed by its light or needed assistance. I'm fascinated by the stories of the lighthouse keepers that lived there and the hard work it took to keep the light going. When I'm feeling especially fanciful, I like to imagine what it would be like to live in a lighthouse along the shore. Jeremy fancies the Fresnel lens and its orders of magnitude. Whatever keeps the boat afloat (literally).
Random Lighthouse Trivia:
The earliest known Lighthouse was the Pharos of Alexandria in Egypt, built around 280 BC, and it stood 450 feet tall! There was a huge open fire at the top.
The oldest standing Lighthouse in the world today is The Tower of Hercules in Spain which has existed since the 1st century, and has been repaired and remodeled since. It's said to have been modeled after the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
The oldest continuously operating intact Lighthouse in the world is Hook Lighthouse in Ireland, build in the 12th century.
Oldest operating Lighthouse in the United States: Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey (1764)
Country with the most Lighthouses: United States
State with the most Lighthouses: Michigan (115)
First U.S. Light to use electricity: Statue of Liberty in 1886
Most powerful Light: Phare du Creach in France.
Most powerful Light in the U.S.: Sullivan Island Light in South Carolina
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I'll leave you with a fun little song:
I want to marry a lighthouse keeper
And keep him company.
I want to marry a lighthouse keeper
And live by the side of the sea.
I'll polish his lamp by the light of day,
So ships at night can find their way.
I want to marry a lighthouse keeper,
Won't that be okay?
We'll take walks along the moonlit bay,
Maybe find a treasure, too.
I'd love living in a lighthouse:
How about you?
I dream of living in a lighthouse, baby,
Every single day.
I dream of living in a lighthouse,
A white one by the bay.
So if you want to make my dreams come true,
Go be a lighthouse keeper, do!
We could live in a lighthouse,
A white one by the bay-ay-hay.
Won't that be okay?
Ya-da ta-da-da.
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Very small sample of photos I've taken of lighthouses. Feel free to mention your favorite lighthouse in your log!
This cache is located at the Frisby House, home of the West Bend Chamber of Commerce and future home of the Washington County Historical Society. Permission to place cache was granted by West Bend Chamber director Toni Gumina with agreement from the Historical Society.