HIT: Keeping Lighthouses

[Susie Highley <Mchighley@AOL.COM>]

I was truly amazed at the assistance I received with this question my
colleague had.  I also received requests to post a hit.  I didn't know that
"Lighthouse Digest" existed; this also gave me some Christmas gift ideas!
===============================================
Sunset magazine is a well loved magazine out here.  I'm trying to talk my
girlfriends in to staying at the California lighthouses that operate as
hostels too.
http://www.sunset.com/Sunshine/cgi/lookup.cgi
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I know of a wonderful one in Michigan!  The lighthouse is in Big Bay on Lake
Superior.  The last I knew it was a Bed & Breakfast.  It's just north of
Marquette, Michigan.  If your colleague would like to stay away from the
hustle and bustle of a big city this would be ideal.  It's absolutely
beautiful.  Marquette is about an hour south of Big Bay and it's a quaint
little college town.
*****************************
Presque Isle, MI has 2 beautiful lighthouses.  She can very involved in their
preservation and activities.  It is a wonderful area.  Best kept secret in MI.
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My husband and I visited Big Sable lighthouse in Ludington,Michigan,
this summer and three couples were running the lighthouse: tours,shop,
maintenance etc.  They lived there for two weeks I believe.  I am not sure
about other lighthouses in Michigan but you may be able to check the State
Park Dept. in Michigan for more information.
*************************
I know that the lighthouses in the Apostle Island's National Lakeshore have
volunteer keepers.   The National Park Service would probably be the agency
to contact .  I have visited several of them, and many of the keepers are
retired people and teachers.
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Lighthouse Digest, P. O. Box 1690, Wells, Maine 04090, 1-800-668-7737) has
put out such a list.  You might call them.
****************
There is one in Selkirk, New York on Lake Ontario in the Oswego New York area
where you can sleep overnight for 90 per person and it is filled all the time
during the summer esason.  It has a website . The ones in new England are in
the highway robbry price range... this is near my sister Linda's house and
she has stayed there
 **********************
You might try this site as they have a store Lighthouse Depot and they
publish Lighthouse Digest ...a great magazine about lighthouses.
<A HREF="http://www.lighthousedigest.com/">http://www.lighthousedigest.com/</A>
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I am a recently retired school library mediaspecialist/school administrator
and am now working as the executive director of the Big Sable Point
Lighthouse Keepers Association.  Your inquiry about lighthouses was forwarded
to me by the president-elect of MAME, Ginger Sisson, who is a good friend of
mine.  I think I have just the information you need for your friend. We have
a volunteer program that enables people to live at Big Sable Point Lighthouse
(near Ludington, Michigan) for two weeks at a time....If you will forward to
me a mailing address for either yourself or your friend,I will send a hard
copy of the letter along with the membership brochure...
Mary James
Executive Director
Big Sable Point Lighthouse Keepers Association
616.457.5058
(Their slots for 2002 are all filled.)
 ********************
I remember reading in a magazine a few months ago about a lighthouse in New
England where you can stay - and take care of the place - for a weekend, a
week or a month.  And I CANNOT remember where I read it.  If you own one of
the large periodical databases try keywords lighthouse and vacation. I'm not
much help - but I wanted to let you know there ARE such places.
********************
 I do have one suggestion for your friend!  Last summer, we stayed at the Two
Harbors, MN historical lighthouse and I would highly recommend it.   It was
so much fun. The Lighthouse B & B is runby the Historical Society. It is not
cheap (I think it was $100.00 or so), but the money goes to the preservation
of the lighthouse.  When staying there, you can be as much of a lighthouse
keeper as you want to be. There are lists of duties and log books for you to
write in (details of weather, iron ore boats seen, etc).  Everything is old
fashioned and each room has a trunk full of memorabilia to look through and a
little leather journal that visitors write their impressions in.  The rooms
DO have to share a community bathroom, but after all, it is a lighthouse, and
this wasn't a problem for us. I think there were two or three rooms in the
lighthouse for lodging-sometimes (according to the journal in our room), if
it is winter time, you may be the only people there for the night (some, in
the journal, claimed they saw friendly ghosts).  THe historical people don't
stay there overnight, as they are all volunteers themselves, but they do
provide breakfast, a nice one, in the morning,
and give you an official looking certificate saying that you were an
assistant lighthouse keeper...  There is also a museum and gift shop on the
property.  the iron ore docks are accross the channel, we sat and watched the
ships unloading in the evening.   here is a website that shows the lighthouse:
http://www.lakecnty.com/twoharbors/history.html
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Just had to tell you of a place we saw this summer because it was so
beautiful!!
This was on Grand Manan Island, off the coast of New Brunswick. There is an
inn of sorts right next to the lighthouse at the tip of a cliff in the Bay of
Fundy, with the highest tides in the world. You take a ferry from the
mainland to this island, then you can drive up the hill to a parking spot,
where you carry your bags down the steps and across a bridge, and out a path
to the inn.The inn looked rather rustic, although I didn't go in. It is a
QUIET spot! Canada, so very cheap. There was a site on the Internet, and I
don't have it, but I'm sure it could be found searching on Grand Manan.
You can sit on a bench at the point of the open cliff and watch the whales
and the dolphins. Very, very quiet. The town can't have more than a few
hundred people, and that is the biggest place on the island. There are a
couple restaurants though.
**************
I found these twoplaces searching on google--maybe there are more?
http://www.pointsnortheast.org/cottage.html
<A 
HREF="http://www.roseislandlighthouse.org/keeper.htm">www.roseislandlighthouse.org/keeper.htm</A>

Try this URL. This is a lighthouse on Lake Superior in Michigan that you can
stay at!
<A HREF="http://www.lighthousebandb.com/">http://www.lighthousebandb.com</A>
 ******************
I got this information from an old article about keeping a lighthouse, as I
too, think it   would be very cool thing to do someday.  According to the
article, a person can spend a week as a lighthouse keeper at New Dungeness
Lighthouse (in Washington state) for 175$ per person (this may have changed).
 You supply and prepare your own food.  At least four people per week are
needed for maintenance tasks, maximum booking is for 6.  At least one person
in each party must be a member of the U.S. lighthouse society.    A phone
number for more information is (360)683-9166 or can send a SASE to
NewDungeness Chapter,
U.S. Lighthouse Society, P.O. Box 1283, Sequim, Washington  98382. The
waiting list for a spot may be as long as two years.  Must be popular fantasy
for people.
 ************************
Here's a site with accommodation information
<A 
HREF="http://www.lighthouse.cc/links/overnight.html">http://www.lighthouse.cc/links/overnight.html</A>

**********************************************************
Susie Highley, Media Specialist
Creston Middle School
Indianapolis, IN
mchighley@aol.com

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