Like most inlets in eastern Florida, Hillsboro Inlet's waters were filled with wrecked ships. But it wasn't until 1907 that a lighthouse was built there, sturdy enough to withstand hurricanes, shifting sands, and the ocean waves. Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was home to some of the best lighthouse keepers the US…
While we cover Walton Lighthouse as our history buoy this time, the meat of this episode covers mercury floats! How did they work? Why were they implemented? Did they really have a negative effect on keepers? Listen in as we answer all these questions and more! Liked this episode? Leave…
Come visit Cabo San Lucas with us to explore a golf course built on the grounds of two beautiful lighthouses. Learn about the history of the Mexican sentinels and celebrate their beautiful setting. Makes me want to golf! Thanks for watching! - Vincent
In honor of WIC week, we are covering the lighthouse with the most years kept by women keepers! Biloxi Lighthouse is also known well in Mississippi as a symbol of resilience after surviving Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Biloxi Lighthouse |…
Listener Lighthouse! Thank you to Megan for sending this in. Commonly known as the I Love You Lighthouse, Minot's Ledge actually has a deadly history as a strange lighthouse on stilts! When that one failed, engineers used the successful construction tactics from the Eddystone Lighthouse to build a stone tower…
We're headed back over to California today to talk about a lighthouse that, like many others, went dark after the beginning of WWII - however, Point Fermin Lighthouse was never relit. Decades later, its Fresnel lens was found in an unlikely location... Liked this episode? Leave us a review on…
If you are one of our wonderful UK listeners, these two names may be familiar to you! Vince is taking us across the pond to one of the oldest lighthouses in the UK, and the first lighthouse to be built on a rock in open sea. While the first two…
Welcome to the second installment of our Christmastime at Lighthouses special! Last year we covered classics like St. Augustine Lighthouse and Nauset Light, and this year we selected five special lighthouses from our 2024 lineup that do something special for the holidays. Listen in for some festive magic and lots…
Many know which lighthouse was the last to be automated in the US, but what about second to last? Goat Island Lighthouse of Kennebunk, Maine was not automated until 1990, and even today there are caretakers who watch over the light and the island it rests on. Happy Thanksgiving to…
You've heard of nuclear bombs and nuclear power plants, but have you ever heard of a nuclear lighthouse? Baltimore Harbor Lighthouse was a pain in the behind to build, but it's troubles didn't stop there! Listen in for the story of the first (and only) US light to be run…
Happy Halloween everyone! Today we're covering the spooktacular Pensacola Lighthouse, home of the Blue Angels and spirits of long past...Listen in for the story of how this 40 foot lighthouse became a 150 foot beauty. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Pensacola Lighthouse Website Pensacola Lighthouse…
It is not often that a lighthouse is built to replace an old tower, only for both to remain in service (and not as range lights)! This is the case for the Cape Romain Lighthouses, very different in color, stature, and light characteristic, but only a few yards apart! Listen…
Best known for it's annual Christmas lighting ceremony, Cape Neddick Light, or Nubble Lighthouse, sits out of reach of visitors on a tiny island in Maine. Although it can't be visited now, Nubble Light has a rich history of tourism, including by the cat Sambo Tonkus (amazing name!). Liked this…
Man, can Vince and I talk! In this lengthy episode, we chat about our trip to Cape Cod from beginning to end. If you're considering visiting the Cape, or just want to hear more about our adventure, listen in! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com
Also known as lightvessels, lightships are lighthouse's little brothers, guarding areas where lighthouses are not easily built. While there are only around 15 lightships remaining today, the history of these ships stretch back hundreds of years! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Lightships | National Park…
20 miles into Lake Michigan from Mackinac Bridge, White Shoal Lighthouse is the only red-and-white barber shop tower in the US. As the tallest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, it has seen its fair share of action in its relatively short history. However, most of the history is in the…
Hereford Inlet Lighthouse was built in 1874 in the "stick" architectural style, sporting a red light characteristic until changing to a fixed white, then flashing white-red, to the flashing white we have today. While its gardens are considered one of the top 10 things to see in New Jersey, the…
Now that we covered the first lighthouse in the US to display a Fresnel lens, it's time to "shed light" on the first lighthouse in the world to have one! Cordouan Lighthouse is a beautiful renaissance-style tower over four miles out in the Bay of Biscay. The 221 foot tall…
We are covering a mini lighthouse for our mini episode! Deemed the "smallest working light tower in the world", North Queensferry Light still has it's original Argand lamp, lit today by visitors with vegetable oil! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Forth Bridges Lighthouse Museum and…
There's a first for everything, and Navesink Lighthouse was there for a lot of them! When it became the first station to have a Fresnel lens in the Unites States, Navesink secured it's position as the guinea pig for a lot of the country's new innovations and technology. Listen in…
