United States Lighthouse Society

06/14/2026

Light Hearted Lite 44 – Richard Cummins, Irish light keeper, part 2

This is part two of a two part interview with Richard Cummins, a native of Ireland who worked as a lighthouse keeper in that country for a decade. This is an edited version of a conversation first heard on the podcast in 2020. Richard spent time as a keeper at the very famous Fastnet Rock Lighthouse; at Hook Head, one of the oldest operating lighthouses in the world; and some other well known light stations – more than 20 in all.

In this part of the interview we talk about what it was like to live at isolated lighthouses, and also about Richard’s more recent career as a photographer and an acclaimed builder of ships in bottles.

Photo: Ballycotton Lighthouse, Ireland. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.

Listen here:
https://uslhs.org/podcast/light-hearted-lite-44-richard-cummins-irish-light-keeper-part-2

06/12/2026

06/12/2026

Cool event if you're going to be in the NYC area on Father's Day!

View lighthouses on and off shore. Tour Staten Island from the outside looking in with speaker Pat Salmon. Food and drink available for purchase. No outside food and drink allowed. **Leaves from Pier1 (National Lighthouse Museum Site) on the Nautical Empress. Buy Tickets Today!

06/12/2026

Check out the stories that accompany these photos in the USLHS Bulletin / Lighthouse News!

https://dev.lighthouse-society.org/news/uslhs-bulletin-lighthouse-news-13

06/10/2026

The mission of the United States Lighthouse Society is to preserve and share the history and legacy of America's lighthouses and their keepers.

Today we fulfilled our mission through an educational tour with this lovely school group, Sunfield School, visiting us from Port Hadlock!

Thank you for including us in your education and field trip. Our dedicated volunteers Andy and Nikki led the tour and had a wonderful time.

06/07/2026

Light Hearted Live #5: Chris Hall and Tip Koehler, Seguin Island, ME

Seguin Island Light Station is about two and a half miles off of the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine. The establishment of a light station on Seguin was approved by president George Washington in 1793, and the buildings were completed in 1796. The 53-foot stone tower that still stands was constructed in 1857 along with a duplex keepers’ house. A new first-order Fresnel lens was installed, and that lens remains in operation today.

The light was automated in 1985 and the keepers were removed. Concerned local citizens founded the Friends of Seguin Island Light Station in 1986. In February 1998, under the Maine Lights Program, ownership of the property was transferred to the group. There are two guests in the episode. Chris Hall was the registrar and curator of exhibits at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath and he’s now the historian for FOSILS. Tip Koehler is a retired Naval architect with 41 years in naval combatant design, manufacturing, and testing on Bath built ships. and is the vice president of the Friends of Seguin Island Light Station.

Photo: Seguin Lighthouse, photo by Jeremy D'Entremont

Listen here:
https://uslhs.org/podcast/light-hearted-live-5-chris-hall-and-tip-koehler-seguin-island-me

06/06/2026

Cool cruises if you're going to be around Seacoast New Hampshire later this month. These cruises are narrated by U.S. Lighthouse Society historian Jeremy D'Entremont.

06/05/2026

Check out the stories that accompany these photos in the USLHS Bulletin / Lighthouse News

https://dev.lighthouse-society.org/news/uslhs-bulletin-lighthouse-news-12

06/04/2026

One of the things discussed in our livestream podcast last night was the famous "piano-playing ghost" story of Seguin Island in Maine. The "back story" is often told, but it appears to be a legend rather than true history. But there are people who claim to have heard mysterious piano music on the island.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVyhelc12uo