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The Lighthouse Lowdown

Emily Straight and Vincent Bailey

Ahoy sailors! In this podcast we talk about all things Lighthouses - their history, spooky stories, and the things that make them cooler than your average tower.

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English

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#96
Monday · 54 min
Episode 96 - Big Bay Point Lighthouse
It's spooky season, so you know what that means! We are covering a haunted lighthouse today along Lake Superior. Big Bay Point Lighthouse is the biggest integral lighthouse we have ever seen, with 18 rooms and enough space for it to now be a large bed and breakfast! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Big Bay Bed and Breakfast Big Bay Suicide Big Bay Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Big Bay Lighthouse Hauntings Big Bay Point | USLHS
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#95
September 14 · 58 min
Episode 95 - Baily Lighthouse
We are headed to Ireland, where the grass is green, the beer is Guinness, and the lighthouses are OLD! With a history that goes back to the 1600s, Baily Lighthouse's lens has seen some deadly shipwrecks and beautiful weddings! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: https://www.lighthousedigest.com/digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=430 https://curiousireland.ie/the-baily-lighthouse-howth-co-dublin/ https://www.mariner.ie/Exhibition/the-baily-optic/ Gustaf Dalén - Wikipedia https://www.earlscliffe.com/history/howth/baily-lighthouse.php Sounding the Sumburgh Foghorn
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#94
August 17 · 38 min
Episode 94 - The Two Green Island Lighthouses of Nova Scotia
While there used to be four Green Island Lighthouses in Nova Scotia, a couple renamings left us with two. Listen in as we cover a lighthouse that was a fog station much longer than a light station and another that had four tower variations in its lifetime. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Gun-Cotton- It's History, Manufacture, Use | Lieutenant Karl Rohrer July 1889 Green Island (Chebogue Point) Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Green Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
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#93
July 20 · 41 min
Episode 93 - Green Island Lighthouse, British Columbia
Ahoy everyone! The Lighthouse Lowdown is back! We are continuing with our Green Island series, this time traveling to Western Canada where you may spot a beautiful white and red light station on a lone island in the most dangerous body of water on Canada shores.
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#92
Dec 8, 2025 · 38 min
Episode 92 - Newport Harbor Lighthouse
Also known locally as Goat Island Lighthouse, Newport Harbor Lighthouse was extended out onto a breakwater with its original tower being used in Prudence Island. The lighthouse and its city go all out for the holidays! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Lighthouse Lowdown! We will be back in 2026. References: The Cutters, Boats, and Aircraft of the US Coast Guard Newport Harbor Lighthouse Christmas Lighting Event Newport Harbor Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Keeper's Log Spring 2016 | USLHS
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#91
Nov 24, 2025 · 34 min
Episode 91 - Green Island Lighthouse, Wisconsin
We are continuing our Green Island series with this Wisconsin gem, which had survived two explosions and a devastating forest fire, but ultimately succumbed to time. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Doomsday List | Lighthouse Digest Green Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Private Islands Inc.
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#90
Nov 10, 2025 · 26 min
Episode 90 - Green Island Lighthouse, Ohio
We are starting a fun series with the Green Island Lighthouses of the world, starting with Ohio! It's not often you hear of a lighthouse that burns down twice, and unfortunately this history has put our light on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Green Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Green Island Light Station | USLHS Archives
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#89
Oct 27, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min
Episode 89 - The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank November 10th, 1975. Gordon Lightfoot's song brought it to posterity in 1976, and we've been talking about it since. Listen in as Vince does a solo-episode about the infamous ship, wreck, and song! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Gordon Lightfoot – The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Lyrics | Genius Lyrics The Cruelest Month - Edmund Fitzgerald Newsweek, November 24, 1975 | PDF | Water Transport | Violence TIL Gordon Lightfoot was inspired to write "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" when he saw the name misspelled as "Edmond" in Newsweek magazine. He felt the misspelling dishonored the memory of the 29 men who died when the freighter sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975. : r/todayilearned SS Edmund Fitzgerald - Wikipedia #105 - Marine casualty report : SS Edmund Fitzgerald; sinking in Lake ... - Full View | HathiTrust Digital Library
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#88
Oct 13, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
Episode 88 - Point Betsie Lighthouse
Like most beachy lighthouses, Point Betsie battled shifting sands for its whole lifetime, now shielded by at least three methods of erosion control to keep the light shining! Point Betsie Lighthouse is a standing testament to what a community can do (whether that's saving a lighthouse, building a road, or saving lives) when they work together. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Point Betsie Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Friends of Point Betsie Lighthouse Annual Reports of the Lighthouse Board| National Archives and Records Administration
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#87
Sep 29, 2025 · 27 min
Episode 87 - Avery Point Lighthouse
Although this was the last lighthouse built in Connecticut, it is the first for us to cover in the state, and the first we've covered that skipped straight to 200 Watt bulbs! Avery Point Lighthouse was built by the Coast Guard in 1944 as a part of their training center, later becoming a physics laboratory for the University of Connecticut. Thank you to all who left us reviews! Merch (and a giveaway) is coming your way. References: Avery Point Light | American Lighthouse Foundation Avery Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Avery Point | USLHS Avery Point Light | Wikipedia
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#86
Sep 15, 2025 · 38 min
Episode 86 - Crisp Point Lighthouse
Listener Lighthouse! I'm trying to think of a lighthouse where I have this hard of a time saying it's name out loud... Regardless, Crisp Point Lighthouse was close neighbors with a Life-Saving Station, along with three others built along "Shipwreck Coast" in 1876. This red-capped light still shines today as a private ATON. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Crisp Point Light Historical Society Crisp Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Light Lists | Navigational Center USCG
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#85
Sep 1, 2025 · 49 min
Episode 85 - Point Bonita Lighthouse
What's prettier than a lighthouse on a cliff edge? Point Bonita lives up to its name, adjacent to a mini version of the Golden Gate Bridge. It shines on to this day with its original second order Fresnel lens! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: https://miladidit.com/2017/12/12/point-bonita/ Point Bonita Lighthouse Point Bonita Lighthouse - Golden Gate National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) Point Bonita Lighthouse, California at Lighthousefriends.com
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#84
Aug 18, 2025 · 44 min
Episode 84 - Little River Lighthouse
In honor of Maine Open Lighthouse Day coming up on September 13, we are covering one of the over a dozen participants! Little River Lighthouse's forest green-turned-mint lantern room is just a plus. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Maine Open Lighthouse Day 2025 | American Lighthouse Foundation Little River Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Maine Open Lighthouse Day at Little River Little River Light History | New England Lighthouses
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#83
Aug 4, 2025 · 52 min
Episode 83 - Sapelo Island Lighthouse
Not many original lighthouses last longer than their replacements, but this is the case for the second oldest brick lighthouse in American history! Sapelo Island Lighthouse was lit in 1820, and still stands today on the island with the last known Gullah community. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Stations | USLSSHA Ohio Life Saving Station No. 10 | Belle of Louisville Sapelo Island Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends USLHS Keeper's Log 1988
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#82
Jul 21, 2025 · 45 min
Episode 82 - Whitefish Point Lighthouse
Where is whitefish fishing good? Probably at the Whitefish Township, at Whitefish Point in Whitefish Bay...which is why we needed Whitefish Point Lighthouse! Have I said whitefish too much? This skeletal lighthouse is unique in many ways, with a decagonal lantern room, second floor covered walkway, and a lifeboat station that physically left the grounds to return decades later. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Stations | USLSSHA Whitefish Point Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Whitefish Point Lighthouse | Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Whitefish Lifeboat Station
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#81
Jul 7, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Episode 81 - Väderöbod Lighthouse
Vince is back from Sweden, and he brought back tales of a lighthouse that took many daymarks over it's lifetime! The Väderöbod Lighthouse is one of many Swedish lighthouses built on the islands of the Väderö archipelago. Although it is 9 miles off the coast, if you can handle yourself in a kayak you are welcome to visit and even stay on the island! Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: David Lyle and his Life Saving Gun - Springfield Armory National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) About the lighthouse – Föreningen Väderöbod
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#80
Jun 23, 2025 · 33 min
Episode 80 - Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse
While Lobster Cove makes me think of a rocky beach and open seas all around, what you'll find in Newfoundland is vastly different! Surrounded by a lush national park, glacier-carved fjords and thundering waterfalls, Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse flashes white over 100 feet above the waves. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse | Parks Canada Sun Valve | Go Industrial
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#79
Jun 9, 2025 · 39 min
Episode 79 - Peggy's Cove Lighthouse
If the cute name of this lighthouse doesn't catch your attention, the history sure will! That is, if you like lighthouses that are also a post office. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: Nova Scotia Explore Page Peggy's Cove Website Peggy's Point Wikipedia Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society The Canadian Lighthouse Route Nova Scotia Lighthouse Route Nova Scotia Lighthouse Road trip | Travel Bunny
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#78
May 26, 2025 · 39 min
Episode 78 - Cape Fear Lighthouse
Unfortunately, the name Cape Fear directly correlates to how mariners felt about the area, dubbing the Frying Pan Shoals almost as fearsome as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. However, efforts to light the area were a struggle, and we ended up with many different lighthouses (and lightships) in an attempt to mark the shoals. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: The Cape Fear Lighthouse's Prism Project | Our State Cape Fear Lighthouse | Lighthouse Friends Frying Pan Lightship | Lighthouse Friends Frying Pan Lightship Restaurant
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#77
May 12, 2025 · 44 min
Episode 77 - The Dangerous Lives of Lighthouse Keepers
We've all heard stories here and there of what keepers went through on the job at their lighthouses - the position was rife with danger! Vince takes us on a deep dive of what was really at stake for our lighthouse keepers and the perils they faced in daily life. Liked this episode? Leave us a review at thelighthouselowdown.com References: In Memoriam | United States Lighthouse Society Lighthouse Oil Myths & Folklore - Ponce Inlet Lighthouse The Dangers of Lighthouse Keeping - Lighthouse Explorers The Dark Side of Lighthouses | Hakai Magazine Stannard Rock: The Loneliest Place on the Continent - Lake Superior Magazine
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