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Showing posts with label lighthouse photography. Show all posts

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Review of Historic Stonington Lighthouse and Museum

Stonington Connecticut is a delightful small town built around Stonington harbor. We visited there on a beautiful July afternoon and parked in the lot along the harbor. I then walked back up the hill to photograph the historic stone lighthouse.

History of Stonington Lighthouse

Stonington lighthouse was built in 1840. It is a wonderfully preserved example of a mid-19th century lighthouse. The tower sits on a hill just up from the harbor and is 35 feet tall. It was used for navigation until 1889, when it was replaced by another navigational aid out in the harbor. The lighthouse is now used as a museum that explores the life and history of Stonington's seafaring people.

Visiting the Inside of the Lighthouse

The museum is open seasonally and when you tour the museum you may also climb the 29 steps up the tower. I climbed the steps and enjoyed taking photos in the museum and around the lighthouse grounds.

The brochure I was given when touring the lighthouse states that the seaside village of Stonington has been the " home to farmers, and fishermen, sailors and sea captains, explorers and entrepreneurs for more than 360 years."

Walking the Lighthouse Grounds- Views from the Back

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Historic Stonington Lighthouse Tote Bag
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Historic Stonington Lighthouse Notebook
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Thursday, August 22, 2019

Review of Lighthouses Seen from Avery Point

On a July visit to Connecticut, we made a stop at the Avery Point campus of the University of Connecticut (UCONN) to photograph the lighthouse that I had heard was located at the edge of the campus. We were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful campus that along with the lighthouse had some beautiful sculptures. Just offshore of the campus we had a wonderful surprise when I located two additional lighthouses. On this page I will share my photographs of all three lighthouses and some of the sculptures I saw while walking along the paths on the campus.

Avery Point Lighthouse

Avery Point is the last lighthouse built in the state as an official navigational aid. It was completed in 1943 but was not lit until a year later because of concerns about a possible Nazi attack during WWII.

As I strolled along the paths of the university I could see the lighthouse in the distance. It is a distinctive beige brick tower and is a beautiful icon overlooking the water.

New London Harbor Light

Across the water from the campus I noted what I thought might be a lighthouse. When I put on my longer lens, I was delighted to find this stately structure, which I found out was the New London Harbor Light.

In reading a brochure on lighthouse cruises, I found out that this is the oldest lighthouse in Connecticut. It was said to help to guide colonial privateers who sought shelter up the Thames River during the American Revolution.

New London Ledge Lighthouse

In the water, not too far off shore from the campus, I spotted a third lighthouse. This lighthouse has some rather unique architectural features. I read that it is a French Second Empire structure that is architecturally unique for a lighthouse. It is also reported to be haunted by a former keeper.

There were lots of sailboats in the harbor and I was able to capture one just before it passed the lighthouse.

Other Interesting Features on the Avery Point Campus of UCONN

Here are some of the photos I took of a building and a few of the many sculptures on the grounds.

Avery Point Campus of UCONN photos and collage by mbgphoto

Zazzle Products from my Photos

I enjoy sharing my photos on products made at

Zazzle. Here are a couple you might like.

Avery Point Light Two-Tone Coffee Mug
by lighthouseenthusiast

Avery Point Light Magnet
by lighthouseenthusiast

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Thursday, August 8, 2019

Review of Nobska Lighthouse and Sharing Photography with Children

On a recent July morning I was able to visit this historic lighthouse on Cape Cod and share my love of lighthouse photography with my granddaughters.

Brief History of Nobska Lighthouse

When we arrived at this historic lighthouse on the southern point of Cape Cod in Falmouth we took a few minutes to read the signs and learn a bit about the history of the lighthouse.

The lighthouse is nestled between Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay with Martha's Vineyard spread right out in front of it.

From the early colonial days until the twentieth century the route from Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds provided the shortest route to bring passengers and goods from Cape Cod to all points south and west. In the 1800's vessel traffic through this area was second only to that of the English Channel. Because of this a need for a lighthouse to keep vessels safe was imperative.

Nobska light was first opened in 1826 as just a tower above a keepers house. It was replaced in 1878 by the present 42 feet cast iron tower. This tower sits 87 feet above sea level. It flashes every 6 seconds and is visible for 17 miles.

Photographing the Lighthouse

The above is a photograph of my granddaughters, Kate and Emily in front of the lighthouse. They both brought along their new cameras to learn about photographing the lighthouse with me.

The next two photos are ones that were taken by the girls. The first, a close up shot of the lighthouse, was taken by Kate. The second one was taken from across the street by Emily.

Pathway to Nobska Lighthouse photo by mbgphoto

I too enjoyed the view from across the street from the lighthouse. Here are two photos that I took looking back at the lighthouse.

Across from the Lighthouse

After looking at the lighthouse closeup we crossed the street and took a path that led down to the beach. It was a fantastic view of the islands that lay just off the coast. Here is a map that tells about what we saw.

It was very interesting to see the map and then look at the scene ahead of us. We watched ferries leave from Cape Cod heading over toward Martha's Vineyard. It was early morning when we arrived and the fog was rather heavy, but as the morning progressed the fog started to lift and we could see more of the islands.

Photographing with my Granddaughters

It was a wonderful experience sharing my love of photography and lighthouses with Kate and Emily. They listened carefully as I showed them how to look for interesting photos. After they took a few of the lighthouse from different angles, their interest was more toward photographing the bees in the flowers.

Zazzle Products from our Photos

This keychain design was made from one of Emily's photos and the mug is from my photo.

Nobska Lighthouse Keychain
by mbgphoto

Path to Nobska Lighthouse Two-Tone Coffee Mug
by lighthouseenthusiast

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Thursday, July 25, 2019

Photographic Review of Buffalo New York Lighthouse

Buffalo New York Lighthouse photo by mbgphoto

I enjoy photographing lighthouses and on a recent July day we made a stop on our trip east to visit the beautiful lighthouse in Buffalo NY. This lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Buffalo river at the north entrance to Buffalo harbor.

Brief History of Buffalo Lighthouse

In 1805 Congress designated the Village of Buffalo to be a port of entry into the United States. It was determined that the port needed a lighthouse but because of the War of 1812 construction was put off. In 1818 the first lighthouse was built in Buffalo. As the city of Buffalo grew into a major port a new lighthouse was needed. The current lighthouse was built in 1833 at a height of 68 feet. You can read more about the history of the lighthouse at the following link Main Buffalo Lighthouse .

Photographs from my Visit

I was hoping to get up close to the lighthouse and had read the instructions online with directions how to get there by walking alongside the coast guard station. What they didn't say was that this path was only open on Friday, Saturday and Sundays and since it was Wednesday I had to find another way to view the lighthouse. I got back in the car and drove down the road to the nearest park on the harbor. I found a charming park with a beautiful rain garden, some delightful wind catchers and paths all along the harbor. The wind catchers were on a hill and when I climbed the hill, I got a great view of the lighthouse. I had a 210 mm lens with me and it worked great to zoom in on the lighthouse. The following photos are of the lighthouse and the park.

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Photographing Historic Scituate Lighthouse

Scituate Lighthouse

On a trip between Boston and Cape Cod my husband and I made a small detour to see beautiful Scituate Lighthouse. This lighthouse is located on the South Shore of Boston. On this page I will review a bit about the history of this lighthouse along with sharing my photos from our visit.

Lighthouse History

Scituate Lighthouse is the 5th oldest lighthouse in New England and the 11th oldest in the United States. It was activated in 1811 and is built of split granite blocks with a 1 1/2 story house attached. While searching online for information on the lighthouse I found the interesting story listed below. The information is from the Scituate Historical Society web page.

Captain Simeon Bates, the first keeper of Scituate Lighthouse, his wife, and nine children lived at the house. During the War of 1812 Abigail and Rebecca, young daughters of the lighthouse keeper, prevented the British from sacking the town. Noting the approach of two redcoat-filled barges from a British ship of war, the girls snatched fife and drum and hiding behind a thick cluster of cedar trees made such a din that the British mistook them for an entire regiment and made a hasty retreat. Abigail and Rebecca Bates have gone down in history as 'The American Army of Two" and their courageous act has been recorded in many textbooks and story books. http://scituatehistoricalsociety.org/light/

I also find it fascinating that the captain and his family of 11 lived in the small house attached to the lighthouse. Here is a photo I took of the lighthouse with the house attached.

House of Scituate Lighthouse photo by mbgphoto

The Lighthouse Today

Today the lighthouse is located at the end of Lighthouse Road. It is now an active private aid to navigation and is managed by the Scituate Historical Society. It is only open limited hours but we were able to walk around the grounds and I was able to capture photos from various directions.

As we left the lighthouse we pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant and I was able to photograph the lighthouse from across the bay.

boats around Scituate Lighthouse photo by mbgphoto

Zazzle Candle from my Photo

Scituate Lighthouse flowers Pillar Candle
by lighthouseenthusiast

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Thursday, August 23, 2018

Reviewing Lighthouses in Erie Pennsylvania

Erie Land Lighthouse

My husband and I were traveling north on Hwy 90 on our way from St. Louis to New Hampshire. Hwy 90 is a great way for us to travel to the east coast with lots of places to stop near the Great Lakes and lots of lighthouses to visit. On this visit we stopped for the night in Erie Pennsylvania and were able to visit three lighthouses. I had stopped at the visitor center when entering Pennsylvania and picked up a brochure on Lake Erie Lights. In this brochure I found directions to the lighthouses and the facts about the lighthouses that I refer to in this post.

Erie Land Lighthouse

Erie Land lighthouse was built in 1818 and was the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The lighthouse sits high on the bluff at the end of Lighthouse street. The first lighthouse was built of wood but after forty years it was replaced by one made of brick. This one only lasted for nine years when it began to sink. The present lighthouse is made of sandstone with a brick lining and was built in 1867. It was decommissioned in 1898 because the beacon on Presque Isle was better able to warn mariners. In 2003 the lighthouse was restored for visitors who are welcome to walk the grounds. I saw beautiful views of Presque Bay from the grounds and was also able to see the North Pier light from the bluff.

Old boat on lighthouse grounds

Presque Isle Lighthouse

When we arrived in Erie we first took a drive to Presque Isle state park. This beautiful state park is home to two of Erie's lighthouses. In the photo above you see Presque Isle lighthouse which is located on the north shore. From 1873-1944 this lighthouse was home to nine lighthouse keepers and their families. This lighthouse which is 57 feet high has 78 steps to the lantern. The lighthouse was just closing for the evening when I got there but I was able to walk the grounds and take photographs.

North Pier Light

North Pier light as seen from across the bay

houseboats near North Pier Lighthouse photo by mbgphoto

The North Pier light is located at the east end of the channel that leads into Presque Bay. It was originally built in 1830 but was replaced in 1855 when it was destroyed by a sailing vessel impact. Over the years it was moved several times as the peninsula grew and extended into the channel. It has been in it's current location since 1840 and continues today to be used as an aid to navigation. I was able to walk out to the light and take several photos of the lighthouse. The second photo shows some interesting house boats that were in a lake on the road to see the lighthouse.

Stop by Lighthouse Musings for more photos on these lighthouses.

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Erie Pennsylvania Lighthouses Poster
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Thursday, August 2, 2018

Review of Lighthouses at Chatham Massachusetts

I find lighthouses to be a fascinating part of history, when they were often the only means that seafaring vessels had to keep from crashing into dangers near the coastline.

On a visit to Cape Cod on a beautiful summer morning we stopped in Chatham (near the elbow of Cape Cod) to do a bit of exploring and visit the Chatham lighthouse.

Chatham Lighthouse

Chatham lighthouse stands on the site that originally held two lighthouses built in 1808. These two brick towers were used to distinguish this area of the coast from the single tower further up the coast. Erosion on the coast is often a danger to lighthouse stability and it eventually claimed these two towers. They were replace in 1877 by two new cast iron towers. In 1923 one of these towers was moved to Eastham and the remaining tower is what you see in the photo above.

The current Chatham lighthouse is still active and sits on Coast Guard grounds. I was able to walk around the perimeter of the fence to take photos.

Stage Harbor Lighthouse

When we left the Chatham lighthouse we went exploring along the coast. I had heard there was another lighthouse off the coast but wasn't sure how to get to it. After several wrong turns, I turned down a gravel road that led to the coast and asked a fisherman about the other lighthouse. He pointed out in the distance and I was able to see Stage Harbor Lighthouse.

This lighthouse was operational from 1880 to 1933 when it was replaced by a 60 meter high skeleton tower. The original lighthouse and keepers house now serves as a private residence. It is not accessible by road but I was able to photograph it from the beach area.

More than Just Lighthouses

While I was photographing the lighthouse, my husband was watching the activity along the beach and pointed out several photo opportunities to me, like the bird and it's reflection in the water and the boats in the bay.