Light Hearted

10 Episodes
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By: Jeremy D'Entremont, U.S. Lighthouse Society

Talking about all kinds of subjects related to lighthouses: history, preservation, technology, navigation, the arts, and who knows what else – basically anything and everything that ties in with the subject of lighthouses in some way, with guest authors, preservationists, and more.

Light Hearted ep 270 – Emily Straight and Vince Bailey, “The Lighthouse Lowdown”
Last Monday at 12:50 AM

The podcast “The Lighthouse Lowdown” was launched in 2022 by two residents of Kansas City, Missouri, Emily Straight and Vince Bailey. To date they have published almost 50 episodes, covering history, spooky stories, and all the “things that make lighthouses cooler than your average tower.”

Emily Straight and Vince Bailey at Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in North Carolina

Emily is a nautical-loving, lighthouse enthusiast who is excited to spread the word of wicked sea sentinel stories. She is a chemical engineer, and a stained glass artist on the side. Vince is a mechanical engineer and Emily’s partner in crime. In this wi...


Light Hearted ep 269 – Buzz Hoerr and the Michigan Lighthouse Alliance
03/17/2024

Harbor Beach Lighthouse, Michigan (USLHS archives)

The Michigan Lighthouse Alliance (MLA), founded in 2003, encompasses more than 50 preservation groups and lighthouse stakeholders from around the state of Michigan. The purpose of the Alliance is to advocate for the preservation of the historic aids to navigation on the Great Lakes. The MLA holds a conference every two years, and this year’s will be April 21st to 23rd in Port Huron, Michigan.

Buzz Hoerr

Our guest in this episode, Buzz Hoerr, is the president and co-founder of the Michigan Lighthouse Alliance. Buzz is also the founder and chair for th...


Light Hearted Lite #2 – Joseph Smith & his portrayal of Augustin Fresnel
03/13/2024

This is an edited version of an interview that was featured in Light Hearted episode 44 in January 2020. Joseph Smith has been a theatrical performer based in New York City since 1995. His passion is to create excitement and curiosity about history by giving voice to stories that celebrate the human spirit.

He has written and performed a portrayal of Augustin Fresnel, the inventor of the Fresnel lens that revolutionized lighthouse lighting. It is a portrayal of one man’s fascination with “finding the solution to the many questions in the inexhaustible range of science.” He has performed the program...


Light Hearted ep 268 – W. Scott Jett, Hereford Inlet, NJ
03/10/2024

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse (courtesy photo)

Hereford Inlet, a break in the barrier islands along the east side of Cape May, New Jersey, was used by whalers as far back as the 17th century. Shifting sands and a strong current made the inlet dangerous for mariners. As coastal shipping and the use of the inlet increased, funds for a lighthouse were appropriated in 1872. A wood frame combined keeper’s house and lighthouse began service in 1874. The beautiful Victorian design was the work of the Lighthouse Board’s chief draftsman, architect Paul J. Pelz.

W, Scott Jett and USCG Lt. PA F...


Light Hearted Lite #1 – Sophie Blackall
03/06/2024

We’ve produced almost 300 episodes of the podcast Light Hearted in the past five years. Most of the interviews we’ve done have been a half hour to an hour. We realize that listening to an hour-long podcast is not something everyone wants to do, so we’re introducing something we call Light Hearted Lite. In this new series, some favorite interviews from the past five years have been edited down to around 10 to 20 minutes. We’ll still keep posting the longer episodes as well.

For this first edition of Light Hearted Lite, we’re going back to episode...


Light Hearted ep 267 – Patrick Mont and Chelsea clocks; Guin and Dani talk lighthouses; Portsmouth Harbor Light, NH
03/03/2024

Dani and Guin doing what they love

There are three segments in this episode. First, 11-year-old Guinevere Porter and her best friend Dani, Kentucky residents, talk about their visits to some beautiful and very tall lighthouses in Georgia, Florida, and elsewhere. As they correctly point out, we need kids to get interested in lighthouses. They will be the ones caring for them in the future, and also, visiting and climbing them is fun!

A U.S. Lighthouse Service Chelsea clock

In the second segment, we speak with Patrick Mont, a clockmaker for the famous Chelsea Clock company...


Light Hearted ep 266 – John Zimmerman and Jen Lewis, St. George Reef, California
02/25/2024

The seas off the northern California coast are notoriously rough, and no area is more treacherous than St. George Reef, which is the tip of a submerged volcanic mountain about six miles offshore. Construction of a lighthouse on the reef began in 1883. It took nine years to complete the massive 90-foot-tall granite tower on top of a 50-foot-tall base. A powerful first-order Fresnel lens was installed, and the lighthouse began service on October 20, 1892.

St. George Reef Lighthouse, California. Courtesy of the St. George Reef Preservation Society. Jen Lewis and John Zimmerman at St. George Reef Lighthouse. Courtesy of...


Light Hearted ep 265 – Whale Rock, RI, and the Hurricane of 1938
02/18/2024

Whale Rock Lighthouse (U.S. Coast Guard) Walter Eberle with his wife Agnes

Whale Rock Light, a typical cast-iron “spark plug” type lighthouse, was constructed at the entrance to the west passage of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay in 1882 to help mariners past a treacherous reef. Isolated Whale Rock was not a desirable location for keepers, and 16 different men served as head keeper between 1882 and 1909. A 1924 storm sent waves over the top of the tower and did some damage to the structure, but that storm was nothing compared to what was to come in 1938.

Walter Barge Eberle, assist...


Light Hearted ep 264 – Kristen Heather and Jeanette Rodriquez, Point Fermin, California
02/11/2024

The area in Southern California known as San Pedro saw Spanish use dating back to the 1540s. Once a separate township, it’s now part of Los Angeles. After the Mexican-American War, San Pedro’s harbor was expanded and improved. Congress appropriated funds for a lighthouse at Point Fermin, San Pedro’s southernmost point, in 1854. The light began service on December 15, 1874.

Point Fermin Lighthouse, California. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. Kristin Heather and Jeanette Rodriguez

Point Fermin had the distinction of having two women –sisters Mary and Ella Smith — serve as the first keeper and assistant. The light was co...


Light Hearted ep 263 – Joanne Mulloy and Jerry Arnold, Mukilteo, Washington
02/04/2024

Mukilteo Lighthouse, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont

On the east side of Washington’s Puget Sound, Mukilteo grew as a port in the late 1800s, with salmon canning and lumber as leading industries. Funds were appropriated by Congress for a lighthouse at Mukilteo in 1903, and construction began in 1905. A 30-foot tower was built, attached to a fog signal building, with two large, separate dwellings for the keepers and their families. The station began service on March 1, 1906. The light and fog signal were automated in 1979.

Jerry Arnold and Joanne Mulloy

The Mukilteo Historical Society now manages the light stat...