I brought the magazine to the computer. It is the August 2006 issue of
Chesapeake Bay Magazine on page 12-13.
Titled
Wind, Ghosts and Guano Subtitled
No one ever said taking care of a lighthouse would be easy The first paragraph of the article which was written by Sarke Jett says "These people have battled gusts of wind, eerie ghosts and pounds of guano since they purchased their new waterfront homes--four "surplus" lighthouses in the southern Chesapeake Bay that they won at auction from the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) last fall. The novice lighthouse keepers and their extended families have also bonded together for mutual support and advice as they bring life back to the Middle Ground, Thimble Shoals, Smith Point and Wolf Trap lights."
After the end of the article it says
As this issue went to press, the Baltimore and Sandy Point light houses in the middle Bay were up for auction during the GSA's most recnet offering. To keep abreast of other GSA sites, check out the GSA property disposal website at . GSA Summarizing the rest of the article.
The Middle Ground lighthouse has been purchased by the Gonsoulin/Billingsley clan from Williamsburg, VA and Annpolis MD. In preparation for a 4th of July party, they have cleared away the layers of seagull poop and dead birds which covered the lighthouse when they bought it, installed access laddrs, a gull deterent system (an intricate web made of fishing line), and even electrical service. The electrical service is the biggest challenge
Just drilling through half inch thick cast iron plates to set a wire caused us saome problems. It's like you take one step back for every two steps forward
said Bob Gonsoulin.
Thinble Shoals light's new owner Peter Jurewicz swears he's encountered the ghost of the man killed in the caisson when the light was being built. He was staying overnight on the light for the first time when he was awakened out of a dead sleep by a piercing scream. He shares weekend trips with Bob Gonsoulin. Peter lives in Smithfield VA and wants to get the lighthouse fixed up enough to use as a weekend retreat for friends and family.
David McNally of Winoa, Minn is the owner of Smith Point.
Things are going well but slow
he said. He's set up base camp at Smith Point Marina where he keeps his new boat to shuttle to and from the lighthouse. He's only been out a few times so far, but plans to make more trips in the summer with warmer calmer weather.
Then it talks about Korstaad who bought Wolf Trap and his bed and breakfast plans. He says he has to jump
Three thousand hurdles a day
One of the hurdles is persuading investors to go along with his plan when the property doesn't even have an address. He sees Wolf Trap as the first in a series of lighthouse B&Bs. He has been out to see the lighthouse only once so far.
[It sounds to me like he's given up on this, if it is now for sale on eBay.]
Last paragraph: "In additon to the general maintenance headaches that go along with lighthouse ownership, the new keepers have also had to cope with bureaucratic frustration. Each renovation plan has to be approved by the Virginia Department of Historical Resources. Even something as reasonable as hurricane-proof windows is scrutinized for historical authenticity. But the new owners say it's worth it in order to preserve these venerable old guardians of the sea."
