Are you available, Sue? Looks like another relighting is in store for the East Coast.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6032543&BRD=1973&PAG=461&dept_id=214849&rfi=6

Turkey Point Lightstation

Here's a link to their site.

I'm thinking about attending, anyone else interested?

shirin

That's my wife's birthday and we were just there this past Saturday. I doubt if I could pull that one off!

I did comment to my wife that there was an optic and a solar panel that weren't there the last time.

We went up hoping for some colorful trees. Autumn has been especially colorful around here. Beautiful trees for the whole ride up there, but we got to the light and there was one red tree and one yellow, about a 100 yards apart. Everything else was as green as June!

Great news about Turkey Point. The group is moving right along in its work.

Larry, This is a pretty close one for you. There must be a nice restaurant somewhere close by that you would like to try out?? "Since we are in the neighborhood, how about stopping by the relighting ceremony????"

Dave

Wow, another relighting! Is anyone keeping track? There sure seems to have been quite a few of them this year. Shirin will do a marvelous job reporting this one I'm sure, if she's able to attend.

I mentioned it last night and didn't get a "Hey, let's go!" It's actually about an hour drive each way, plus the 8/10 mile hike each way (in the dark on Nov. 30) and of course the lack of parking.....

I'll keep trying, but I think I'd be pushing my luck!

I'm planning on attending. The walk to and from the lighthouse should help burn off all that turkey from Thanksgiving right? Besides, if I don't get out by then, I will have gone nuts. I've got a 4 day weekend and I'm not planning on travelling all that far this year. I'm sure the traffic will be enough to keep me busy that weekend.

shirin

For those whao are attending the relighting this Saturday, there is an update on their website tpls.org.

There is now another parking location which they will be running shuttles from. Also, they will be running some kind of shuttle for those who cannot do the walk to the light.

I sure wish I could attend this event but we will be in Champaign IL visiting my daughter and grandson and son in law for Thankgiving and wont get back to Maryland until Dec. 3. Whoever is attending be sure to give us a report on the event. Thanks Hal

I'm still planning on going rain or shine! I'll need to get out of the apartment by Saturday anyway. Right now the forcast is for a cloudy day with no mention of rain. Hopefully it will stay that way.
I was glad to see they will have transportation to the site that should make things a lot easier. In any case I'll give it a try.

shirin

Ok, here is the begining of the full report and pictures. I've started a write-up for a newsletter so I'm just going to use that as my report for the event.

On Saturday November 30, 2002, in a post Turkey Day (Thanksgiving) celebration, the Turkey Point Light in Elk Neck State Park, Cecil County, Maryland was re-lit after a 2 year and 7 months absence after being decommissioned by the Coast Guard in April of 2000. Attendees of this special event were bused from the Rogue’s Harbor parking lot out to the lighthouse. Normally it is a 1.7-mile hike out to the lighthouse from the Turkey Point parking area. Due to the numbers of people that attended this event, the small Turkey Point parking area would have easily overflowed rather quickly. Busses started running about 3:30PM. Around 2PM that afternoon rain showers and overcast skies threatened to dampen the spirit of the event. However, just as the busses were starting up, the weather cleared for the remainder of the evening.

Those who were out at the light early had the chance to not only peek inside this light, but climb to the top. This was a rather precarious climb up two steel ladders, but well worth the climb as this lighthouse is rarely open to visitors. One of the goals of the Turkey Point Light Station Inc., the organization formed by President Dean Rice in 1995, is to replace the current ladder system with a wooden spiral staircase. The group is hoping to start work on the stairs by early next spring or summer.

As the group of visitors grew, they were treated to refreshments compliments of the Turkey Point Light Station Inc. volunteers who staffed both the refreshment table and the merchandise area. Commemorative shirts and key chains were available as well as many other Turkey Point Lighthouse items. Profits from the sales of these items will go into the funds for the staircase project.

While waiting for the 5:30PM re-lighting time, visitors were treated to a beautiful sunset that gave the tower a rosy glow. As the sunset, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up so that many visitors used the tower as shelter from the weather. Finally, after dark, the time had come. Following a rendition of the national anthem, the light was turned on with resounding approval from the crowd. The flashing pattern established by the Coast Guard in 1948 was once again an established feature of this light station.

The Turkey Point Light Station was constructed in 1832 by John Donohoo of nearby Havre de Grace, Maryland. Donohoo was involved in the building of several other lights in the Chesapeake Bay area. Built atop high bluffs overlooking the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, this 35-foot tall tower was once accompanied by a keeper’s house, bell house and several other service buildings. Today only the light tower and oil house remain on the site. The light was electrified in 1943. The last light keeper, Fannie May Salter, retired in 1948 and in the same year the light was changed from a fixed white light to a flashing light as it became an automated light. During the 115 years when a keeper was stationed at the light, women were keepers for 89 of those years, thus earning the lighthouse the name of “The Lady’s Lamp.”

With the re-lighting of the light, the Turkey Point Light Station Inc. members now look forward to many upcoming projects. While replacing the tower stairs is the next project, the group would also like to reconstruct the keeper’s house, which was torn down in 1971, and run electricity out to the station, maintaining a museum of the history of the light station within the house. This has been estimated at well over $275,000. To help raise funds for these projects the group has been very active in obtaining a special Maryland automobile license plate, exclusive merchandise including prints, throws, shirts, pins and ornaments as well as corporate sponsorships and grants.

For more information contact the group at:

Turkey Point Light Station Inc.
P.O. Box 412
North East, MD 21901

Phone: 410-287-8170
E-mail: info@tpls.org
Website: www.tpls.org


The Ladders Inside


President Dean Rice and Vice President Mike Duvall


The Rosy Glow from the Sunset


A People Free Shot!

I hope to post more pics later.

shirin

Nice report, Shirin -- and nice photos. Thanks for taking us along!

Great pictures and a great report, Shirin. I agree with the proposed change in the stairs vs ladders. Those ladders look precarious at best. Thanks for sharing all with us.

Bert

Thanks Shirin, it was almost like being there. the pictures are awesome!!

When I looked out my back window at about 4:30 last night, while getting ready to take my wife to dinner for her birthday, I saw a beautiful sunset and was wondering if it looked as nice up the road at Turkey Point. Well, I've got my answer.

Darn that Donna for having a birthday the same day as the Turkey Point relighting! Couldn't her parents have planned better?!?

Great pictures Shirin. Wish I had been there. So close and yet so far.

Thanks so much Shirin for sharing your trip with us. During the summer, the trek out by foot, is a nice brisk walk but in a cooler time I bet the bus was a great treat.

The sunset on the lighthouse reminds me of Havre de Grace last year just before the Baltimore Reunion.

Derith

Nice pictures Shirin! Thanks for sharing.

For Derith's memory...

Concord Lighthouse at Havre de Grace before the Baltimore Reunion...

I also remember the crabs at the restaurant you made reservations for the group, Derith, how many did I have any way?

Thanks for the walk down Memory Lane, Paul. Can't give you the number of crabs, just know it was a big pile!
Derith

Well normally I'm a day late and a dollar short, but this time I was too early!!! :rolleyes:

I was there! And on Nov. 30th too! But at 8am in the morning!!! So we missed all the fun.

If I had known about the bus I almost would have waited the 9 1/2 hrs just to ride it back to my car! hehehe (that was a loooong cooooold walk) But worth it!

We saw 5 lighthouses, 1 lightship, 1 National Park and Washington DC that day.

Stephanie