Whew Knew? The U.S. Lighthouse Society headquarters is right in our backyard. That's the story told by it's Executive Director, Jeff Gales, to Rotarians at their December 11 Noon meeting at Village Green.
Jeff is no newcomer to lighthouses, having lived at one, Point Arena in Mendocino County, California. He started working for the Lighthouse Society in 2008; he was instrumental in moving its headquarters from downtown SanFrancisco to the Point-No-Point Light, near Hansville. The Society was established in 1939 to save lighthouses from extinction. In the heyday, there were 1500 lights on American shores. Today 800 remain. Signatures of their light, and paintings on their towers help guide mariners from lighthouse to lighthouse along our shores. The first light in America was in Boston harbor in 1716. It is the only one today with a "keeper." Although they are without "keepers," most of those 800 remaining are still active, including Point-No-Point. The U.S. Coast Guard owns Point-No-Point light; plans are for Kitsap County to own it in the future. More at: uslhs.org.