The following was inspired by the can-do spirit of the American Lighthouse Foundation’s dedicated team of volunteers, partners and supporters – who together, are helping safeguard our historic lighthouse sites…
Portsmouth Harbor Light’s concrete collar and stone base were severely damaged by two January 2024 storms.
(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)
Lighthouse preservation is a journey through time. We believe, we strive and we invest much in the way of time, talent and treasure into this labor of love.
During a single moment in time, the path we’ve so carefully cultivated, the inroads we’ve made restoring vintage fabric to past renown, can encounter sudden peril at the hands of a tempest gone mad.
And not just bearable distress, but on occasion, an outright erasure of historic bounty and all evidence of our devotion. Stark and raw is this type of harm. Our emotions descend at once, our compatriots stand alongside us in disbelief.
Not for long though! For we are keepers of the lights – cut from the same cloth as our lightkeeping predecessors who stood in the gap, time and again, ensuring the safety of others who hailed from ports the world over.
We are keepers of the lights – and shine we will!
(Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani)
To be sure, storms are growing more frequent and intense. The sea is rising and pushing its way into quarters it ought not be. And as for the wind – its relentless howl often seems to carry a message laced with taunts.
No matter. We lean on a heritage aglow – and on each other. We embolden our collective spirits and rise up stronger than before, and more the wiser. We will not be defeated.
We seek with a fervor to mitigate storm hazards at light stations. We are fortified with plans of resiliency to make them more robust. We know there is no place to hide for lighthouses, but still, straight into the winds of change do we go. For we are keepers of the lights – and shine we will!
The American Lighthouse Foundation and its local chapter – Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, completed a repair project on the storm-damaged concrete collar and stone base of Portsmouth Harbor Light on January 10, 2025. The J.B. Leslie Company of South Berwick, Maine, served as the contractor on this important project.
(Photo by Dominic Trapani)
