Well, it happened again. For weeks we had unseasonably warm sunny weather. We should have known when NELL had its annual and first weekend long LHHC&Y on Jan. 13-14 it would be rainy and cold most of the weekend. With NELL being like the US Postal Service, neither rain, sleet nor snow…would stop us from having a great weekend.

Starting out at Chatham Light we were met by Jeff Davis, Keeper of Chatham Light, and members of USCG Auxiliary Flotilla 11-01. When we climbed the tower and arrived at the lantern room we were given an excellent history of the light and shoreline, and were told that around 1923, when Chatham became automated the twin towers were split up. More on that later.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t see too much out the lantern room windows due to the fog outside and condensation inside, but by receiving a good explanation of where things were, along with good imaginations, we did fine. After folks came down from the lantern room we started handing out the box lunches and that’s when it really started to rain. Thank goodness the back of my truck opens upward as that afforded those picking up their lunches a little shelter.

From Chatham we went to Three Sisters of Nauset and were informed by Ed and Shirley Sabin, Park Service volunteers and long time members of Nauset Light Preservation Society that the Three Sisters were built so mariners could differentiate between Highland and the original twin lights at Chatham. Due to erosion of the coastline, the original 3 Sisters fell into the sea, and at times the base of one of them can still be seen in the water. The second set of Three Sisters was about to suffer the same fate and it was then that the government decided that one light would suffice and sold the other two, relocating the remaining one further inland. That one flashed 3 times every ten seconds in memory of the Three Sisters, a somewhat romantic story.

The National Park Service managed to repurchase the sisters between 1965 and 1975, restored them, sans lantern room on 2 of them, and placed them in their original configuration, 150 feet apart and 8.5 degrees off north 1,800 feet from the cast iron tower where they stand today. It is unknown even today as to why the tops were removed and, more importantly, where are they? A question no one seems able to answer. Could it be that this is another lighthouse mystery?

A short walk up the street and we were at Nauset Light and met by our hosts Bud Griffin, NELL member and President of Nauset Light Preservation Society along with society members Michelle Dirksen and Richard Ryder. When we climbed the tower we were told by Bud that in 1923 there was no longer a need for the remaining sister due to the north tower of the twin lights at Chatham being disassembled, moved and re-assembled at Nauset Beach in Eastham, Ma, so the government sold it.  

After lunch and a leisurely drive to Highland Light, NELL members were treated to hot chocolate and some delicious, and I do mean delicious, home made brownies, cookies and pastries baked by Fran Webster, Administrator of Highland Light. While some members watched a DVD on the history of Highland Light, some climbed the tower while others purchased some of the many items offered for sale at the gift shop.

Some announcements were then made regarding the following items; Linda Graham is putting together a booklet of the weekend for Marguerite MacDonald, who was unable to attend due to her recovering from a private plane she was in that crashed on takeoff. Linda passed out some cards and requested members write a get well note or a hello to Marguerite and will forward them on along with pictures from the weekend.

Tom Kenworthy announced that the first wedding anniversary of his daughter Eileen, and her husband Ed was in December and that the couple is expecting a baby to arrive on July 4, 2007, and that Kaitlyn is very happy and excited about having a baby brother or sister. He also informed us that several members have requested going to different lighthouses outside of New England for hot chocolate and our meeting weekends. He requested that anyone with a suggestion for these events contact him via phone -- 9 am to 9 pm EST -- or by email. LHHC&Y suggestions are requested to be sent to him no later than April 30, 2007 and that he will do his best to get us to the light/s requested most. Tom very firmly stated that if phone calls to him continue coming in outside the requested times he will not accept phone calls any more. This is due to the fact that calls have come in at all hours of the night from as late as 1:30 a.m. to as early as 6:00 a.m.

Also announced was that all members that wished to purchase extra Harbour Lights Thumbnails of Three Sisters Light to match the one received in their LHHC&Y packet could do so at the cost of $5.00 each. (This offer has been extended to the members that did not attend LHHC&Y. See offer and pictures at end of story)

Tom P. announced that a short BOD meeting would take place in the hotel at 4 p.m.

After all announcements were made and people finished spending their money, for a good cause, we all went outside for our group picture. Thankfully the rain had stopped, so we were able to take that without too much trouble.

From there we all went our separate ways with most members going to Collectors World to visit Cris and Maria Alex (who kept the store opened just for NELL members) and to do more shopping. Shortly after that, many members met in the Sea Dog Steak House for a 2 pound lobster dinner, prime rib or other delicious entrée, and then returned to the hotel and retired for a good nights sleep to get ready for the morrow.

After a hearty breakfast in the hotel dining room, most members headed to Race Point Light where we were transported by the Race Point Cape Cod Chapter of ALF to the RPL and met by Keeper Jim Walker, who looked very sharp in his keepers’ uniform. (The last time I saw Jim was at Long Point Light when he was in his painting clothes.)

Jim showed us the new wind tower that will provide power to the keeper’s house and the whistle house. We also saw all the improvements that have been made at the whistle house, which were many since my last visit. For those that are unaware of what’s going on at Race Point, Jim is making two rooms in the whistle house. Each will have a double bed and a set of bunk beds. If memory serves me right there will also be a kitchen available. These rooms will be rented out as are the ones in the keeper’s house to help raise money for the upkeep of RPL and preservation.

Even after a hearty breakfast we must have been a hungry group as we went thru 8 dozen delicious home made cookies and gallons of hot chocolate at the light which was provided by the many gracious and friendly volunteers of Race Point. The shuttles kept running back and forth, transporting the “late comers” to the light and returning members to the parking lot after they climbed the tower, made their purchases of souvenirs and “checked out” the secluded but serene and beautiful surroundings of Race Point Light.

As the weekend was coming to an end, a small group of members said their goodbyes and headed home while the rest of us headed to the Coast Guard Heritage Museum located at 3353 Main Street, Rte 6A, in the 1856 US Customs House, atop Cobbs Hill, in Barnstable Village.  Entering the museum we were greeted by NELL members and volunteer curators Doug Bingham and Bill Collette, who opened the museum just for NELL’s LHHC&Y event, as the museum is usually closed this time of year. It was very interesting and informative. On display are many artifacts from the coast guard along with displays of the different lifesaving equipment of yesteryear. You will be interested in the many stories and pictures of the shipwrecks of the area and the part that the cape played in our maritime history. Doug is a wealth of information which he is willing to share at a moments notice. Going upstairs you will find displays of WWII. The pictures and stories show a very important part of our countries history and will bring back mixed emotions of those times for the folks that lived them.

There are plans for a maritime library, more displays and more artifacts. I was lucky enough to see a Pulitzer Prize winning picture of the sinking of the Andrea Doria luxury liner on July 26, 1956 that is not yet on display. I would recommend this museum to anyone that has even the smallest interest in the Coast Guard,   lighthouses and the maritime history that goes hand in hand with them. This museum is still in its infancy and NELL would like to wish Doug and Bill all the best.

A note regarding the accompanying pictures. Several of you are aware that the Seery's and I had been to the cape several weeks prior to hot chocolate and requested that pictures of Chatham and Nauset with the Christmas decorations on them be posted. That was done. I also posted other pictures that were not taken during hot chocolate as I felt they were better images. I’d like to thank everyone that helped with making LHHC&Y the big success that it was. I look forward to seeing you all in June. Until then “keep the flame.”

Tom Kenworthy
Vice President
NELL