a sunset tour of Seacoast lighthouses

The wail of a foghorn mixes with the shrill cries of seagulls and terns over the Isles of Shoals. Standing stoically amid this swell of sea noise is White Island Lighthouse, the 58-foot brick sentinel that guards these nine rocky islands.

Rumors tell of a spectral woman dressed in white who roams these rocks and warns island-goers of approaching storms. Lighthouse keepers and their families once told of this prophetic apparition, and their stories have been reaffirmed by Coast Guard workers in more recent years. Had anyone been listening in April 2007, they may have heard the ghostly woman’s voice through the gathering winds. A Nor’easter tore through the islands that spring, demolishing a covered walkway that led from the lighthouse to the nearby keeper’s house.

White Island Lighthouse was the first of three stops on the Sunset Lighthouse Cruise last Friday. Dozens of curious guests boarded The Granite State in Rye Harbor, with proceeds from their $20 tickets and an onboard raffle going toward lighthouse preservation.

Granite State Whale Watch donated a boat for the cause, and Jeremy D’Entremont, of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, narrated the tour, recounting the long and lurid histories of three Seacoast lighthouses. Each structure harbors tales of vigilant keepers, haunted spirits and violent storms. After motoring out to the Isles of Shoals, Capt. Pete Reynolds turned the vessel around and headed toward the Piscataqua River’s mouth, offering views of Whaleback Lighthouse and Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse.

The first lighthouse to be erected on White Island, the southernmost of the Isles of Shoals, was built of stone in 1820. When the stone began to leak, a wooden sheath was wrapped around its exterior. The current brick lighthouse replaced the original in 1859, making it just under 150 years old. Its light source is a solar-powered LED fixture, which replaced the original glass lens in 1986.

Many keepers looked after White Island Lighthouse over the years, but its most famous resident was Celia Laighton Thaxter, whose father, Thomas Laighton, served as keeper in the 1830s. Thaxter went on to become a successful author and poet, and she often wrote of her childhood at the lighthouse, most famously in 1892’s “Among the Isles of Shoals.”

Owned by the state and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard, White Island Lighthouse fell into a state of severe disrepair over the years, with large cracks forming along its shell. But, with help from a concerned group of seventh graders called the Lighthouse Kids, the structure received a very expensive makeover in 2005. The students fundraised $250,000, which was matched by a federal grant from Save America’s Treasures and supplemented by state funds for a dramatic restoration effort.

As The Granite State made its way back toward the coast, the waning sun set fire to the clouds, which became burning islands in the sky. About eight miles distant on the boat’s starboard side, passengers could vaguely make out the outline of Boone Island Lighthouse and, a bit closer to land, Cape Neddick’s Nubble Lighthouse.

But the vessel’s next destination was Whaleback Lighthouse, Maine’s southernmost lighthouse at the mouth of the Piscataqua River. Projecting from a small island of rock, the stone tower was constructed in 1872, replacing the original 1830 structure. Now more than 125 years old, the lighthouse’s still-regal appearance belies its devolving condition.

Whaleback Lighthouse has borne its share of hazards. Over the years, a number of keepers undertook the arduous and dangerous task of manning the structure, often with tragic results. One keeper fell to his death while painting a foghorn tower that formerly extended from its roof. Another was injured when massive waves stirred by an 1886 storm shattered the lighthouse windows and flooded the building.
“It was just a very rough way of life,” said D’Entremont, who took photos of waves crashing over the top of the lighthouse during the 2007 Nor’easter.

Whaleback’s light was automated in 1963, which thankfully negated the need for a full-time keeper. But the lighthouse has since been largely abandoned to the elements. With no docking structure, the building is difficult to access and maintain. When the Coast Guard took D’Entremont out to the island last year, he had to leap from the boat to the island’s slick rocks before entering the lighthouse. Inside, the wood floors had become spongy with age.

But, if things go according to D’Entremont’s plans, Whaleback Lighthouse could be restored over the next few years. The Coast Guard is hoping to transfer ownership, and Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse applied to take over last December, under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The details are still being worked out, but D’Entremont expects his group to take over the building soon.
“We might actually be owning the lighthouse in the not-too-distant future,” he said.

If the deal goes through, Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse will probably need to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore the damaged structure and add a floating, seasonal dock, which would enable them to offer guided tours in the summer.

The Friends already own Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, which is situated beside the Coast Guard’s local headquarters in New Castle. The 48-foot building’s glowing green light switched on just as The Granite State approached on Friday night, activated automatically by the setting sun.

Made of cast-iron cylinders bolted together, the current structure is actually the third to be erected in this spot. The original was built about 200 feet away in 1771, making it the first lighthouse to be built north of Boston in the American colonies. It was replaced by an octagonal, wooden lighthouse in 1804, which made way for the current building in 1878. Now 130 years old, the original 19th century lens is still intact, though a green acrylic cylinder has been placed around it.

Just behind the lighthouse is the keeper’s house, a white building with a red roof. Of the lighthouse’s many keepers, the most well-known was Joshua Card, a New Castle native who retired in 1909 at the age of 87 after 35 years of service. Known for his sense of humor and lighthouse pride, when people asked Card what the “K” on his jacket stood for, he would supposedly tell them, “Kaptain” (it actually stood for “Keeper”).

Many locals believe Card’s ghost still prowls the property. His voice has been heard inside the lighthouse by at least two people, including D’Entremont’s wife, and Coast Guard workers have reported hearing footsteps and seeing shadowy figures in the keeper’s house.

Several paranormal investigation groups have spent the night at Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. According to D’Entremont, one psychic made a recording during which she asked, “Who’s there?” When the recording was played back, a voice seemed to utter, “the captain,” in response.

But D’Entremont is not frightened by the thought of Card’s spirit hanging around the old lighthouse. “If he is, we think he’s a good ghost,” he said. “He just enjoys being here.”

Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and Granite State Whale Watch will offer a couple of other lighthouse cruises this summer, on Aug. 16 and Sept. 13. Visit www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org.