It's National Lighthouse Day!
It was on this day in 1789, that Congress approved an Act for the establishment and support of lighthouse, beacons, buoys and public piers. In Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the signing of the Act and the commissioning of the first Federal lighthouse, Congress passed a resolution which designated August 7, 1989 as National Lighthouse Day.
If you know me at all, you know that I have a deep love for lighthouses. It began a long, long time ago when my family would vacation in Maine every summer. We would stay at the same beach house and I'd sleep in the same bed, putting my pillow at the other end of the bed so I could see the lighthouse blinking in the distance. That was the Wood Island light.
Even though I've never lived on the coast, I've been fortunate to visit many beautiful lighthouses. Watch Hill Light (RI), Cape May (NJ), Fenwick Island (MD), Cape Henry (VA), Sullivan's Island (SC), Morris Island (SC), Hunting Island (SC), Harbour Town (SC), Tybee Island (GA), St Augustine (FL), and Jupiter Inlet (FL) and some others I've probably forgotten.
One of the most amazing places I've ever been is the Outer Banks in North Carolina. The sand, the sea, the small towns, and the lighthouses!! Currituck Beach, Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras, Okracoke, and Cape Lookout are some of the most majestic and scenic lighthouses you'll find. I could retire a very happy woman if I could wake up every day to a view of any of those.
Even my small hometown of Saugerties, NY in the Hudson Valley has a lighthouse, and you can even stay there (it's a B&B)!
I know that technology has diminished the usefulness of lighthouses for navigation purposes, but these beacons are a beautiful and unforgettable part of history.
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