Light Hearted

Light Hearted ep 331 – Joe Santiana, Ashtabula, OH

Ashtabula, Ohio, is a community of about 18,000 people at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie. In the late 1800s the city was a major port for the shipping of coal and iron ore. The first lighthouse in Ashtabula Harbor was a small wooden tower built in 1836. When the channel into the harbor was widened and a breakwater was constructed in 1905, a new lighthouse was built at the end of the breakwater: the square two-story dwelling with a short tower on its roof that still stands today. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DSC_5386adj-cropped-1024x621.jpg]Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/joe-santiana-IMG_3880-1024x740.jpg]Joe Santiana The lighthouse was automated in 1973. A house that was built on the mainland in 1871 for the keepers and families is now the Ashtabula Maritime & Surface Transportation Museum, with more than 25,000 historic items on display. Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the Ashtabula Lighthouse Restoration and Preservation Society in 2007. Our guest, Joe Santiana, is the president of the Ashtabula Lighthouse Restoration and Preservation Society.

Light Hearted Lite #33: Italian historian/author Annamaria Mariotti

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/0001-Maine-trip-8-17-October-2010-001-1005-01-768x576.jpg]Light Hearted host Jeremy D’Entremont with Annamaria Mariotti in 2010 at Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse in Maine This is an edited version of an interview from September 2020. The guest is Annamaria Mariotti, an author and lighthouse historian in Italy. Lilla, as she’s known to friends, is the author of many books, articles, and stories related to the sea. Many of her articles have appeared in The Keeper’s Log, Lighthouse Digest, Coast Guard News, the New York Times, and many more. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Lilla-Lanterna.jpg]Annamaria Mariotti inside the Lanterna di Genoa Her lighthouse-related books include Tales of lighthouses and other sea stories, The evolution of lighthouses from the origins to the Kingdom of Italy, and The Lighthouses of Tuscany. In 2011 she published The World’s Greatest Lighthouses, which features photographs of the most picturesque lighthouses in the world and text that describes each structure’s location, architecture, construction, history, technology, and stories of lighthouse keepers. She’s also written award-winning short stories. In 2006, the General Command of the Harbor Offices, Coast Guard, and the Mediaset Group awarded her the NAVIGARE INFORMATI Award “For her constant commitment to the dissemination of maritime culture in our country.”

Light Hearted ep 330 – Dave Briska, Dunkirk, NY

Dunkirk, New York, is on the south shore of Lake Erie, about 35 miles southwest of Buffalo. Dunkirk, with its natural harbor, got one of the earliest lighthouses on the lake. The first lighthouse at Point Gratiot in Dunkirk began service in 1827. The lighthouse that stands today was completed in 1876. The 61-foot square limestone tower stands next to a brick gothic revival keeper’s house. The light was automated and the last Coast Guard keepers were removed in 1962. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DSC_5317adj-1024x683.jpg]Dunkirk Light Station, New York. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/unnamed-1-768x1024.jpg] A group of local citizens leased the property from the Coast Guard and turned it into a memorial park and lighthouse museum. The first floor of the keeper’s house is a museum with lighthouse artifacts, and the second floor is a military museum with rooms devoted to each branch of the armed forces. There’s also a separate building with additional exhibits on the Navy and Coast Guard. Dave Briska has many titles, including manager and events coordinator. He’s essentially the modern day lighthouse keeper. Averie Shaughnessy-Comfort cohosts. Left: Dave Briska with tour guide Lincoln and his brother William. Courtesy of Dunkirk Lighthouse.

Light Hearted Lite #32 – Florida lighthouse historian Josh Liller

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/402058094_773022244837494_7951479926030687346_n-1024x945.jpg]Josh Liller inside the lens at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 16 back in 2019. The guest is Josh Liller, Historian and Collections Manager for the Loxahatchee River Historical Society and Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum. Josh is also historian for the  Florida Lighthouse Association. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_2898adj-683x1024.jpg]Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. Josh specializes in lighthouse and military history. He’s also a tour guide, lecturer, and author. He’s the co-author of Five Thousand Years on the Loxahatchee, and editor of the second edition of The Florida Lighthouse Trail.

Light Hearted ep 329 – Frank Sipkovsky and Dave Kramer, Lorain West Breakwater Light, OH

Lorain, Ohio, on the south shore of Lake Erie, is known for its history as an industrial hub, and it’s also been an important point for the shipping of materials like coal, iron ore, and limestone. Lorain West Breakwater Lighthouse, also known simply as Lorain Lighthouse, began service in 1919,. The building consists of a square tower rising from the corner of a two-and-one-half story keeper’s house. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DSC_5347adj-1024x683.jpg]Loran West Breakwater Lighthouse. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. After it was decommissioned in 1966, the Coast Guard was planning to demolish the lighthouse. Local preservationists were able to lease the structure and the demolition was canceled. The all-volunteer Lorain Lighthouse Foundation now spearheads the preservation of the lighthouse. Frank Sipkovsky is the chairman, and Dave Kramer is a board member and historian. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Frank-Sipkovsky-and-Dave-Kramer-IMG_3823-1024x768.jpeg]Frank Sipkovsky and Dave Kramer. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.