Light Hearted

This is an an edited version of a conversation that was first heard in episode 62 in May 2020. The guest is Elaine Jones and the subject is Burnt Island Light in Maine. A lighthouse was built in 1821 on five-acre Burnt Island at the west side of the entrance to Boothbay Harbor in Maine, which was a center for shipbuilding, gristmills, and fishing going back to the 1700s. In 1988, Burnt Island became one of the last Maine light stations to be automated and destaffed. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/elainejones1-1024x659.jpg]Elaine Jones painting the Burnt Island Lighthouse tower in 1998. Courtesy of Elaine Jones In 1998, as part of the Maine Lights Program, Burnt Island Light Station was transferred to the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Elaine Jones was named the director of the new facility, and it was her vision to transform the island into an outstanding educational and recreational facility for Maine’s residents and its visitors. She retired in 2021 after 30 years with the Department of Marine Resources. In fact, her last day of work was the exact 200th anniversary of the first lighting of Burn Island Light on November 9, 1821. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_1722adj-1024x683.jpg]Burnt Island Light Station, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont

Portsmouth Harbor Light Station, near the mouth of the Piscataqua River in the town of New Castle, New Hampshire, is one of the most picturesque and historic lighthouses in New England. The original wooden lighthouse on the site (1771) was the first lighthouse north of Boston. The present (1878) cast-iron lighthouse stands on the grounds of Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor, neighboring historic Fort Constitution. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/100_5068adj2-1024x683.jpg]Portsmouth Harbor Light, NH. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. The American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) and its local chapter, Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses (FPHL), have been managing the lighthouse since 2001. FPHL gave tours for tens of thousands of people over the years, but the tours have been curtailed in recent years due to storm damage. Joining host Jeremy D’Entremont, who is also the former chair of FPHL, are Michelle Jewell Shaw, current chair of FPHL; Bob Zimman, vice chair of FPHL; and Bob Trapani Jr., executive director of ALF. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/michelle-shaw-lens-1024x768.jpg]Michelle Jewell Shaw [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/bob-zimman-683x1024.jpg]Bob Zimman [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Bob-Trapani-100_4264-1024x683.jpg]Bob Trapani Jr.

The first lighthouse on Curtis island at the entrance to Camden, Maine, was established in 1836. For many years, the island served as a signal station for the large steamships that passed by. The 25-foot brick lighthouse tower that still stands was built in 1896, and the light was automated in 1972. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/IMG_5389adj-1024x683.jpg]Curtis Island Light Station, Camden, Maine. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. The Town of Camden now owns the island and the lighthouse. In 2023, the Curtis Island Lighthouse Foundation was established with a mission to historically restore the light station and to develop a perpetual preservation fund in partnership with the Town of Camden. Michael Skaling is the president of the Curtis Island Lighthouse Foundation and has taken a lead role in the preservation of the historic site. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/XIMG_0262adj-1024x683.jpg]Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

This is a look back at an interview that was first heard in episode 122 back in May 2021. The interview is with Elena Hansteensen, who is the owner of Littleisland Lighthouse in Norway, which is operated as a small hotel. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/screenshot_13-1024x550.png]Litløy fyr, Norway. (Courtesy of Littleisland Lighthouse) Litløy fyr, or Littleisland Lighthouse in English, is on a small island off the northwest coast of Norway, inside the Arctic Circle. It was first lit in October 1912. For a time, it was the second most powerful lighthouse in Norway. In 2006, the light station was bought by Elena Hantseensen, with the intention of making it accessible to the public. The property has been renovated and overnight accommodations are available, as well as guided tours. As Elena has said, “How can I be lonely here, when I’m living my dream?” [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image-1024x537.png]Elena Hansteensen

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7785-rotated.jpg]Tom and Darlene Chisholm on a Texas trip in 2022. Photo by Carol Nettleton. Darlene Chisholm of Albion, Michigan, is a veteran of many U.S. Lighthouse Society tours, both in the U.S. and abroad. In the course of her travels, she’s photographed well over 4,000 lighthouses. Darelene was a longtime librarian in the public school system in Albion. Her husband, Tom, was president of the education association in Albion. They met at a teachers’ meeting, and they were soon attending basketball games together. They were married in 1969. Darlene and Tom traveled extensively around the world until Tom passed away in 2023, visiting all seven continents. Darlene continues to travel on her own, carrying with her the memory of so many wonderful trips with Tom. U.S. Lighthouse Society Executive Director Jeff Gales co-hosts this episode. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/219-1024x682.jpg]Darlene and Tom Chisholm with their friends Phil and Mary Borkowski. USHLS photo.