Light Hearted

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.

Light Hearted Lite #31 – Dianna Stampfler and “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses”

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/mi-haunted-lhs-cover-683x1024.jpeg] This is an edited version of an interview first heard in May 2021. Dianna Stampfler has written countless articles for many Michigan travel and culture periodicals. In August 2004, she launched Promote Michigan to help market the people, places, and products of her home state. Dianna has also been researching Michigan’s lighthouses for many years. In 2019, she published her book Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses through the History Press. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Dianna-Stampfler-1024x768.jpeg]Dianna Stampfler Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state, with more than 120 dotting its expansive Great Lakes shoreline. Many of these lighthouses lay claim to haunted happenings. In 2022, Dianna published a new book, Death & Lighthouses on the Great Lakes: A History of Murder and Misfortune.

Light Hearted ep 328 – Don Ladolcetta and “Hannah: The Lighthouse Girl of Newfoundland”

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/don-ladolcetta-760x1024.jpg]Don Ladolcetta Don Ladolcetta’s new book, Hannah: The Lighthouse Girl of Newfoundland, tells the story of a young girl who doesn’t know what to expect when her family moves to an isolated lighthouse on the rugged Newfoundland coast. What she discovers is a life filled with adventure, wonder—and danger. SARAH Facing everything from the fury of Mother Nature to illness, the Great Depression, and World War II, Hannah must find the strength to follow her dreams. When a stunning loss upends her world, Hannah decides to take a bold step along a new path. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/hannah-cover.jpg] In the tradition of Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables, this novel of a spirited girl growing into a strong woman is based on a true story. In fact, Hannah was Don’s mother, and the book is inspired by true family lore and is sprinkled with cultural insights.

Light Hearted Lite #30 – Russ Rowlett and The Lighthouse Directory

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/image.png]Russ Rowlett Today’s interview was first heard in episode 19 back in 2019. The conversation is with Russ Rowlett, webmaster of The Lighthouse Directory, one of the most useful lighthouse-related sites on the internet. When Russ was growing up in Richmond, Virginia, his only exposure to lighthouses was climbing the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse when his family vacationed at Virginia Beach. Russ earned a doctorate degree in math at the University of Virginia in the 1960s, and he taught math at Princeton and then the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In 1987 he became Director of the Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He’s also known for his research on the metric system and units of measurement. Russ started his website, The Lighthouse Directory, in 1999, and it kept growing until, by 2009, it covered the whole world. The address of the site is ibiblio.org/lighthouse/  [https://www.ibiblio.org/lighthouse/]  At this moment there are listings for more than 24,600 of the world’s lighthouses. If there are more lighthouses out there, Russ will find them. [http://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/screen-shot-2018-11-26-at-9-18-49-am-1.png]

Light Hearted ep 327 – Therese Langer Woelfel and “Our Guiding Light”

[https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/56-Author-Photo-683x1024.jpeg]Therese Woelfel Therese Woelfel, who lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has held leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial endeavors, and non-profit organizations. Her new book, Our Guiding Light, is her first non-fiction work. Therese’s grandfather, Charles A. Linsmeier, was a Lighthouse Service keeper at several stations on the Great Lakes from 1920 to 1953. The book tells the story of Linsmeier’s daughter Vivian, who was Therese’s mother. [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Our-Guding-Light-Ebook-Web-Version-images-JPEG-2-640x1024.jpg] Here’s an excerpt from the book description: “A lighthouse doesn’t calm the storm. It simply reminds you where the shore is and says, ‘You are being cared for and watched over.’ From her parents and the other lighthouse keepers they knew, Vivian learned some of the most valuable lessons of her life: honesty and service to others. As she navigated her life, living through the Great Depression and World War II, standing up to social injustice, and raising eight children, she surrendered to the divine and allowed herself to be watched over. In turn, she was able to be a steady beacon of light and hope for those who encountered life storms.” [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/1-Vivian.jpg]Vivian Linsmeier Langer [https://news.uslhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/17-Charlie-Headkeeper.jpg]Charles Linsmeier ----------------------------------------