A Few Of FR's Finest....Every Day....08-06-03....The Lighthouse at Old Presque Isle, MI

dansangel ^

[dansangel]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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The Lighthouse at
Old Presque Isle, MI

A year or so ago, .45MAN and I happened to catch a series on PBS highlighting various lighthouses around the United States. The most fascinating, to me, was the vignette about the lighthouse at Old Presque Isle, MI. The following story tells why.



From: "Haunted? You Decide!":

Keeper George Parris and his wife, Lorraine, moved into the Old Presque Isle Lighthouse and Museum in 1977. The lighthouse had been built in 1840. In 1870 the lighthouse was decommissioned when the taller New Presque Isle Lighthouse was built. The old lighthouse suffered from neglect until the Stebbins family bought it from the U.S. government in the early 1900s. The family rebuilt the keeper's dwelling and used it as a summer home. They opened the restored keeper's dwelling and lighthouse to tourists. After their children were grown, the Stebbins family decided to give the property to the tourists. George and Lorraine became the caretakers, moving into the keeper's dwelling in mid-May.

George enjoyed the visitors to the lighthouse, especially the children. He enjoyed taking the visitors to the lighthouse on a tour of the buildings and grounds and telling them about the hard life and heroic deeds of the Keepers and their families. He also enjoyed playing harmless pranks on the light station visitors - the grownups as well as the children - by giving them a "muscle test" with the foghorn. The blast of the foghorn invariably knocked the visitors off their feet! In spite of his tricks, the visitors loved George and would return year after year to visit the lighthouse and to see what new tricks he had decided to play on them.



On January 2, 1992, George died of a massive heart attack. The following May, Lorraine didn't want to go back to the cottage alone, but her kids talked her into it. One evening when Lorraine was driving along Grand Lake Road on her way back to the light station, she felt her eyes drawn to the tower - and to her utter amazement she saw a light shining in the lantern room! Lorraine knew that this was impossible as George had disconnected the electricity to the tower so the light wouldn't accidentally be turned on. The Coast Guard said it was illegal to display a light in the tower as mariners might confuse it with the New Presque Lighthouse. To be doubly certain that no accidental lighting would occur, the Coast Guard had removed the gears so the lens could no longer rotate.

4th Order Fresnel Lens

As Lorraine approached the house, she could no longer see the light. The next day she climbed to the tower to reassure herself that someone had not reconnected the power lines and restored the gears. The lantern room was empty.

Lorraine didn't say anything to anybody about what she had seen as she didn't want to be ridiculed ... but she continued to see the light whenever she drove along the stretch of Grand Lake Road that looks out over Presque Isle Harbor.



Soon people began reporting the light in the old tower. The light appeared to have a yellowish cast, as if from an old oil lamp. National Guard pilots reported seeing it when they flew night missions over the peninsula. The Coast Guard being taking notice of it too!

On July 4, 1992, a little girl reported seeing a man at the top of the stairs leading to the lantern room. The little girl described a tall man with snow-white hair and a beard, and wearing glasses. When shown a picture of George, she said it was the man in the tower but he had been "brighter white" when she saw him than he was in the pictures. This child had never met George when he was alive.

These are but a few of the strange happenings at Old Presque Isle Lighthouse. People have reported that George's light had guided them safely to shore on dark, stormy, foggy nights. People have reported playful pranks by unseen hands while visiting the lighthouse. To this day, the light still comes on at dusk and goes off at daylight. The U.S. Coast Guard has classified it as an "unidentified" light.

There isn't much more I can add to that touching story other than to say it is truly a legend that speaks of love and devotion. The light still mysteriously shines to this day as George sends his undying love to his beloved wife Lorraine and the lighthouse that brightened up his life.

If you wish to learn more about lighthouses, the following Website is a gateway to the many sites available on the Internet offering photos and descriptions:

The Lighthouse Depot Explorer

Enjoy!

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 08-04-03 Military Monday 08-05-03 Texas, MY Texas

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God Bless Our Military

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below are names of some of our FReepers' loved ones who are serving our country. If you have someone you would like to add, please address a post to Billie; Dansangel; Dutchess; Mama_Bear; and we will add their name to this list. As we pray for them, we pray also for all our nation’s leaders, and military personnel, and their families and friends. May God hold them close to His heart.

~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~

We ask Lord, that You guide the leaders of our great country in their hour of decision. The burden that has been placed on their shoulders is overwhelming. We ask that with Your infinite wisdom You guide them gently to the right decisions.

Please give us the strength, Lord, to get through each difficult and devastating day that faces each of us and our country. Protect and guide our Military that are now being called to duty, strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OhioWfan........................son mystery-ak..........son, husband Gogrammy................grandson Inspectorette...................son Blessed American..........nephew Slip18..........................nephew anniegetyourgun...........nephew Pippin....niece,nephew,loved one Doug from Upland......son-in-law weldgophardline.....brotherinlaw Future Snake Eater..........cousin WaterDragon..son-in-law,grandson BeforeISleep...................son The Mayor........................niece LadyX.........................grandson fawn796.....................nephew ValerieUSA................2 sons Warrior Nurse...........active duty SK1 Thurman...........active duty David Osborne.........active duty fc2tomschermuly......active duty bkwells..................activve duty LongCut..................active duty Trish.......................active duty

Maigrey................cousin ladtx....................2 sons Mama_Bear...........nephew gator girl............husband severa................husband MozartLover......son, nephew LBGA........................son SpookBrat...........nephew Himyar.....................son boxerblues............2 sons the piper...................son sheeza...............husband kemathen7...........husband Diver Dave................niece deadhead................cousin JimRobinson.....2 nephews Armymarinemom.....3 sons Consort..2 daughters,son-in-law Darheel..................niece dixie sass.............nephew BeAllYouCanBe.........son AgThorn...............2 sons homeschoolmama.......nephew kneezles.................son

[Aquamarine]

Good morning (((Dansy))) Interesting story about the mysterious light.

Do you and .45Man plan to visit a different lighthouse this year?

[dansangel]

Hi (((((((Freezie))))))

This particular Presque Isle is in Michigan - by mentioning potatoes and Nova Scotia, I think *you're* thinking Maine.

Straight Vermonter admonished me, but there *really is* a Presque Isle ***MICHIGAN***

Promise!

:-)

[dansangel]

Do you and .45Man plan to visit a different lighthouse this year?

We are going to try for Sapelo Island in GA this year. It's reached by ferry and sounds like a beautiful light.

(((((((Aqua))))))))

Thank you for the kind words!

[Calpernia]

Goodmorning to ALL!!

[FreeTheHostages]

LOL! Oh my goodness. Oops. OK. Well, maybe they have potatos there too?

[Calpernia]

{{{Angel!}}}

I love this post today! I'm debating adding tidbits or saving them for my state. We have some lovely lighthouses here on the East Coast with great stories.

Excellent job.

[Calpernia]

Ahhh, Aeronauts fly overs are back! Love it.

[Calpernia]

Wow, a cup last night and again this morning! I'm going to have the caffine jitters :)

[Aquamarine]

The pledge graphic is so pretty, is it new?

BTW...you should be glad you didn't have to take 400 to work this morning, I hear it's shut down. Think a big truck hit an overhead sign.

[iceskater]

Neat story. Thanks for sharing it!

[Aquamarine]

Good morning!

[Calpernia]

Morning Free! What has happen to Fiddlstix? Anyone hear?

[dansangel]

Well, maybe they have potatos there too?

I would hope so - I'd hate to live anywhere that I couldn't get a good baked potato or some fries - LOL! I'm a *carb* freak!

[dansangel]

Thank you (((((((((Cal)))))))) for the kind words. We are blessed to have *many* beautiful lighthouses. I'm so glad that a lot of them are being restored.

Love your tag line - The Thin Man would not appreciate it, though...LOL!!

[dansangel]

Saw that on the 5 am news this morning - egad!

Then, the first crane they brought in had a malfunction. What a nightmare!!

[dansangel]

The pledge graphic is so pretty, is it new?

Oops - forgot to answer your question. Yes, I put it together this past weekend. Thank you!

[Calpernia]

Ok, I have to add a neat tidbit.

Bay of Delaware, Cape May, NJ

The President of the United States

Treasury Department

July 6, 1796

The Secretary of the Treasury respectively submits to the President of the United States a Letter from the Commissioner of the Revenue dated the 5th instant, covering a provisional contract entered into by William Allibone, Superintendent of the Lighthouse establishment for the Bay of Delaware, with Garret Halencamp (?) for placing & managing the floating Beacon & Buoy in the said bay of Delaware.

Proposals for executing the contracts in question were received from several other persons; but as the one made by Halencamp (?) were the lowest and perhaps not unreasonable considering the advanced price of living, the Secretary is of the opinion that it will be for the ______of the _____ if the President should think proper to approve of the said provisional contract between the Superintendent & Garrett Halencamp (?) all which is most respectively submitted to the consideration of the President U.S.

Oliv. Wolcott

Secretary of the Treasury

The Secretary of the Treasury

The contract entered into between William Allibone, Superintendent of the Lighthouse establishment for the Bay of Delaware of Garret Halencamp (?), for the placing and maintaining the floating Beacons and Buoys in the said bay of Delaware, is returned approved.

It is to be presumed that these contracts are not more of request than necessary yet as they are so often repeated, & are heavy in the aggregate for the above mentioned bay, it may not be inappropriate to make indirect inquiry whether these frequent renewals are the result of real necessity – and to what account the old materials, are carried.

Mount Vernon 13th July 1796

G. Washington

[dansangel]

Thank you ((((((((iceskater))))))))

As I said to Calpernia, we are so blessed here in the US to have so many wonderful lighthouses - on both coasts, the Gulf and even on the Great Lakes.

Happy Humpday!

[FreeTheHostages]

Good question. My theory: people are under the belief that they are permitted to go on vacation or get busy without getting an Official Freeper's Finest Hall Pass. Tsk, tsk! ;)

My guess is, actually, something like vacation or business. Happens. I regret not hanging around for most of the Texas thread yesterday. It's supposed to be summer! August even!! WHY am I so busy!!!?

[Calpernia]

I did the tagline right after I saw him declare it Typos Amnesty Day. I don't think he ever noticed it. I am about to change it to a quote I found. So take a peak now TTM.