Greg Krawczyk

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Keepers Mascot: Maddie

Maddie Risinger. Photo courtesy John and Jean Risinger.

We spotlight Mascot #13 – “Madeline” – a poodle owned by John & Jean. John provided the following funny bio on Maddie – a very devoted pet. Madeline – her friends call her “Maddie” and her toys call her “Tiger”. At eleven pounds, Maddie is just a little over a hand full, but she is …

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Webelos Pack 194 of Arlington, VA

Chapter Scout Patch

Troop Leader Donna Lorge sent us nine applications, completed by Webelos Pack 194 of Arlington, VA. She reported that the troop completed six activities. These 5th graders’ service project consisted of an overnight stay in St. Michaels and participated in Keeper Karen’s program at Hooper Strait Lighthouse. ~ Winter 2013 Contact: Education Coordinator, email: education@cheslights.org …

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Keepers Mascot: Charlie

Charlie Morgan. Photo courtesy of Jane Morgan.

Mascot #10 – “Charlene Grace Neely- Morgan” – is a nearly 10-year old mixed female cocker spaniel/golden retriever owned by Jane. Jane provided the following funny and touching bio on Charlie. Charlie came to my family as a puppy in February 2002, shortly after my father died and my niece named her so she could …

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Keepers Mascot: JubJub and Oliver

JubJub and Oliver. Photo courtesy of Maria Alvarez-Lundie.

In the Keeper’s Circle this time, we spotlight two pets of Chapter Communications Officer Maria and her husband, Carl – Mascot number 7 – our first reptile member, a turtle – JubJub – and number 8 – a feline – Oliver. Maria provided the following biography on both family pets. JubJub was named by daughter …

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Keepers Mascot: Pal

Pal Witucki, mascot # 6. Photo by Barbara Witucki.

Mascot number 6 – “Pal” – is a seven-year-old mini lop breed rabbit, pet of members Barbara & Larry. It was most appropriate and strictly coincidental that we honor signup #6 at this time (Spring 2011). The Chinese New Year – “The Year of the Rabbit” began on February 3 and we have just concluded …

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Keepers Mascot: Sabby and Toffee

Sabby (left) & Toffee Buckler. Photo by Melissa (Buckler) Smith.

Newsletter editors Paula & Lauren, “parents” of our third signup, hamster Gustave, mentioned in the Summer and Fall 2010 newsletters, have graciously allowed me to salute keeper mascot numbers four & five – felines Sabby and Toffee in this quarter’s “Circle of Honor”. According to member Melissa, Sabby, a dark gray tabby, adopted her in …

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Keepers Mascot: Molly Zupolly

Spotlighted in the member “circle” is our second sign-up, Little Molly Zupolly, the beloved bichon frise of Karen and Dave. Little Molly is 13 years young and became a member of the family in 1997. According to Karen & Dave, Little Molly is free-spirited, loves children, walks, car rides and has a special fondness for …

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Keepers Mascot: Jeffrey

Jeffrey Liebrecht courtesy of Lauren and Paula Liebrecht.

Meet Jeffrey, a.k.a. Jeffrey’s Hook, our first Keeper’s Mascot member. Jeffrey resides with Paula and Lauren; lighthouses and hamsters mean a lot to both of them. And because of their love of lighthouses, their hamsters are usually named after them; i.e., Rockland, Pemaquid, Ponce, Jupiter, etc. Jeffrey became a member of the family on May …

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Timeline: Chesapeake Lightship

(Located – Pier 3, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD. Moored next to National Aquarium. Lightship designations: LV116 / LS116/ WAL538/WLV538 – revised 04/29/13) 1930 Built and placed in service with the US Lighthouse Service in Charleston, SC. 133 feet long w/30 foot beam and a 375mm electric lens fitted on each masthead. First Light Station assignment …

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Timeline: Portsmouth Lightship

(Located at the foot of London and Water Streets, Portsmouth, VA. Lightship designations: LV101/WAL524 – 04/28/2013) 1915 Built at Wilmington, DE. 102 feet long, 25 foot beam, 360 ton displacement. Fitted with 500mm lens with six flash panels and kerosene lamp. 1916 Stationed at Smith Island Shoals, Cape Charles, VA. Known as Charles. 1917 Illuminant …

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Timeline: Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

(Located on East Mellen Street, in front of Fort Monroe, facing the Chesapeake Bay, north side of the entrance to Hampton Roads, VA – Revised – 04/26/13) 1802/1803 54 foot octagonal cut-stone tower built by Elzy Burroughs – 2nd oldest lighthouse on the Bay; location- Fort George. 1812 British troops capture Fort George and use …

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Timeline: Wolf Trap Lighthouse

(Located three miles offshore, between the York & entrance to Rappahannock Rivers, Mathews County, VA – 03-14-18) 1821 Lightship stationed on Wolf Trap Shoal. 1861 Confederate troops destroy lightship. 1864 Lightship station re-established. 1870 Screw pile lighthouse built on shoal. 1893 Lighthouse destroyed by ice floes and swept 20 miles down the bay, settling near …

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Timeline: Thimble Shoal Lighthouse

(Located 3.5 miles east of Old Point Comfort, at the mouth of James River, Hampton Roads, VA – Updated 5/27/2020) 1821: Lightship stationed near Thimble Shoal. 1872: First lighthouse, a screwpile, erected. 10/30/1880: Screwpile cottage destroyed by fire. Foundation survives. 12/24/1880: Screwpile cottage, destined for Bells Rock, VA installed instead on existing ironwork. 2nd fog …

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Timeline: Smith Point Lighthouse

(Located 80 miles south of Baltimore on the Virginia side of the entrance of the Potomac River, 2.5 miles east-southeast of Smith Point) 1802-93 Two land-based lighthouses, two lightships and one screwpile in service. 1893 Screwpile damaged by ice. Keepers abandon station. 1895 Screwpile carried away by ice. 1897 Present 52 foot tall caisson light …

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Timeline: Newport News Middle Ground Lighthouse

(Located at the confluence of the James River and the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads, Newport News, VA. Oldest caisson lighthouse in Virginia. Updated 5/27/2020) 1891: 56-foot tall caisson with tower and cast-iron lantern built on L-shaped Middle Ground shoal. Five levels with basement in the top of the caisson. Fitted with 4th-order Fresnel lens and …

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Timeline: New Point Comfort Lighthouse

(Located at the entrance of Mobjack Bay, 21 miles north of Old Point Comfort, in Mathews County, VA. Visible from observation platform /walkway at VA Nature Conservancy’s New Point Comfort Preserve, Bavon, VA – Updated 5/27/2020 1804: 58-foot octagonal cut-stone tower, 3rd oldest lighthouse on the Bay built by the first keeper, Elzy Burroughs. 1865: …

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Timeline: Jones Point Lighthouse

(Located one mile south of Alexandria, VA – on west bank of Potomac River, Jones Point Park, just south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge) (Revised-04/18/13) 1856 Present white wooden frame dwelling with integral roof-mounted black lantern constructed by Charles Church. Illumination by whale oil lamps in 5th –order Fresnel lens. 1858 Light fueled by newly …

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Timeline: Assateague Island Lighthouse

(Located within Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Chincoteague, VA) 1833 First brick tower, 45 foot tall, built. 1860 Construction of second and present tower begun. Work suspended during the Civil war. 1866-1867 Construction of 142 foot brick tower resumed and completed. Fitted with first-order Fresnel lens. Large keepers’ dwelling constructed. 1874 Life-saving station established three miles …

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Lyceum Museum – (4th & 5th Order Fresnel lenses)

The Lyceum is Alexandria’s History Museum. Originally built in 1839 as a community center and library, this elegant Greek revival structure still serves as an educational and cultural focal point. An ongoing exhibition tells the story of Alexandria, founded in 1749 and once one of the busiest ports in America. Using archaeological finds, old photographs, …

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York Spit Station

The station was established in 1855 and located in the Chesapeake Bay near the entrance to the York River in Virginia. The first lightship to mark this spot is not identified. In 1861 lightship “T” was on station and was sunk, destroyed or removed by Confederate forces during the U.S. Civil War. From 1861 to …

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Winter Quarter Shoal Station

Station was located approximately 8.5 miles off Assateague Island, Virginia, 13 miles and 080 degrees from the Assateague Lighthouse. It marked the approach to the Chesapeake Bay from the north. From 1874-1875, LV24 served this station. The ship was built in 1863 by Stephen Andrews of New Bedford, Massachusetts. In November 1875 LV24 was replaced …

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Windmill Point Station

Station was located in the Chesapeake Bay, near the entrance to the Rappahannock River in Virginia. Lightship “U” was assigned in 1834 when the station was established. It stayed on station until 1861 when Confederate forces sunk, destroyed or removed the ship. The station was vacant from 1861-1863. It is not known what vessel was …

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Upper Cedar Point Station

Station was located in the Potomac River, approximately 44 miles upriver from the Chesapeake Bay. Anchored on the south side of the channel off the mouth of the Tobacco River, about 2.75 miles from the route 301 bridge. In 1821, the first lightship placed on this station was designated “LL”. It is not known how …

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Thirty-Five Foot Channel Station

Thirty-Five Foot Channel, 1908-1919 Located on the lower Chesapeake Bay 10.9 miles and 331 degrees from Cape Henry, Virginia, this station marks the junction for the westbound York River entrance and the northbound Chesapeake channel. This station was served by LV-45 from 1908-1918. The 124-foot-long schooner was built in 1887 by Houston & Woodbridge of …

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Tail of the Horseshoe Station

Tail of the Horseshoe, 1901-1922 As early as 1895, petitions were being made to Congress from steamship lines running out of Baltimore, MD, Norfolk, and Newport News, VA., to place a lightship at to mark shoals at The Tail of the Horseshoe. The Tail of the Horseshoe Shoal was an extensive shoal that extended approximately …

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Wolf Trap Station

The first lightship stationed at Wolf Trap Shoal, designated “S”, was built in 1820 and stationed at the shoal in 1821. No record as to how long it was on station or what happened to the ship. The next lightship (“T”) stationed at the shoal was built in 1856 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was …

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Willoughby Spit Station

The Willoughby Spit was a 120-ton wooden hull ship built in 1821. It replaced lightship “C” when it was moved to Craney Island. The station marked the south side of the channel for entering Hampton Roads. This ship served on station from 1821-1847 when it was replaced with a 400-ton iron hull ship. This was …

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Smith Point Station

Smith Point, 1821-1897 Smith Point Station in Virginia served several purposes. It marked the south side of the entrance to the Potomac River on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay. Almost 100 miles up the Potomac are the busy ports of Alexandria, Virginia, and Washington D.C. In 1881, a total of 1,889 ships visited …

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Lower Cedar Point Station

Lower Cedar Point, 1825-1867 In 1825, the first of two lower Cedar Point lightships were positioned in the section of the Potomac River often referred to as the “narrows of the Potomac”.  This is approximately 40 miles upriver from the Chesapeake Bay.  From 1825-1861, the lightship designated as “DD”, occupied this position until the ship …

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Timeline: Overfalls Lightship

(Located – Lewes & Rehoboth Canal at end of Shipcarpenter Street, Lewes, Delaware. Lightship designations: LV118, WAL539. The last lightship built by the Lighthouse Service. (04/11/2013) 1938 Built at East Boothbay, Maine by Rice Brothers. 116 feet long, 25 foot beam. Displaces 412 tons. Fitted with Duplex 375mm electric lens lantern. 1938 Stationed at Cornfield …

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