Lighthouses are cool looking, practical, interesting to learn about, and a key piece of culture and history. Technology butts up against that with advances rendering older items obsolete. GPS in this instance means there's a bunch of lighthouses that are no longer necessary. But what to do with these coastal towers of light? The US Government's answer is simple: give them away. The Guardian has more.
Ten lighthouses that for generations have stood like sentinels along America’s shorelines protecting mariners from peril and guiding them to safety are being given away at no cost or sold at auction by the federal government.
The GSA has been transferring ownership of lighthouses since Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000. About 150 lighthouses have been transferred, 80 or so given away and another 70 auctioned, raising more than $10m.
This year, six lighthouses are being offered at no cost to federal, state or local government agencies, non-profits, educational organizations or other entities that are willing to maintain and preserve them and make them publicly available for educational, recreational or cultural purposes.
They include the 34ft-tall Plymouth/Gurnet Light in Massachusetts. The octagonal wooden structure dates to 1842, although a lighthouse has been at the site since 1768. A previous beacon at the site was staffed by America’s first female lighthouse keeper.
The other lighthouses being offered at no cost are Lynde Point lighthouse in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, Nobska lighthouse in Falmouth, Massachusetts, Little Mark Island and Monument in Harpswell, Maine, and Erie Harbor North Pier lighthouse in Pennsylvania.
The Guardian
I personally live on Long Island and have visited the Montauk Lighthouse multiple times. It is on the eastern tip of the island and is notable because it was commissioned by George Washington and is the 4th oldest active lighthouse. There is a ton of history with this single location. Imagine the plethora of history with ten of them!
So if you're looking to get into a new endeavor, perhaps Lighthouse ownership may be for you.