US to give away free lighthouses as GPS makes them unnecessary
US to give away free lighthouses as GPS makes them unnecessaryProgram aims to preserve the properties, most of which are more than a century old, to anyone willing to preserve them
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 aim of the program run by the General Services Administration is to preserve the properties, most of which are more than a century old.
The development of modern technology, including GPS, means lighthouses are no longer essential for navigation, said John Kelly of the GSA’s office of real property disposition. And while the Coast Guard often maintains aids to navigation at or near lighthouses, the structures themselves are often no longer mission critical.
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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.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/26/us-free-lighthouses-gps
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He arrives late on the first day.
He arrives late the second day.
He arrives late the third day.
Manager takes him aside and says, "before you retired, what would they say at your old job when you arrived late for work?"
Man says "Good morning General, what would you like in your coffee?".
I spent the first seven years of my life in Chassell, Michigan. That light is located at what we used to call Portage Entry -- the entry channel from the big lake (Superior) to the inland Portage Lake. Ore freighters used to come in there to shelter during bad weather on the big lake.
In summers, a Great Lakes cruise ship called the South American used to come in through Portage Entry on its way to Houghton, one of its ports of call. We're talking roughly 1960-61. My family used to pile in the car and drive down there to see her come in. A ship of that size coming into such a narrow channel was a truly awesome spectacle, especially for a little kid.
That was quite a memory blast. I honest don't think I've ever seen the words "Chassell, Michgan" come up on my computer monitor unless it was the result of a search that I initiated myself.
I’ll do the cooking and dishes, you do floors and windows.
