Dear Lighthouse Digest,

Congratulations on the 15th Anniversary of Lighthouse Digest and your work to preserve lighthouses. We appreciate your efforts.

Stan Farnham

President

Florida Lighthouse Association, Inc.

Editor’s Reply:

Thanks. We received many congratulatory letters these past few months. The kind words keep us motivated!

Dear Lighthouse Digest,

I hope this letter finds you well.

I wanted to extend a note of appreciation to you concerning the Lighthouse Digest. I have been a subscriber for many years but for various reasons, I let all secular subscriptions expire. I know money talks, but I can assure you that each and every issue remains in our home.

As an official landlubber, what a world you opened up for me. There are so many parallels between the lighthouse and life's ups and downs experiences. Jesus, the Light of the World, laid down his life for others. Those who maintain vigil, and those who supply them, for the sake of others are doing likewise. For sure, Coast Guard lighthouse keeping duty is unheralded heroism at its finest.

Keep those wonderful pictures and articles going as long as you can. God bless you and may our paths meet again.

Gratefully,

Yvonne Honeycutt

Editor’s Reply:

This type of letter, as we received from Yvonne, is not uncommon to us, as we receive similar letters from time to time. We wish we could afford to send out complimentary subscriptions to all the people that would love to receive Lighthouse Digest, but we simply can't afford it.

However, because of these types of situations, we have created a Lightkeeper's Reading Fund to allow our subscribers to donate to the fund. In turn, we would, from time to time, draw money from this fund to pay for subscriptions to Lighthouse Digest for people that really want the magazine, but can't afford it and also for Lighthouse groups or libraries who might not be able to afford the subscriptions. I know this is very unusual, but I thinks it's such a great idea, that it might work. Although your donation to the fund would not be tax deductible, you would be helping promote lighthouses, helping to promote the many nonprofit lighthouse groups that we write about and help to save and tell the historical stories associated with lighthouses. I welcome our reader's comments or donations to support this idea. If you think I'm off the wall with this idea, I'd also welcome those comments. Donations can be sent to:

Lightkeeper's Reading Fund

c/o Lighthouse Digest

P.O. Box 250

East Machias, ME 04630

Dear Lighthouse Digest,

Regarding the article on the Lydia Ann Lighthouse in the May 2007 issue; paragraph #4 is incorrect. Lydia Ann Island and Channel happened to be named after Lydia Ann Dana Hastings Hull Wells, wife of Captain James B. Wells. I have several reference points. In particular, a map published in the New York Times during the War Between the States, which shows "Lydia Anns Island" clearly marked. Since Lydia Ann Island clearly predates said Stephenson Lydia Ann (by the way, her daughter is quoted as saying that her Mother's middle name was not Ann), she is not viable as a namesake.

Charles Butt commissioned an historical record to be written regarding the Lighthouse, that record was published with only 600 copies; I have one that is numbered and signed by the author. The book belonged to my father, the great grandson of Lydia Ann Wells. I believe that there is a copy of this book in the La Retama Library in Corpus Christi, Texas. Texas A & M at Corpus Christi has considerable records on hand also. Forgive me for not writing the exact name of the book, but I am in Colorado at the moment, and I do not have my information handy.

The historic marker at the Lighthouse is also incorrect and has just come to my family's attention. We are going to try to have it corrected very soon.

Lawren Ethridge Bradford

This story appeared in the August 2007 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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