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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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.

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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

[dansangel]

[dansangel]

Come join us at the Finest for a trip to Old Presque Isle, MI and a tour of a "haunted" lighthouse!

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Angel.

[Pippin]

HOWDY EARLYBIRDS!

[Aeronaut]

Hi Pippin.

[.45MAN]

Good morning to all Dansangel was a little late this morning but it was my fault I was busy reading an article on Guns, oh well, sorry people.... Have a great day..

[dansangel]

Good morning to you both. Have a wonderful "Humpday"!

(((((((Aeronaut))))))))) and (((((((Pipster)))))))

:-)

[dansangel]

Dansangel was a little late this morning but it was my fault

You're forgiven!

[The Mayor]

[dansangel]

Good Morning ((((((((Mayor))))))))

I could use a couple of those steaming hot *cuppas* this morning. Got a gloomy-hard-to-wake-up morning here in metro Atlanta.

Have a wonderful Humpday!

[GailA]

Good Morning FRiends

[The Mayor]

it's a dreary, rainy day here in Buffalo..

[The Mayor]

: )

[dansangel]

Thank you for the coffee and biscuits (((((((Gail))))))))

Give Rocky a *tummy-rub* from me!

:-)

[dansangel]

There's my second cup....thank you! LOL!

Sorry to hear it's dreary up your way, too. Oh well at least it beats 6 feet of snow - yikes!

[Straight Vermonter]

I think Presque Isle is in Maine, not Michigan.

[dansangel]

Do a google search for "Old Presque Isle Lighthouse" - plenty of info that this particular lighthouse is in Michigan.

There *is* another Presque Isle in Me and also in PA. Kind of like "Canton" and "Columbus"- many states seem to have that as well.

[FreeTheHostages]

[FreeTheHostages]

!! I've been to Presque Isle -- it's beautiful country. Potato country. If you can find a bag of presque potatos, those are good potatos! It's closer to Nova Scotia then you might guess.

This labor day I go to visit a lighthouse I love, the lighthouse at Pemaquid Point, just south of Portland, Maine.

[Calpernia]

Oooh, LiteKeeper, come by here today!