Wood Island Lighthouse: Stories from the Edge of the Sea

by Richard Parsons

Overview

Wood Island Lighthouse is the fifth-oldest lighthouse in the state, and it has cast its beacon into the Gulf of Maine for more than two hundred years. Its myths and legends have passed through the generations as it set the scene for murders, suicides, shipwrecks, ghosts, heroism and even humorous events. The lighthouse keepers, their families and even their pets have helped shape a unique patchwork of history at this lonely outpost. Local historian and board member of the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse Richard Parsons reveals the fascinating human history behind this welcoming light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467150491
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/23/2022
Series:	Landmarks
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Richard Parsons taught history and English for thirty years in public schools before joining the staff of the Institute for Learning Technologies at Columbia University. There he worked with others to digitize resources held by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute and the Library of Congress, among others, to make them available to scholars and educators. Later, as a member of the Center for Technology and School Change at Columbia University Teachers College, he worked with pre-service and in-service teachers to bring more effective uses of technology into the public school classroom. Today, he resides on the coast in southern Maine, where he gazes across the bay at the Wood Island Lighthouse nearly every day. He has joined with others who have devoted their energies to the restoration of America's historic treasures and serves as historian and member of the executive board of the Friends of the Wood Island Lighthouse. He lives in Saco with his wife, Shari Robinson, and his dog, Donner.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

1 The Unfortunate Benjamin Cole: 1807-08 21

2 The War of 1812 Comes to Wood Island: 1809-32 31

3 Political Partisanship and Acrimony in the Lighthouse Service: 1841-61 39

4 Of Gales, Quakes and a Woodless Wood Island: 1849-1906 49

5 The Heroism of Ebenezer "Eben" Emerson: 1861-65 57

6 Trials and Triumphs of Albert Norwood: 1872-86 62

7 Of Dogs and Men: 1886-1905 71

8 The Murder House on Wood Island: 1896-1921 79

9 The Farmer in the Lighthouse: 1819-1933 89

10 Wrecks and Rescues, Part I: 1898-1909 95

11 A Lighthouse Education: 1872-1963 107

12 The Scrapbook: 1905 and 2019 114

13 Unexpected Encounters: 1925-82 123

14 Wood Island Poets: 1900-2013 129

15 Monsters, Serpents and Things That Go Bump in the Night: 1905-2006 144

16 Keeper Benson's War: 1934-51 150

17 Wrecks and Rescues, Part II: 1917-86 156

18 Animal Kingdom: 1939-86 165

19 Coast Guard Wives: 1939-86 172

20 Children of tire Light: 1939-86 180

21 Living at the Edge of the Sea: 1939-86 188

Epilogue, by Brad Coupe, Past Chairman and Co-Founder of the Friends of the Wood Island Lighthouse 199

Notes 203

Bibliography 219

About the Author 223