The Silent Watchkeepers - Lighthouses of the Great Lakes | North Coast Chronicles

December 1, 2021

“Lighthouses are more helpful than churches.” – B. Franklin

Join the 6th episode of North Coast Chronicles:  Tales from the Great Lakes.  This month, we venture into "The Silent Watchkeepers - Lighthouses of the Great Lakes" with Mr. Wayne Sapulski, resident historian with the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association and author of "Lighthouses of Lake Michigan" and "Great Lakes Lighthouses/American and Canadian."  The Great Lakes are home to over 300 lighthouses with the oldest operating lighthouse built in 1822 in Marblehead, Ohio. Wayne Sapulski has been up and close to every lighthouse whether along the shore or in the water.  We thought all lighthouses were alike but we were so wrong!  Are lighthouses really haunted?  Can you stay in one? How do you buy one?  Are the painted designs on the outside of lighthouses signals to ancient aliens or is there a more modern purpose? Who keeps the new aids to navigation lit and how? So many things to learn about these sentimental and beautiful beacons of the past!

Thank you to our sponsors!

‍

Show Transcription
This transcription was generated by a computer. Please excuse any errors.
Helen Brohl

Helen Brohl is a Great Lakes gal, having grown up on the south shore of Lake Erie and a lifetime of summers on Middle Bass Island. Helen understands the Great Lakes as a valuable resource with a Master's Degree from The Ohio State University in Great Lakes Land and Water Use Policy and as an economic engine for the nation with almost 40 years of experience in maritime transportation and trade development. Helen previously worked as professional staff on the U.S. Congressional House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, with NOAA's Office of Coast Management, did trade development for the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, was the Director of Marketing for the Port of Chicago, the Executive Director of the U.S. Great Lakes Shipping Association, and retired in January 2023 after almost 17 years as the Executive Director of the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System in Washington, DC. Follow along as Helen shares the nature, folk lore, and charm of the Great Lakes!