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Snow sure is pretty out on the water today
Northern lights at Graves
First Order lens is back
It took years of work, gathering pieces salvaged from lighthouses around the world to reconstruct a First Order Fresnel lens at Graves Light.
Similar to the original, with many parts from the same manufacturer, the reconstructed First Order lens took spirited teamwork from a lot of people.
Under federal law, all lens parts from the old U.S. Lighthouse Service and Coast Guard remain federal property, even if they had been discarded. So we scoured the world to find the bronze and glass parts from lighthouses that lit the way for the old French and British empires.
The Boston Globe has the story.
We have to work things out with the Coast Guard and other authorities to make the lens operational, and that will take some time.
Massachusetts land court agrees: Graves Light is not part of the town of Hull
After a long legal battle triggered by manager of the town of Hull rigging the tax map to lay claim on Graves Ledge, the Massachusetts Land Court has reached its verdict: Graves is not, and never has been, part of the town.
“The 50-page decision included a detailed analysis of historic records stretching as far back as the Colonial Land Grants from 1634 and multiple maps, deeds, and other documents. The judge also visited the remote Graves Ledge at the entrance to Boston Harbor to survey the seascape with her own eyes,” the Hull Times reports.
Judge Diane Rubin wrote in her verdict, “I find that Graves Ledge lies neither within the municipal land nor tide water boundaries of the Town of Hull.”
The Boston Globe has covered the case all along.
We learned that Hull Town Manager Philip Lemnios and Counsel James Lampke tried illegally to annex us in 2020. It was an illegal land grab, a shakedown operation, typical of certain unaccountable municipal governments in the area, and we called it out.
Lemnios – who hid from reporters the entire time – even set a “day of taking” to seize Graves Light.
The Land Court has settled the issue. We can put it all behind us.
As we said all along, we would have accepted whatever verdict the court arrived it. We look forward to the day when the malefactors – Hull town manager and town attorney James Lampke – will leave us, and the people of Hull, alone.
Thanks again to all our many friends and fans out there who cheered us on this whole time. We read all of your comments. Your support meant a whole lot to us.
On the second day of Land Court trial to annex Graves Light, Hull lawyer Lampke requests a recess
Hull Times: “The Land Court trial to determine whether Graves Light is within the boundaries of Hull began this week, but was recessed for a month at request of the town’s attorney.”
One wonders why James Lampke would do that.
Any ideas? Post them here or on the Graves Light Facebook page.
Town of Hull to set ‘date of taking’ Graves Light in land grab
The Town of Hull has sent notice of a “date of taking” Graves Light away from its owners as it proceeds with its land grab across the county line.
“Dave Waller was shocked when he received a property tax bill from the town of Hull last year seeking to collect taxes on Graves Light, a lighthouse that he bought at federal auction in 2013. He got another surprise in the mail more recently, when the town tax collector sent him a letter saying that a ‘date of taking’ would be announced soon,” the Boston Globe reported.
The Globe‘s local news reporter Emily Sweeney broke the story on May 6. She has followed the Hull annexation attempt since last November.
Graves Ledge, on which the lighthouse stands, is the last piece of unincorporated land in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The Town of Hull watched the Wallers’ seven-year restoration and renovation of Graves Light and waited until the work was almost done before it presented the family with a tax bill to lay claim to the project. Hull attempted to fine the Graves owners $25,000 a day until it stopped renovations and submitted to town authority.
Hull’s actions drew outrage and ridicule from many town residents and others around Boston Harbor.
‘Date of Taking’ to be followed by ‘Instrument of Taking’
“Since Hull sent that first tax bill last year, Waller has been locked in a legal battle with the town to prove that the lighthouse is not part of Hull. The matter is currently in Land Court,” the Globe reported. “But that didn’t stop the tax collector from sending out the notice about the ‘date of taking.'”
“A ‘Date of Taking’ will be announced, followed by the recording of an ‘Instrument of Taking’ at the Plymouth County Registry of Deeds,” the town of Hull told the Wallers in a letter.
Hull town counsel James B. Lampke, a driving force behind the effort to annex Graves, “said there are no plans for a tax taking, despite what the letter says,” according to the Globe.
“There’s no tax taking at this time,” Lampke said in the Globe. “There is no tax taking and I do not anticipate a tax taking.”
‘It’s weird’
“It’s weird, because [the town is] filing an ‘Instrument of Taking’ in Plymouth County Registry of Deeds,” Dave Waller told the Globe, “but Graves Ledge is in Suffolk County, so I’m not sure how that will work out for them.”
Raising our official flag & banner again
Springtime! We are treated to a visit by a our official flag and banner maker Penny Brewer of Brewer Banner Designs.
Naturally, she helped hoist the colors for the season.
Flags and banners don’t last long at the top of a lighthouse.
How to frame a work of art on a curved wall
How do you frame a beautiful John Stobart print on a curved wall?
Easy! Just hire expert framers Nate Bekemeier and Bruce Gratz. They built up a traditional looking frame from laminating wood strips to a six foot radius.
Brother Jon checks the fit in the Keeper’s Room on the 4th floor. It’s perfect!
Wrecked off Minot’s Light
Our lighthouse journey took a bit of a beating as heavy seas pounded our trusty Miss Cuddy II, parted her newly installed Hazelett Marine mooring at Graves Light and cast her ten miles to smash her on Strawberry Ledge at Situate.
Minot’s Ledge Light is seen in the distance as the guys from Sea Tow Boston and South Shore recover Miss Cuddy II, upright her, and float her away.
The North Atlantic’s merciless thrashing on the granite reminds us of the dangers of the sea. Yet Miss Cuddy II’s hull was left intact – testimony to the shipwrights at Safe Boat who built her for the US Coast Guard.
Fortunately the crew was safe at Graves Light the whole time. Many thanks (again) to Capt. Jim of Boston Scuba who came out to get us two days later when the seas were calm enough. The treacherous rocks and waters of Graves Ledge are no stranger to Capt. Jim, who rescued Miss Cuddy II a year ago.
Miss Cuddy I, the unsung hero of Graves Light, was wrecked in 2018. We turned her into a barge to help build the catwalk and upgrade the oil house, and her hull was scrapped the next year.
As for Miss Cuddy II – she was floated back to shore and got a ride on a trailer. Meanwhile, we brought a group to dive around Strawberry Ledge and pick up the wreckage. Many thanks to state and local authorities for their help.
‘The Last Lightkeepers’ – Beautiful new is documentary now available on Amazon
Our filmmaking friend Rob Apse has just wrapped his latest documentary “The Last Lightkeepers.”
The film highlights the people who lovingly care for America’s historic lighthouses.
It’s a beautiful story and includes a short sneak preview of one of our upcoming projects – bringing an antique first order Fresnel lens back to Graves Light.
You can buy or rent the documentary here. https://www.amazon.com/Last-Lightkeepers-Jeremy-DEntremont/dp/B08PBFSDYF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+last+lightkeepers&qid=1607116314&sr=8-1
Portions of the proceeds go to the preservation of Whaleback Light in Portsmouth Harbor. If you like lighthouses, you’ll love to see Rob’s expertly crafted tale.