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Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse
PO Box 26, Biddeford Pool, ME 04006
Bill Edmunds photographer
WHO IS THIS?
photo from Roderick Jeffers
Thomas Henry Orcutt, WIL keeper 1886-1905.
Sailor the famous Bell Ringing dog belonged to Thomas and his family.
One of Light Runner's Captains is a grandson of this keeper.
Don't know if you have sent in your annual donation for 2006?
You can check with our membership chair by
e-mailing Anita@woodislandlighthouse.org
Please note that only checks made out to the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse constitute a membership in FOWIL.
Checks made out to the American Lighthouse Foundation are for membership with ALF.
ALF supports all lighthouses.
FOWIL supports Wood Island lighthouse only.
Membership in ALF does not give you a membership in FOWIL.
From the Executive Committee
Summer tours will be offered this season using a new phone reservation system which will be outlined in our May Newsletter as well as on our Tour Link. Reservation benefits will be available to 2006 members. Our fundraiser Fresh Paint Day will not take place this year, but we will be having an event on July 29th centered around the "New England Ghost Project's" investigation of the lighthouse for paranormal activity.
As reported in the Winter Newsletter, our memberships and donations have been very succesful so far this year and we hope that more people will continually be getting involved with the project of restoring the lighthouse.
We are hopeful that the plans for tower access will be completed early in the summer. The view from the top is spectacular!
Tower is decorated with Christmas Lights!
Did you happen to gaze out at Wood Island at night this winter?
If you did you would have enjoyed a spectacular display. Check out this amazing story about how Sean Murphy single handedly decorated the tower with Christmas lights! Margo Alley's story is on the American Lighthouse Foundation site Lighted Tower Story
FOWIL is always happy to respond to questions about the lighthouse especially from children.
A query came to us from Elizabeth, a student in the Moore Public Schools Gifted & Talented Program in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
With our response, they learned about Wood Island Light and we learned about
East Wharf Lighthouse, the most inland working lighthouse in the United States!
Oklahoma Lighthouse
Are you interested in being a host for the Wood Island Tours this summer?
Contact
Son of WI Keeper Edward Frank finds
The American Lighthouse Foundation
and of course
he is invited to share his experiences.
Steve Frank speaks to the American Lighthouse Foundation at their volunteer awards dinner, April 1, 2006. He shares stories of his life on Wood Island as his father tended the light from 1952-1956. Steve started his life on Wood Island at 10 days old.
Steve talking about his father and himself in the photograph...
what a wonderful show!
What has been going on?
If you want to catch up with the activities of FOWIL, since it's inception in Spring 2003 click on the "Read the News" link on our homepage.
Island Tours
Keep posted on changes to island tours for the summer of 2006 at the Tour Schedule link on our homepage.
NO MORE FIRST COME FIRST SERVE.
YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS BY PHONE.
Web Team: Sean Murphy, Bill Edmunds and Sheri Poftak
Newsletter Team: Sheri Poftak, Bill Edmunds and contributors
The Friends of
Wood Island Lighthouse
is a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. It was formed in the Spring of 2003 specifically to preserve and restore the Wood Island Light Station. Please visit our website for information.
Photo by keeper
Cliff Trebilcock