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    Treat Yourself: Celebrate National Lighthouse Day at Oswego’s H. Lee White Maritime Museum

    Courtney KlessBy No Comments3 Mins Read
    Boat tour to the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse
    Photos provided by the H. Lee White Maritime Museum

    It feels like there’s a national day for just about everything—even lighthouses! (FYI, National Lighthouse Day falls on Aug. 7.) You can celebrate all month long at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum.

    It runs boat tours to the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse between mid-June and September.

    “It’s just a great experience because people can see the Oswego community from a different perspective: out on a boat looking into the harbor, up the river,” said Executive Director Mercedes Niess. “It’s pretty spectacular.”

    Photo provided by the H. Lee White Maritime Museum

    Constructed in 1934, the 57-foot lighthouse stands near the meeting point of the Oswego River and Lake Ontario. If you’re planning to visit, set aside about two hours for the entire experience, including travel (each pontoon boat can fit a maximum of six people). When you arrive, you can explore inside and even climb to the top of the tower.

    “We have a great group of volunteers that have been working to restore the lighthouse, and we work closely with the city of Oswego to do that,” said Niess. “We recently finished restoring the hardwood floors, so we started placing some period furniture into the lighthouse so you can actually see how the Coast Guardsmen stationed there lived and how they did their work.”

    You’ll want to book your tour ahead of time (“they’re very popular,” said Niess); tickets are available on the museum’s website, hlwmm.org, or by calling (315) 342-0480. And keep in mind, they are weather-dependent.

    A lighthouse boat tour ticket also grants you entry to the maritime museum. It houses a variety of indoor exhibits, covering topics such as the early days of shipping, shipwrecks, lighthouses, and the museum’s namesake, H. Lee White. Afterwards, head outside to view its three historic vessels: LT-5, a World War II tugboat; Derrick Boat 8, a 1927 canal barge; and Eleanor D, the final American commercial fishing watercraft to operate on Lake Ontario.

    “We’ve been here for more than 40 years, and we have a great collection and very interesting exhibits,” said Niess.

    Photo provided by the H. Lee White Maritime Museum

    International Lighthouse Weekend – Aug. 17 and 18

    Photo provided by the H. Lee White Maritime Museum
    Save the date for International Lighthouse Weekend!
     
    During the 48-hour global event, ham radio operators set up portable stations at lightships and lighthouses (including the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse) and communicate with one another, recording each contact that they make.
     
    “It promotes not only the lighthouses around the world that people are trying to save but also amateur radio,” said Fred Legawiec, a ham radio operator who will be hosting International Lighthouse Weekend. “I have some pamphlets to set up, and I also have two books that I bring with me, which are QSL cards that are verified contacts, just to show the contacts that I’ve made all over the world.”

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    Courtney Kless is the Editor in Chief of Family Times. Courtney is originally from Maryland. She earned her Master’s degree in Magazine, Newspaper and Online Journalism from Syracuse University. Courtney began her career as a sports journalist, then spent several years working in higher education, before joining the company in August 2019. She enjoys traveling, reading and hiking, and recently adopted a Labrador Retriever, Bailey.

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