Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse
PO Box 26, Biddeford Pool, ME 04006
photograph by Bill Edmunds
Who is this?
Caryn Firebaugh
Caryn is the 2008 FOWIL volunteer of the year receiving the Len Hadley Volunteerism award from the American Lighthouse Foundation.
Thank you Caryn for all of your enthusiasm, energy and many many hours of work over lots of years.
ALF sponsored a very nice event at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Newport Rhode Island to honor the volunteers from each of the chapters.
Many of our members supported Caryn by attending the event or by donating to a
sponsor page for Caryn in the program.
FOWIL Website is refreshed!
Our very professional volunteer webmaster,
has completed a beautiful update of our website. (Thanks Aaron!) Those of you who are pining for Maine or maybe just for the warm months can feast your eyes on many photos of the lighthouse, Wood Island, waters around it and the general area - the photos are from land and from the air. Photo contributors are many, but a special thanks to Tom Craven, a new contributor. Take a look.
New Link
You won't have to look far for new items added to the website.
Just click on this link which is right on the homepage.
What's New: recent additions to the website
Shipwreck
On March 2, 1821, the ship HESPER ran ashore between Wood Island and Negro Island. She carried a load of salt bound for Boston. The Captain was heading for Winter Harbor due to lack of supplies and a disabled crew. They were suffering from extreme fatigue and hunger. He mistook Negro Island for Stage Island and thus essentially ran the ship ashore himself though certainly accidentally. Captain Stevens blamed the directions appearing in the American Coastal Pilot which was the provider of sea routes at this time. This accusation was strongly rebutted by the publication.
We thank John Sciaba for finding note of this shipwreck in the Maine Coastal News.
New Slide Show
You can view our new slide show, about the history of the lighthouse, which was created by George Klinkhamer of Florida. He was a visitor on one of our tours last summer and took a liking to the place!
Newsletters
Much information is contained in our archived Newsletters under the Newsletter link. For example you can read all about those ghosts n the Fall 2006 Newsletter.
FOWIL Photographer
What would we do without our "official" photographer Sean Murphy. He takes pictures when he is not piloting Lightrunner, repairing Lightrunner, going to board meetings, repairing something on the island, heading up work days, etc. etc. etc.
Gnome spotted
in Wood Island Lighthouse Tower
A great book
by FOWIL Member
Janice Hamilton
(click on the image
to find out how to purchase)
photo by Sean Murphy