CUTLER, Maine — A lighthouse keeper is spending Christmas alone at the most northeastern island lighthouse in the country.
It’s the first time in the 164-year history of the lighthouse off the coast of Cutler, Maine, that someone will be there alone on Christmas. A family last spent the holiday at the lighthouse 36 years ago.
Bill Kitchen is taking on the yearlong endeavor as part of a living history program to show the hardships and experiences learned by living in seclusion at an island lighthouse.
Unlike lighthouse keepers in the early days, Kitchen is able to communicate through the Internet. His experiences and photographs can be viewed at www.LittleRiverLight.org or at TheLighthouseEndeavor.com.
Kitchen says he would love to receive holiday greetings from the public at kitchsync@gmail.com.
” endeavor as part of a living history program”….that is why you should care, you are probably paying for this year long endeavor. If the man has that kind of time on his hands seems he could make himself more useful.
I think you need to look at the website before you pass judgement. It appears that they have sponsors, as well as donations from private individuals. They are non-profit so if you want to complain that the donation is tax deductible, that’s your prerogative, but it isn’t costing you directly is it.
Not sure where Cutler is.
Not sure I care.
And yet, you read the article and took the time to post about it. You should get a hobby.
Downeast magazine did a piece on the Bold Coast area of Maine several months ago. The area from Cutler to Lubec is drop dead beautiful without all the craziness of Bar Harbor. Cutler Harbor offers Puffin excursions out to and around this light house area and up the coast where the cliffs dwarf anthing on MDI. It’s well worth the trip. Lubec offers more than adequate accomodations with good restaurants that serve a variety of food and cold beer.
Then why bother to comment. It is a really nice area and worth a visit if you are interested in what the area has to offer.
Nice human interest, BUT, this is what LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS did for centuries and did it
without the rest of the world noticing. He really is’nt a keeper just a conservator watchman.
That’s a pretty sweet spot to spend a year. I am not sure how isolated I would feel if I had the internet available. If I was warm and had good eats…I could stare at that view for a year.
So sad to see those who don’t care posting here. The history of lighthouses in Maine is being lost (and all over America) because people don’t care. I know that history is not a very popular subject these days, our nations disastrous foreign policy being a prime example, but someone has to keep history alive for those who do want to know how their ancestors lived and what services they depended upon; lighthouses being one of those necessary things.
As for the usefulness of this man’s endeavor…well, what have you done with your life? This gentleman is really taking a big leap of faith in order to save a piece of history. I know the American way is all about tearing old things down to make way for bigger, better, newer and cooler. And that is wrong headed thinking at its worst. Without people willing to fore-go personal gain for history’s sake, we would have none. I imagine that in 10,000 years when archaeologists begin to excavate what was once America they might conclude that our civilization simply sprang fully formed into existence, there will be little or no historical trace left. It will all have been paved over or torn down
Guess his America’s Got Talent audition didn’t go as well as he had planned.
peace and quiet