On this web page, the love of Lighthouses is a rich heritage of many Americans as noted by the popular poems and music listed below.  The romance of Lighthouses may have many reasons.  As with many New Englanders, Lighthouses lure us to the sea and most of us can trace our family history to the rich heritage of the sea.  Yet, discovering that the “sea is in our blood” only scratches the surface of our interest in Lighthouses.

Perhaps our romantic walks along the beach at twilight under the sweeping light of a Lighthouse intrigued us to search and visit many Lighthouses. For my husband and myself, Lighthouses are symbols of Faith, Hope, and Love. I can envision being the lonely wife of a seaman who stands on the widow walk overlooking the sea for my husbands' return. The Lighthouse in the distance reassures me of its faithful Light providing hope of his safe return into my loving arms. Likewise, when my husband first sights the faithful Light overseeing the harbor, he also has hope of safely sailing home and renewing our love.

Page Index:

Poems

Songs

Movies

 “The Lighthouse”  by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, circa 1848

 “Minot’s Ledge”  by Fitz James O'Brien, 1861

 “The Dead Ship of Harpswell”  by John Greenleaf Whittier, 1866

 “Sandpiper”  by Celia Thaxter, 1872

 “The Wreck of the Pocahontas”  by Celia Thaxter

 “The New Colossus”  by Emma Lazarus, 1883

 “Leaves of Grass”  by Walt Whitman, 1888

 “The Light-Keeper Poems”  by Robert Louis Stevenson, c.1885-1890

 “Flannan Isle”  by Wilfred Wilson Gibson, c. 1912-1917

 “It&’s Brasswork: The Light-Keepers Lament“  by Fred Morong, circa 1925

 “Lighthouse Keepers”  Unknown American Lightkeeper

 “Lighthouse Keepers Tribute”  by Michael Bauchan

 Rules for Navigation Lights  Unknown Author

 Marine Traffic Rules  Unknown Author

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 “The Keeper of the Eddystone Light”  circa 1760

   Web Author’s note:  Although there are numerous poems about Lighthouses, the above poems were penned from the 1800s to 1939 when Lighthouses were vital to many whose livelihood depended on the sea and the poems provide us with some insight to the importance of American Landfall Guardians.

The video of this song is currently being aired on Country Music TV (CMT) and features the Nubble Lighthouse (Cape Neddick, Maine) in the background.

The Nubble Light is one of the most popular romantic Lighthouses of New England!
For Air Times, visit  CMT TV Schedule .
For a RealAudio video of the song, visit  CMT Listen/Watch .
Listen to selected soundclips of Nickel Creek Album at  sonicnet.com .
Nickel Creeks’ Web Site features photos of the video at  nickelcreek.com .
* Please note that this video is currently a Hot Shot Video on CMT for December 2001 and how often the video is aired may change without notice.

The song first aired at the Closing Credits of the movie, Frequency released April 28, 2000.

Country Music TV (CMT) began broadcasting the video for Garth’s song shortly after the movie release.
For Air Times, visit  CMT TV Schedule  noting that current videos receive more play time.
The song has been recorded on track 12 of Garth Brooks’ new album, Scarecrow, 18 months after the movie’s release.
For the Lyrics of the song, visit  PlanetGarth.com .

The song was first performed in the movie, Pete’s Dragon, released in 1977.
Nora (Helen Reddy), a Lighthouse Keeper, sang this song from the gallery deck of a Lighthouse in the movie.

The DVD release of the movie has fully restored Audio and Video.
For more info, visit  Disney Gold Collection - Pete’s Dragon 
The song was recorded as Track 8 on the second CD of “The Best of Helen Reddy” 2 CD Set and a Live Version of Candle On The Water was recorded as Track 17 on “The Very Best of Helen Reddy” CD.

The 52-foot high Passamaquoddy Lighthouse was built for the film, "Pete's Dragon" on Point Buchon, a promontory 10-miles south of Morro Bay, California. Point Buchon was selected for the stunning views which resemble the northeastern United States coast.
Google Map Location of Point Buchon

Fifty men constructed the lighthouse in three weeks and the $6,000 Fresnell-type lens and lamp produced a beacon visible to a range of 18 nautical miles. During the 1800s, West Quoddy Lighthouse in Maine was called Passamaquoddy Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse song was recorded as Track 8 on the Gorilla album released in 1975.

For more info, visit  James Taylor’s web site .