|
Eerie Presence Found In Lighthouse
Critics used to dismiss the ghost
stories that came from the Fairport Harbor lighthouse. That is
until a couple of years ago.
Workers installing air conditioning vents discovered the
mummified remains of a gray cat in a crawl space.
Museum curator Pamela Brent swears she used to see the wispy
gray spirit of a cat and volunteers also spoke of an eerie
presence.
Historians have learned that a wife of one lighthouse tender
kept several cats.
The cat's remains are now kept in a cardboard box. They have
become a favorite of schoolchildren touring the museum.
Brent says that it is not the only lighthouse that provides a
haven
for spirits. She says lighthouses are magnets for ghosts.
The original Fairport Harbor lighthouse was completed in 1825. The tower
stood 30 feet high, capped with an octagonal-shaped iron lantern. The
lighthouse was accompanied by a two-story keeper's house.
Due to deterioration, the tower and
keeper's house had to be replaced. Rebuilt in 1871, the tower now stands
60 feet high and has a spiral staircase
of 69 steps which leads to an observation platform.
In 1925 the light in the tower was discontinued. It was replaced by a
combination light and foghorn station that was built on the west
breakwater pierhead.
p/>
|
|
|
