Our program in February was “You Light Up My Life,” which traced the history of lighthouses.

In early days, sailing and fishing was a vital part of man’s life. Getting to port safely with goods and passengers was the boat captain’s responsibility.

There were charts and maps and simple tools to guide him, but they were often unreliable. On foggy nights, guidance from the stars was useless. Lighthouses were built to mark a safe path past rocks and shallows to the harbor.

In early times, these lights were just a wooden tower with a pitch fire on top. These gave way to wood towers with a light in the top.

The first recorded lighthouse was built in 280 BC at the head of the Nile River. The first lighthouse on the east coast of America was the Boston Light, built in 1716 on Brewster Island. By 1818, there were 297 lighthouses in America.

At first, lighthouses were built of wood with attached living quarters. This turned out to be a poor choice due to the constant damp weather. There were some brick towers, and later versions were constructed of iron, with living quarters inside.

Early lights were whale oil lamps, which gave off lots of smoke and soot. Lamps and lenses were improved over the years but gave way to the electric light.

Lighthouse keeping was a hard, dangerous, and lonely life. Many lights were far offshore on rocky islands. The field was dominated by men, but there were several famous women lighthouse keepers.

Lighthouses became obsolete with the development of modern navigation aids such as sonar, radar, and satellite tracking. The few that are left are automated. Some even have closed circuit TV that patrols the waters.

Little by little, the Coast Guard has sold or given away old lighthouses. They have become homes, hotels, and restaurants.

These great sentinels of the sea live on in poetry, paintings, and literature. Our group is planning a trip to the seacoast to visit some local lighthouse.

We meet on the third Monday of the month. If you would like more information, call 735-5493.