Light Hearted ep 165 – Terry & Jeri Cole, Fort Point, Maine, pt 2; Laurie Perkins, Tawas Point, MI

Fort Point Lighthouse is in Stockton Springs, Maine, near the mouth of the Penobscot River. The light station was established in 1836 and the square brick lighthouse tower and attached keeper’s house that stand there today were built in 1857. Terry Cole was a keeper at Fort Point when he was in the Coast Guard for three years in the 1970s. The lighthouse is within Fort Point State Park, and Terry became involved as a park manager while he was in the Coast Guard.

Fort Point Light Station, Maine. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

In 1989, long after he had left the Coast Guard, Terry and his wife Jeri moved back into the light station and Terry became the resident park manager. Jeri Cole also played an important role, helping to host visitors at the lighthouse and planning events. Terry retired last August after after 44 years working for Maine Parks and Lands. In part two of this two-part interview, Terry and Jeri reminisce about living at Fort Point in all kinds of weather, about the concerts and other events they held there, and about what they’re doing in retirement, among other things.

Terry and Jeri Cole, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont.

Laurie Perkins is the Southern Lower Peninsula Historian for the Michigan History Center. Under that umbrella is Tawas Point Lighthouse, which is located in Tawas Point State Park on the west side of Lake Huron in Northern Michigan. In a “Be a Lighthouse” segment, Laurie talks with host Jeremy D’Entremont about some ways the Michigan History Center and Tawas Point Lighthouse are enriching the lives of young people.

Tawas Point Lighthouse, Michigan. USLHS photo.

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