Light Hearted ep 248 – Jennifer Anielski, Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, VA; Ghosts of St. Augustine, FL

The first-order Fresnel lens from Cape Charles Lighthouse in the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. The collection of the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia, includes a vast art collection, boats from around the world, a first-order Fresnel lens from Cape Charles Lighthouse, and much more. Among the museum’s projects has been the conservation of archaeological material from the USS Monitor, the famous ironclad warship built for the Union Navy during the Civil War. The museum is also home to the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s research library, known as the Wayne Wheeler Library. Interviewed in this episode is Jennifer Anielski, the librarian of the Mariners’ Museum. This episode also includes an interview with Ralph Krugler, the historian for the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse in Florida. St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida holds occasional Dark of the Moon tours, which focus on the light station’s ghostly legends. In this interview, Ralph tells about a very interesting experience he had at St. Augustine Lighthouse. Right: Peter Rasmussen was the longest serving (23 years) of the keepers at St. Augustine. He is a “usual suspect” in the light station’s ghost stories.