The New Coast Guard Museum

At last, a spacious museum being planned for the Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut is making progress! This city is a great choice for the museum, as the Coast Guard Academy is here, plus a Coastie unit in the harbor. Thus, many Coast Guard personnel on active duty and those who have retired live in the area. New London is rife with history, from its early days as a whaling port to the construction of its two lighthouses (New London Harbor Light and New London Ledge Light), plus the memorial Avery Point Light, to the Custom House Museum (with many lighthouse artifacts and documents on display, plus a wonderful gift shop) to the new Coast Guard Museum. Whew! I am so lucky to live close to New London.

I recently received a newsletter from the National Coast Guard Museum Association. I'm sharing and hoping you'll get on board and help the museum happen. Here are some pages from the newsletter.

Information can be obtained, or donations can be sent, to---

National Coast Guard Museum Association, Inc.

78 Howard Street, Suite A

New London, CT 06320

Let's help this worthy project!

Ginger Nichols Remembers Destruction Island Lighthouse

Destruction Island Lighthouse, 1940, with lightkeeper Al Beyers. The island was groomed and well-maintained at this time. Photo from Coast Guard Museum Northwest.

Lonely Destruction Island Lighthouse, three miles off Kalaloch, Washington was named for a massacre that took place there between explorers and the local natives. Only a few buildings remain on the island. It is in the care of U.S. Fish & Wildlife. Sadly, USFW has done nothing to preserve this historic lighthouse. Photo by the author, taken from a plane.

The keepers' residence, gone now. National Park Service image here and below. Al Beyer below with his small daughter and friends.

Landing and boom during the Coast Guard era, circa 1960. Coast Guard photo.

Helo landing about 1970. Note the first order lens in the tower--beautiful! Coast Guard photo. Below is the lens as it now sits on display at the lifesaving museum in Westport. Author photo.