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| photo credit: Rory |
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| The original structure. Image Source |
After all the chaos of the wedding, it was such a gift to get a quiet night to ourselves, especially in such a beautiful place!
First built in 1892, the Cuckolds Lighthouse sits outside Cape Newagen Harbor helping boaters safely navigate the westerly edge of the channel into Boothbay Harbor. It holds a special place in my heart because I remember seeing the light sweep through my bedroom as a child; I thought of it as my own personal night light.
When the lighthouse was automated in the mid 1970's, the keeper's quarter and boathouse were torn down, leaving only the light tower and foghorn. In the early 2000's the government threatened to tear down those too and replace them with only a light pole.
A group of local citizens decided they couldn't let this happen and formed the Cuckolds Fog Signal and Light Station Council. Through The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, they were able to take possession of the lighthouse and over the next decade restored the lighthouse, keeper's quarters, and boathouse. I actually had a few opportunities to help with earlier stages of the project. I remember one long summer day spent hauling lumber up from the barge to the top of the island!
But, I hadn't been out to see the finished project and boy was I surprised! It is gorgeous! After a lovely moonlit boat ride out to the island, we were met by keeper Dan and Barb. They were so friendly and welcoming despite the fact that it was nearly midnight. They welcomed us warmly and showed us to our room where they had a chilled bottle of wine and strawberries waiting. First stop for me was the enormous Italian marble shower to wash all the hairspray out of my hair and make-up off my face.
We enjoyed some quiet time in the super comfy bathrobes they provided, reveling in the fact that we were now married!
One of my favorite moments of the day was lying in the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in talking about our favorite moments from the wedding. We both fell asleep thinking how amazingly lucky we are!
I fetched myself some coffee, which Barb had all ready, and sat for a few minutes taking in the view.
Before breakfast, Rory and I spent some time exploring the island and the lighthouse. We really liked getting to climb all the way up to the top of light tower. I can't imagine the old days when the keeper had to lug oil up there in the middle of a winter storm!
By the time we finished exploring Barb had breakfast waiting for us. We feasted our way through fritatta, slab bacon, multi-grain bread with fresh blueberry jam, and fruit salad before I even thought to take a picture. I did manage to snap a quick pick of the homemade blueberry scones before we scarfed those down too. I will be dreaming of those scones for years to come.
After breakfast we took an hour to digest and relax in the luxury of our room before we headed down to the dock for the boat ride back to Southport.
Our night on the Cuckolds was an amazing end to an amazing wedding weekend. It was so wonderful to have the quiet time together to let the memories of the weekend soak in and devote time solely to each other.
How many people can say they spent their wedding night in their own private lighthouse?
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