200 15% OFF!! Colchester Reef, VT, HL 701, #3639 (hand-numbered on a sticker on the bottom) of 8,200, made in China, box (#6), Certificate of Authenticity, tent card, 2nd of Christmas Lights, issued 09/1996, retired 12/1996
Each piece will be double boxed and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $50 valuation at no additional cost. PLEASE NOTE: I will only refund this amount ($50) if damage occurs unless buyer has purchased additional insurance. If buyer wishes additional insurance, the cost associated with additional insurance will be calculated and buyer will pay additional cost. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT INSURANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PRIOR TO MAKING PAYMENT.
Historians of Colchester Reef Lighthouse refer to a “life of deadly monotony” for the keepers of this lonely outpost. Located on a rock shoal one mile from the shore, keepers at Colchester Light often endured days and weeks without seeing another soul. We sometimes forget, however, that lightkeepers were a hardy breed, and often managed to find happiness in the midst of their isolation.
Beautiful Lake Champlain was, for more than two centuries, the gateway for vessels traveling between Montreal and New York City via the Hudson River. By the 1860s, enormous quantities of lumber were being transported from Canada on this important body of water. Colchester Reef marked the center of a group of three treacherous shoals which rimmed the northern approach to Burlington Harbor. Officials made the unusual, but wise, decision to place a manned lighthouse directly on the reef. In December of 1871, Colchester Reef Light was put into service.
Over the next 62 years, several families lived at the light, including 3 generations of the Button family. During the month of December, when winter’s first snows begin to blow upon Lake Champlain, the keepers’ families must have been especially close, preparing for a lighthouse Christmas that few on the mainland could appreciate. In January of 1888, in the dead of winter, the fifth child of Walter and Harriet Button was born without the aid of a physician. Young Myrtle survived splendidly. This harrowing experience, however, encouraged her elder brother Chester to move his bride ashore to give birth when he became head keeper.
Lake Champlain, like much of the Great Lakes, freezes over from late January until April. During that time, the keepers would generally pack up their belongings and move to the mainland. Keeper August Lorenz, however, enjoyed the quiet and seclusion of his beloved lighthouse, and stayed on throughout the winter. After 22 years of service, the Coast Guard retired the proud, old keeper, breaking his heart. Two years later, in 1933, an automated blinker light replaced the fixed, white beacon. In 1952, the old station was moved piece by piece to the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, and carefully restored to its former glory.
MEASUREMENTS: L = 5½” x W = 5¼” x H = 5”
CONDITION: Very good. Displayed for a short time in glass-enclosed curio cabinet.
Each piece will be double boxed and packed for a 30' drop should that occur in handling. Shipper only insures first $50 valuation at no additional cost. PLEASE NOTE: I will only refund this amount ($50) if damage occurs unless buyer has purchased additional insurance. If buyer wishes additional insurance, the cost associated with additional insurance will be calculated and buyer will pay additional cost. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANT INSURANCE OF THE PURCHASE PRICE PRIOR TO MAKING PAYMENT.
If damaged in shipping, buyer must save damaged carton to show shipper’s rep condition of boxes.
NOTE: for the most part, I only collected full size Harbour Lights. GLOWS and Little Lights of Mine will be clearly identified as such should I find I have any.