THANK GOD FOR THE LIGHTHOUSE

Mount Dora Lighthouse

The Mount Dora Lighthouse is located on Lake Dora north of Orlando.The 35 foot lighthouse was dedicated on March 25, 1988. Built of bricks covered with stucco, the lighthouse stands sentry over the Port of Mount Dora. Its 750-watt photocell powers a blue pulsator sending out a guiding light to all boaters navigating Lake Dora after dusk.

History of the Lighthouse

photo credit: ginger barber

A lighthouse is a tower that has a bright light at the top. It is located at an important or dangerous place regarding navigation. The two main purposes of a lighthouse are to serve as a navigational aid and to warn boats of dangerous areas. Nighttime is the most dangerous time to navigate, and the main reason lighthouses exist is because in the darkness, you can see a light.

A lighthouse can be found in many different places on rocky cliffs, on land, on a reef in the sea, or at entrances to harbors and bays. They serve to warn the sailor of dangerous reefs under the sea or dangerous rocky coasts on land, and to guide ships into a safe harbor or back out to sea.

For thousands of years before Thomas Edison invented the electric lamp in 1879, different fuels were used to light the lamps, including wood and coal for fires. The main source of power for the light today is electricity. Before the days of electricity, they had to light the lamp at sunset and put it out at sunrise. During an 8-hour watch at night they had to climb the stairs in the tower one to three times a night to check on the lamp and wind the weights.

In colonial times, before we became an independent nation, men realized the need for lighthouses at the major ports to help guide ships into the harbors, to prevent them from crashing, and losing their precious cargoes. So, the first lighthouses were built by the colonies.

The first lighthouse in America was the Boston Lighthouse on Brewser Island in Boston Harbor. The lighthouse was first lit in 1716, but was destroyed during the Revolutionary War. Today, all of the lighthouses in our country have been automated, except the one at Boston, which still has keepers, for sentimental reasons only. The first keeper was George Worthylake who drowned, along with his wife and daughter, when returning to the island 1718.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." -- John 8:12

"Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them." -- John 12:36

THE LIGHTHOUSE LYRICS

There's a Lighthouse on the hillside

That over looks life's sea

And when I'm tossed it sends out a light
A light that I might see
And the light that shines in darkness now
Will safely lead us home
If it wasn't for the Lighthouse
My ship would be no more

Chorus: And I thank God for the Lighthouse (I owe it all to Him)
I owe my life to Him (for Jesus is the Lighthouse
For Jesus is the Lighthouse (and from the rocks of sin)

And from the rocks of sin (He has shown His light)
He has shown a light around me (that I might see)

That I might clearly see

If it wasn't for the Lighthouse (well tell me)
Where would this ship be?

Well, everybody that lives about us

They say tear that Lighthouse down

You know the big ships don't sail this way anymore
There's no use of it standing round
Then my mind goes back to that stormy night
When just in time I saw the light
Yes, the light from that old Lighthouse
That stands up there on the hill

Repeat Chorus (x2)

If it wasn't for the Lighthouse (tell me)
Where would this ship be?

Some Famous American Lighthouses Are: