The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge

When I was little, I loved a book about a little red lighthouse that was dwarfed by the construction of a new bridge. I was just thinking about that book recently, and made a mental note to ask my mother what the title was so I could get a copy and read it to my five-year-old.
Today I was browsing on the book-sale table at the Latrobe library, when the very book I was looking for jumped out at me:

A few minutes with Google revealed something I never knew… apparently there really was such a little lighthouse that was scheduled for demolition, but when this book was published in the 40s, it proved so popular that the authorities decided to preserve the little lighthouse instead. (Photo by The Insider.)


There’s even a Little Red Lighthouse Festival!

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  • No, I don't remember, though it's very possible whatever statement of historical accuracy might have been in the book just wasn't the part that stuck in my mind. I didn't actually get to read this book to Carolyn last night -- instead she asked for a Nancy Drew graphic novel, a session with a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novel, and a chapter of Little House on the Prairie. I spent an hour and a half reading to her last night! It was a lot of fun, but she was worn out by the end. So I didn't even open the book last night.

  • No, I didn't know that or had forgotten that detail. Do you recall if it was mentioned in the version we had as kids?

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Dennis G. Jerz

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