Welcome to the Deer
Hollow Bay Lighthouse
Society!
Whether you’re a longtime
resident or a visitor just
discovering the beauty of Deer
Hollow Bay, we’re so glad
you stopped by. Our little
society has been looking after
the Deer Hollow Bay Lighthouse
since 1923 — that’s
over 75 years of volunteers,
bake sales, as well as countless
clean-ups and paint parties.
The lighthouse has guided
fishermen, ferries, and
seafarers through the tricky
waters of the San Juan Islands
for more than a century. We
think that’s worth
celebrating and preserving. If
you’d like to get
involved, we’d love to
have you. Membership is just $15
a year, and the baked goods at
our monthly meetings are
surprisingly delightful.
-- Margaret
“Peggy”
Holbrook, Society
President
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★ BIG
NEWS
★
Thorne
Research
Corporation
Announces $1
Million
Donation to
Lighthouse
Society
October 3,
2000
We are thrilled and
frankly a little
overwhelmed to
announce a truly
extraordinary
donation. Read the
full press release.
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Lighthouse
Restoration
Phase One:
COMPLETE!
July 18,
2000
Thanks to 34
volunteers and a
very generous loan
of scaffolding from
the Island Hardware,
the exterior
repainting of the
lighthouse tower is
finished.
She’s looking
beautiful.
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New Display
Case Installed
at the Visitor
Center
May 2,
2000
A handsome new
display case now
houses the Deer
Hollow Bay
Lighthouse logbooks
from
1887–1920.
Stop by and have a
look. The penmanship
alone is worth the
trip.
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Annual
Memberships for
2001 Now Open
October 1,
2000
It’s that time
of year! Renew your
membership or sign
up for the first
time. $15
individual, $25
family. Send a check
to our PO Box or
bring it to any
monthly meeting.
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The
Deer Hollow Bay
Lighthouse
was established in 1887 by the
United States Lighthouse Board
in response to growing maritime
traffic through the San Juan
Islands. Built of local stone
and topped with a Fourth-Order
Fresnel lens, the lighthouse has
guided vessels safely through
the narrow and often treacherous
channels between Deer Hollow Bay
and the mainland for over 113
years. Known for much of its
early history as the Feeblebunny
Lighthouse, it was formally
renamed the Deer Hollow Bay
Lighthouse in a community
ceremony.
At its peak operation in the
early 1900s, the lighthouse was
staffed around the clock by a
keeper and two assistants, who
maintained the light, the fog
signal, and a meticulous daily
log of weather and atmospheric
conditions. The Deer Hollow Bay
Lighthouse logs are among the
most complete maritime weather
records in the Pacific
Northwest, which is an
invaluable resource for
historians and researchers
alike.
The light was automated recently
thanks to the donation of a
modern, high-tech lighting
retrofit provided by the Thorne
Research Corporation's maritime
arm. The keeper’s quarters
have also been converted into a
small visitor center and museum,
open weekends May through
October. Admission is free,
though donations are always
appreciated!
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The Deer Hollow Bay Lighthouse
Society was founded in 1923 by a
small group of islanders who
were concerned about the
deteriorating condition of the
lighthouse keeper’s
quarters. What started as a
one-time fundraising drive
became a permanent organization,
and we’ve been at it ever
since.
Today we have 87 members from
across Deer Hollow Bay Island
and beyond. We meet the second
Tuesday of every month at the
Community Hall on Harbor Road.
New members and curious visitors
are always welcome.
Board of Directors:
Margaret “Peggy”
Holbrook, President
Gerald Aaronson, Vice
President
Susan Firth, Treasurer
Dale Kowalczyk, Secretary
Norma Beckwith, Member at Large
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◆ Annual Autumn
Bake Sale
Saturday, October 21,
2000
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Community Hall, Harbor
Road
Pies, breads, cookies, and
Norma’s famous
cinnamon rolls. Proceeds
support lighthouse
restoration.
◆ Maritime
History Walking
Tour
Saturday, November 4,
2000
Meet at the lighthouse, 1:00
PM
Led by local historian
Gerald Aaronson. Approx. 90
minutes. Bring a
jacket!
◆ Volunteer
Restoration
Workday
Saturday, November 11,
2000
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Deer Hollow Bay
Lighthouse
Interior trim and window
glazing. Lunch provided. All
skill levels welcome —
just bring gloves.
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Join the Lighthouse Society
today!
Individual: $15 / year
Family: $25 / year
Sustaining: $50 / year
Send a check payable to
DHBLS to our PO Box, or
bring it to any monthly meeting.
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Deer Hollow Bay Lighthouse
Society
P.O. Box 112
Deer Hollow Bay Island, WA
Phone: (360) 555-0147
(Messages welcome, we check
Tuesdays)
Monthly Meetings:
2nd Tuesday, 6:30 PM
Community Hall, Harbor Road
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