This uses our TV-B-Gone Board with parts removed
/*
Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse winks and blinks “I Love You”
1-4-3
Active Low LED
1 Second On
5 Seconds Off
1 Second On
1 Second Off
1 Second On
1 Second Off
1 Second On
1 Second Off
1 Second On
1 Second Off
5 Seconds Off
1 Second On
1 Second Off
1 Second On
1 Second Off
1 Second On
1 Second Off
20 Seconds Off
45 Seconds Total
*/
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin 13 as an output.
pinMode(0, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //I
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(5000); // 5 Seocnds Off
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //L
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(1000);
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //O
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(1000);
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //V
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(1000);
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //E
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(5000); // 5 Seconds Off
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //Y
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(1000);
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //O
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(1000);
digitalWrite(0, LOW);
delay(1000); //U
digitalWrite(0, HIGH);
delay(20000);
}
Minot’s
Ledge Lighthouse winks and blinks “I Love You” to Lighthouse
Lovers on Valentine’s Day and everyday! Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse
is one of the most romantic Lighthouses in our country.
The
distinctive Light Characteristic of Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse uses a
1-4-3 flashing sequence which is the same numerical count as the
words “I love you.” Romantic Lighthouse Lovers on the shore of
Minot Beach soon nicknamed the granite Lighthouse, the “Lover’s
Light” or the “I Love You Light.”
Five
months after the second Lighthouse was first lit on Nov 15, 1860,
Fitz James O’Brien’s “Minot’s
Ledge” poem was published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.
On
Aug 25, 1871, Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote of his visit to
Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse:
“…we
find ourselves at the base of the lighthouse rising sheer out of the
sea like a huge stone cannon, mouth upward. We are hoisted up forty
feet in a chair, some of us; others go up by an iron ladder… The
lighthouse rises out of the sea like a beautiful stone cannon, mouth
upward, belching forth only friendly fires.” – Final Memorials of
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1887
In
1901, Helen Keller romanticized her passing Minot’s Ledge Light on
her way to Boston Harbor:
“…the colors warmed and deepened as we watched the beautiful, gold-tinted clouds peacefully take possession of the sky. Then came the sun, gathering the mist into silvery bands with which he wreathed the islands that lifted their heads out of the purple sea as it passed.
“…the colors warmed and deepened as we watched the beautiful, gold-tinted clouds peacefully take possession of the sky. Then came the sun, gathering the mist into silvery bands with which he wreathed the islands that lifted their heads out of the purple sea as it passed.
A
mighty tide of life and joy followed in its track. The ocean awoke,
ships and boats of every description sprang from the waves as if by
magic; and as we sighted Minot’s Ledge Light, a great six-masted
schooner with snowy sails passed us like a beautiful winged spirit,
bound for some unknown haven beyond the bar.
How
delightful it was to see Minot’s Ledge in the morning light. There
one expects to see the ocean lashed into fury by the splendid
resistance of the rocks; but as we passed the ‘light’ seemed to
rise out of the tranquil water, like Venus from her morning bath. It
seemed so near, I thought I could touch it; but I am rather glad I
did not; for perhaps the lovely illusion would have been destroyed
had I examined it more closely.” – Helen Keller
Ironically,
the 1-4-3 numerical flash pattern was randomly selected after Lt.
Frederick Mahan, U.S.N., a member of the Lighthouse Board,
recommended all Lighthouses have a numerical flash sequence in 1890.
Due to the high costs of these special lenses, only two Fresnel
lenses were made and displayed at the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893.
Cape
Charles Light Station, located on Smith Island, Virginia, was First
Lit on August 15, 1895 exhibiting 9 Flashes every 30 seconds using a
4-5 pattern (four quick flashes followed by a dark interval of three
seconds, then five more flashes followed by sixteen seconds of
darkness) illuminated by a First-order Fresnel lens.
Minot’s
Ledge Light, located on Minot’s Ledge, a 25-foot-wide rock ledge
that is part of the Cohasset Rocks located approximately one mile
offshore from the town of Cohasset, Massachusetts, was refitted with
Second-order Fresnel lens and re-lighted on May 1, 1894 exhibiting 8
Flashes every 45 seconds using a 1-4-3 pattern (one quick flash
followed by a dark interval of five seconds, four flashes, and three
flashes followed by 15.5 seconds of darkness).
According
to Lighthouse Lore, Minot’s Ledge Light is haunted by two assistant
Light-keepers, Joseph Wilson and Joseph Antoine, who lost their lives
when the first iron-pile Lighthouse was destroyed by a severe storm
on April 17, 1851. Several Light-keepers of the new dovetailed
granite Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse reported seeing the two
supernatural phantom Light-keepers in the Lantern Room in the middle
of the night and the images of the two drowned keepers would appear
in the doorway when they looked at the reflection of the tower in the
water on calm sunny days. The ringing of a phantom bell and knocks
were frequently heard at night.
Lighthouse
Legend also claims the local fishermen and Light-keepers can hear the
phantom of Joseph Antoine cry “Stay Away” in his native tongue of
Portuguese and they also claim to see him clinging to ladder of the
Tower. Perhaps the most bizarre legend was the mysterious polishing
of the Fresnel lens and the mysterious cleaning of the windows of the
Lantern Room before the human assistant Light-keepers could clean
them!
Since
spectral visions are a highly subjective surreal experience, please
click on the photo of this post for more information about the human
history of this Lighthouse, travel tips, and Lighthouse Cruises.
