Day Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One and Twenty-Two: June 20th, 21st, 23rd, and 24th

During the beginning of the week, Allison and I alternated turns giving solo lighthouse tours. One of the tours I gave was to a several people from the Netherlands. They were in town because they were performing at a Scandinavian Festival on Presque Isle. Another tour I gave was one of the most enjoyable tours. Every fact that I told them they found fascinating, both families were very excited about going inside the lighthouse and going past it on the catwalk. We also have three visitors from Iceland that were on vacation in the United States. 

I also continued working on the outline of the museum with Allison, we finished the Coast Guard section of the museum. Once the museum began to fill with visitors, I went up to my desk on the second floor and continued my research on ore boats. I found the Great Lakes & Seaway Shipping News Archive online. I found information about the DOUGLAS HOUGHTON iron ore boat. As a break from researching on the internet, I looked through the museum's library. I found over fifteen books that contain information about the Great Lakes ore boats. 

 [The Douglas Houghton Ore Boat]

I also created an event on Facebook for the Tall Ships Weekend. [http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=219067751447589] 

There was also an article in The Mining Journal about the event. 

Day Seventeen and Eighteen: June 16th and 17th

Day Seventeen:

I gave a solo tour of the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse in the morning, it was a beautiful day outside! Thursday was also exciting because a person had arrived from our internet provider to install the internet cables. Unfortunately it took much longer than expected, so we did not have internet access until the next day. The reason I am so interested in having an internet connection, is because I will be able to begin researching the pictures and artifacts that I have chosen for the exhibits.

I also learned how to set up a long-term loan paperwork. A women donated a boat for the World War II McClintock/Darter-Dace Silent Service Memorial exhibit.

Day Eighteen: 

Friday I worked with Craig. The day was filled with the internet/cable guy finishing installing the wireless internet, and a tour from the 62nd Annual Upper Peninsula History Conference. Craig gave them a tour of the lighthouse and a member of our Board of Directors, Fred Stonehouse, talked to them about different aspects of the museum. About a quarter of the people from the History Conference wanted to purchase a postcard that showed the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse. 

I also typed up my proposal for the exhibits I am designing for the second floor of the lighthouse. Once the wireless internets was installed, I was able to begin to start researching information for the exhibits. 

Day Sixteen: June 14th

Tuesday I worked with Allison, Carrie, and Bobby. We had so many people working because of the FAM [Familiarization tour] tour. Front desk workers from local hotels once a year go around town an tour the local museums and attractions so they are better able to explain the sites around Marquette. My boss Carrie took them up to the lighthouse and around the museum. 

Allison and I also tag-teamed another tour to the lighthouse. Once we returned from the tour, Carrie handed us a large manila envelope from the third grade class we gave the museum tour to. When we opened the envelope we discovered it was filled with wonderful thank you cards. Many of the students drew their favorite part of the tour! Receiving the cards was the most rewarding feeling in the world. You can tell from reading their cards that they actually listened to what you were teaching them. 

We also received a delivery of 3 large boxes. They contained books, lighthouses, lenses, shot glasses, playing cards, keychains, calendars, mugs, magnets, and bookmarks. Allison, Carrie and myself stayed after closing to finish pricing and placing the items out on the shelves for sale. 

 [Allison and I holding some of our thank you cards!]

 [Two of the cards said "You guys are awesome"]

 [A wonderful drawing of a lyle gun]

 [A drawing of a Fresnel lens]

 ["I liked the motel of the Edmund Fitzgerald under water"]

 [A really cool pop-out card]

[The envelope they came in!]

Day Fifteen: June 13th

Monday was an amazing day! I gave two solo lighthouse tours! The first tour was to a family originally from Illinois, but they now live in Shanghai, China. When I was telling them about the history of the lighthouse, a deer appeared next to the lighthouse. It ran down the hill and out the gate. The little girl in the group wanted to see the deer's boyfriend, and her older brother wanted to see a deer with antlers. 

I also attended a talk at the museum on Sunday June 12th. Kurt Fosburg is one of four people in the world that can restore Fresnel lenses. He talked to us about several places that he has gone to and why the lenses needed restoration. One of the stories that he told us was about gravity decommissioning. This was when the United States Coast Guard decided that the Fresnel lenses were not cost effective, and instead of dismantling and carrying them down the stairs, they threw them off the top of the light tower. 

 [The deer running out the gate]

 [The flower given to me from one of the boys from Shanghai as a thank you]

Day Thirteen and Fourteen: June 8th and 9th

On Wednesday, June 8th, we had another third grade class visit the museum and lighthouse. Allison and I teamed up to give our FIRST MUSEUM TOUR together! The third grade class's teacher was my third and fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Hayes! I was so excited when I saw that she was the teacher that I was going to be giving the tour to. She still did the same hand signal for the kids to quiet down. The tour went very well, the kids really liked looking through the periscope at the lighthouse. About half of them got back in line to look through it again!


Wednesday was also filled with drastic changes in weather. When my boss, Carrie left for lunch, her car thermometer read 95 degrees. When she returned to her car around 45 minutes later, her thermometer read 65 degrees. [A 30 degree temperature change!!] We also had a isolated thunderstorm in the later part of the afternoon. 


A woman came in to sell us more books and DVD's for the gift shop. We already carry some of her merchandise. We ordered several more copies of books that we already carry, and two new DVD's that they just began to sell. 


We also received another UPS package containing more books, lighthouses, and lens ornaments. We priced all of them on Thursday, June 9th, when Allison and I were not on a tour. 

 [Allison]

Day Twelve: June 7th

Tuesday was a fun day at the museum. We had a a 3rd grade visit for a museum and a lighthouse tour. I followed my boss, Carrie, while she gave the tour! 


We also received a shipment of new lighthouses and magnets for the gift shop. One of the lighthouses that was ordered is a model of one of the lighthouses on Grand Island by Munising. 


The most interesting part of the day was when I began to plan the exhibits for the second floor of the lighthouse. I started by looking through the collections on the second and third floor of the museum. I will be planning three separate exhibits to fill the two main rooms in the lighthouse's second floor. The first section will be about the U.S. Coast Guard and will include photos and a uniform. The second section is about how Marquette used to look. I have found many pictures and paintings that will be included in the exhibit, along with a 3-D map of the county. The last section consists of pictures and paintings of ore boats that are named after local towns, people and companies. 

 

[Carrie giving the tour]

[Carrie]

[Unpacking new lighthouse magnets!]

[The Grand Island lighthouse model]

[The Edmund Fitzgerald was launched on June 7th, 1958. The children really enjoyed finding out that they were touring the Maritime Museum on the same day as the Fitzgerald's first launch.]

[The Edmund Fitzgerald being pushing into the water]

[One of the photos that will be included in the exhibit on the second floor of the lighthouse. It depicts an ore boat named after Grand Island]

Day Eleven: June 6th

Monday was an exciting day! I did my first tour completely by myself! It went very well!

Later in the day Allison and I did a tour with several people from Lansing and Texas! We also had to kick people off the property [it is owned by the Coast Guard]. The couple from Texas were very excited that I had a Michigan State University t-shirt on, but they were surprised that I could get a MSU school t-shirt in colors other than green and white. They were so excited about my shirt, they took a picture of it to text to their friend who is a Michigan State fan.


My favorite part of Monday was when we climbed the stairs up to the lighthouse and the lilacs were blooming! They are so beautiful to look at and wonderful to smell!

After work, we explored the remnants of the fog horn building and the surround rocks.

 [Photo from the Mining Journal's Police Log. I later found out Allison called the Coast Guard about the kids, then the Coast Guard called the police]

Day Nine and Ten: June 2nd and 3rd

Thursday was another wonderfully beautiful day at the Marquette Lighthouse! Allison and I continued to give the tours together. Unfortunately there was only one tour. 

I also spent Thursday and Friday working on the outline for the museum tour. Allison and I took turns typing up the information. It is now 10 pages long!! Allison and I finished the Henry B. Smith section and continued onto the U.S. Life Saving Service portion. 

Friday's weather included scattered strong thunderstorms. We were stuck inside all day because the storms seemed to only arrive on the scheduled tour times. We also had books delivered and they are now priced and out on the shelves for sale!

This coming week will include two days in a row with school groups arriving for tours of the museum and lighthouse. I have enjoyed the school visits. It is always interesting to hear what their favorite subjects are in school, what their plans are for the summer, and what was their favorite part of the tours!

[talking about the fog horn building and shipwreck]

[I tend to use my hands when I talk]

[Captain Henry J. Cleary]

A native of Port Hope, MI, Cleary sailed on a schooner for several years before joining the service at Pt. Aux Barques at age 19. He later served at Grindstone City, Tawas and Deer Park until his transfer to open Marquette’s new station. Cleary was known for his strong physique, iron nerve and a trademark black handlebar mustache.