Like many of you I am walking through what I will gently term a “hidden season” in various aspects of life. This has reminded me of a story from visiting the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse (Maine) in the winter in 2020 (before the pandemic hit). You can read about our visit HERE!
We arrived as the sun was setting and the light across the gently mist covered rolling waves in the winter was nothing short of stunning. Walking along I was struck by what Marcus Hanna must have experienced in this place... peace, beauty, and restoration.
As a history professor and travel blogger I am always fascinated by stories of the places that I travel to. One of the most fascinating parts of history regarding the lighthouse to me was about one a Lighthouse keeper at Pemaquid Point named Marcus Hanna. Hanna is the only man that has ever been awarded both the Medal of Honor and the Gold Lifesaving Medal. He was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Civil War for bravery on July 4, 1863 and then the Lifesaving Medal for rescuing a life at Cape Elizabeth in 1885 where he once served as a Lighthouse Keeper. He also was awarded the Civil War Campaign Medal and in 1997 the United States Coast Guard named a Keeper class buoy tender after him which is based in Maine.
After the war he supposedly had his choice of where he wanted to go (because of his honor in the Civil war) and he chose this beautiful place. I found that part of the history of the lighthouse incredibly fascinating don’t you? Here was this hero and he chose a hidden place for a season. There was something so lovely and restful about this area and it made me wonder if he found rest and restoration in this space. He was the lighthouse keeper for four years and this little fact of history has struck me deeply. Sometimes it is in the hidden places and seasons that we find so much.
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