Lighthouse Digest, a Maine-based national lighthouse history magazine, has donated a rare vintage original photograph of Burnt Island Lighthouse to the Maine Department of Marine Resources for future display at the Boothbay Harbor lighthouse.

Tim Harrison, publisher and editor of Lighthouse Digest, said he purchased the item at auction and had no idea at the time that Elaine Jones, who led the restoration of the lighthouse, was bidding against him. Harrison said he was primarily interested in the photograph for his extensive collection to use in future stories for Lighthouse Digest magazine and for a book he is working on about Maine's lighthouses.

When Jones mentioned to him that she had been bidding against him, Harrison said he would make a copy of the image for his files and happily donate the original to the lighthouse.

Jones, in commenting about the original photograph, which is 7½" x 9¼," said, "I'm excited to receive this vintage photograph of the Burnt Island Lighthouse from Tim Harrison and his Lighthouse Digest. It unlocks secrets of a bygone era and adds to the historic documentation of the light station due to the rare angle at which it was taken."

Harrison went on to say, "Many old images like this give a much different appearance of the way a lighthouse often looks today. Over time, changes are made to lighthouses, buildings are remodeled, windows are replaced or altered, doors are moved, and other changes are made. Often, old photos like this will provide a whole new architectural history of a lighthouse that might otherwise have been unknown or simply forgotten about."

Jones said that visitors who attend the Burnt Island Living History program this summer will have a chance to view this photograph, and others, in the covered-walkway museum at the lighthouse.

Built in 1821 on an island at the entrance to Boothbay Harbor, ownership of the Burnt Island Lighthouse was transferred from the Coast Guard in 1998 to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, which, under the direction of Elaine Jones, has since transformed the historic lighthouse into a living history museum. They have also developed a number of other programs at the lighthouse that deal with navigation, ecosystems, fishing and other educational programs on the island, which is open to the public in the summer months.

Those wishing to visit and tour the lighthouse and enjoy its programs can take the water taxi that departs Pier 8 in Boothbay Harbor, Monday through Friday at 1:45 p.m. during the months of July and August. For more information about Burnt Island's Lighthouse tours and educational programs, visit their Web site at www.maine.gov/dmr/education.htm .

Lighthouse Digest, which is a national magazine devoted to preserving and saving lighthouse history, was founded in 1992 and is now published in Whiting, Maine. The magazine has subscribers in all 50 states and 17 countries.

To learn more about Lighthouse Digest, visit their Web site at www.FogHornPublishing.com or at www.LighthouseDigest.com or to subscribe you can call them at 207-259-2121.