Historical Society hosts talk on Cobbossee Lake lighthouse

The Winthrop Maine Historical Society will host Jack Schrader on the evening of Aug. 10 to talk about "Cobbossee Lake Lighthouse: A Beacon for all on Ladies Delight Island in Winthrop, Maine.”

This latest edition in the Historical Society's Speaker Series will be from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Winthrop History and Heritage Center at 107 Main St. or via Zoom at this link. The Speaker Series is free and open to the public.

On Ladies Delight Island in Cobbossee Lake in Winthrop stands the white and black stone Cobbossee Lake Lighthouse, which Schrader has been involved in the care of for many years. 

When Jack  turned 4 years old in 1948, his family moved from New Jersey  to Maine to live with Jack’s grandparents, who ran Lakehurst Farm on the Pond Road in Manchester. Lakehurst Farm was a boarding house and a busy place in which to spend a childhood. Jack attended  Manchester Elementary School, Cony High School, the University of Maine in Orono and graduated from Wentworth College with an associate's degree in electronics. After college, Jack returned to Manchester and worked for Digital Equipment in Augusta for 18 years. In 1995, Digital closed and Jack worked as a substitute teacher at Cony until retiring at 62.

Jack grew up around the lighthouse and, as an adult, was an active member and treasurer of the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club, which maintained the lighthouse until recently when the Cobbossee Lake Association took over ownership of the island and the lighthouse. In 2001, the lighthouse received a facelift and was placed on a new base. Constructed around 1906, Cobbossee Lighthouse  is believed to be the only active inland waters lighthouse in Maine. The lighthouse is powered by the sun and continues to light the way of mariners every night throughout the year. Jack will be sharing these and many more stories about the lighthouse during his presentation. 

For more information about the Speaker Series or the Historical Society, contact the WNHS at 207-395-5199 or winthropmainehistorical@gmail.com.