Browns Point Lighthouse, Washington. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont



Browns Point is on the east side of the entrance to Commencement Bay, which leads from Puget Sound to the Port of Tacoma. The first navigational aid at Browns Point was a simple post light established in 1887 – two years before Washington became a state. A new square wooden lighthouse began service in 1903, and a fog bell was mounted on the side of the tower. In 1933, the current 38-foot concrete lighthouse tower was built. It’s unusual Art Deco style makes it unique among Washington’s lighthouses.




Jim Harnish and Light Hearted host Jeremy D'Entremont at Browns Point. Photo by Jeff Gales.



The keeper's house at Browns Point. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.




A year after its automation in 1963, Browns Point became a public park. In more recent years, the Points Northeast Historical Society has restored the keeper’s house and has opened it for overnight stays. The Society carried out a major restoration of the lighthouse in 2021. Jim Harnish is a board member and past president of the Points Northeast Historical Society. A 2014 newsletter called him “the glue that holds us all together.” U.S. Lighthouse Society Executive Director Jeff Gales takes part in this interview along with host Jeremy D'Entremont.




George Fox and other volunteers in Ukraine



George Fox and friends with a sunrise over the Black Sea in Odessa, on Ukrainian Independence Day (August 24)




This episode features one of our occasional "Be a Lighthouse" segments, which focus on people doing good in the world. George Fox, who lives in Bethel, Maine, recently spent several months in Ukraine, helping war refugees escape the country to Poland. During his time in Ukraine, Fox transported people west out of Ukraine and brought supplies east. After three separate stays in Ukraine, George says he’s fallen in love with the country and its people. He hopes eventually to go back to help rebuild the country.



If anyone would like to contact George Fox, his email address is georgesfox@msn.com