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Old Fort Niagara to Honor Volunteer Lighthouse Keeper on National Lighthouse Day, Aug. 7

by C. Clark
Wed, Aug 5th 2015 03:55 pm

For immediate release

(August 5, 2015) Youngstown, N.Y. - Old Fort Niagara will honor Terry Yonker, a devoted volunteer, lighthouse keeper and naturalist who passed away in April, with a reception and plaque dedication on Friday, August 7, at 11 a.m. at the Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse. Friends and supporters are invited to attend the reception, where fort staff will recognize his contributions. August 7 is National Lighthouse Day.

Mr. Yonker started volunteering at Old Fort Niagara around 1995 and helped with various fundraising events. He served as the fort's development director in the early 2000s and helped raise funds needed to open the fort's visitor center and museum. He was very interested in the Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse, which is adjacent to the fort's parking lot in Fort Niagara State Park, and he worked to get it open to the public in 2008. From then through last summer, Mr. Yonker was a volunteer lighthouse keeper, where he greeted and educated visitors about the lighthouse.

"Terry was a dedicated volunteer who was instrumental in re-opening the lighthouse tower to the public in 2008," said Robert Emerson, Executive Director of Old Fort Niagara. "He was the type of guy who really believed in what he did and gave his time and enthusiasm as gifts. Terry excelled at helping people understand the importance of our lighthouse and why it deserves the resources needed to maintain it. We look forward to celebrating his life at the reception on August 7th," added Mr. Emerson.

Mr. Yonker was an Eagle Scout and active in Boy Scouts of America, Buffalo Ornithological Society, and served as executive director of Michigan Audubon Society and Great Lakes United during his lifetime.

Gifts in Mr. Yonker's memory can be made online at oldfortniagara.org/donation or mailed to: Old Fort Niagara, PO Box 169, Youngstown, NY, 14174.

National Lighthouse Day

 

The reception falls on National Lighthouse Day, which was designated in 1989 to mark the bicentennial of the "Act for the Establishment and Support of Lighthouse, Beacons, Buoys, and Public Piers" passed by Congress on August 7, 1789. The 1989 resolution was intended to encourage lighthouse grounds to be open to the public, where feasible, on this day. (1)

Old Fort Niagara's Lighthouse is open daily from noon to 3 p.m. until October 12 and is free of charge. There are approximately 70 steps to the top of the tower with a panoramic view of Old Fort Niagara, Niagara River, Lake Ontario, Youngstown and Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Historically, a lighthouse was important as a navigational aid for boats on Lake Ontario and, twice, lighthouses were built and operated on the roof of the fort's French Castle (1781-1803 and 1823-1871). Then, in 1871, the existing stone octagonal tower was built, put in operation in 1872 and remained in use until 1993. In 1900, the lighthouse tower was heightened to raise the lamp 11 feet to make the light visible from 25 miles out on Lake Ontario. It used a fourth-order Fresnel lens from Paris, which is on display today in the fort's visitor center lobby.

In 1993, a high-powered light installed at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Niagara made the lighthouse obsolete, except as a point of interest.

More information is available in the attached PDF lighthouse brochure, which is also available at the lighthouse.

Calendar of 2015 Events

September 5-6, War of 1812 Encampment

October 17 and 24, Haunted Fortress

November 6, French Heritage Day

December 5 and 12, Castle by Candlelight


Admission to the fort is $12 per adult, $8 per child (ages 6-12) and free for children 5 and under. Members of Old Fort Niagara are admitted free. Group discounts are available. Please refer to our website for details.


Old Fort Niagara (www.oldfortniagara.org) is located in Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown, N.Y., which is 14 miles north of Niagara Falls via the Robert Moses Parkway North. The fort is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily in July and August. Admissions end at 6:30 p.m. Old Fort Niagara is a Registered National Historic Landmark and New York State Historic Site operated by the Old Fort Niagara Association (a not-for-profit organization) in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Latest news available on Facebook and Twitter.


(1) Source: www.lighthousefoundation.org

Hours of Operation

January 13 through March, Open Wednesday-Sunday  10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m

April 1- June 30, Open Daily 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

July and August, Open Daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

September 1 - October 15, Open Daily 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

October 16 - December 31, Open Wednesday through Sunday (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays) 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

The fort will be open daily during Christmas week, December 26 - 31. 

Closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. 

 

General Admission

Adults:

$20.00

Children (6 to 12 years) 

$12.00

Children (5 and under):

  FREE

 

 

 

 

Support the Fort

Old Fort Niagara is operated by the Old Fort Niagara Association, an independent, not-for-profit organization established in 1927. We do not rely on tax dollars. Instead, the Fort is funded through a combination of admission fees, museum shop sales, and charitable contributions.

Donate today!

 

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