The Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse is a Rochester treasure. Today it takes its place in history as the oldest lighthouse on Lake Ontario that is still in use. The lighthouse has been guarding the port of Rochester where the Genesee River meets Lake Ontario for 200 years, but I didn’t discover the lighthouse and its history until the 1990s.

When I did, I was totally charmed by the tower and it’s 42 spiral stairs leading up to the light. I was impressed by the stories of the dedicated lighthouse keepers who kept the light lit and by the work of community members who worked to restore the lighthouse after some years of neglect.  I was embarrassed that I had lived in Rochester all of my life but had never been to the lighthouse until quite a few birthdays had gone by.  I decided that all of the kids of Rochester should know about this landmark, so I challenged myself to write a book about it. After doing some research, I discovered that one of the lighthouse keepers named Cuyler Cook drowned while tending the light in August of 1853 when a nor’easter blew into Rochester. My next thought was, what if Cuyler Cookis is haunting the lighthouse.

That’s how The Ghost of the Charlotte Lighthouse was conceived. The book was released in 2006, and the generous lighthouse folk threw a party. My career as a children’s author was launched! Who knew that it would lead to a whole series of books about special places in Rochester?

I’ve been back to the lighthouse multiple times since then, sometimes with a school group, sometimes with family. But, several weeks ago, I had the privilege of being invited to the lighthouse to read part of this same book in honor of the lighthouse’s 200th anniversary. What a joy to introduce my book to a whole new generation of children!

The lighthouse will soon be closing for the winter, but put it on your bucket list for next summer. And take along some kids. Walk up the spiral stairs and look at Rochester in a new light.                                        .