Ledge Light leadership steps down
Gipsteins oversaw fundraising, tours at iconic lighthouse
Todd and Marcia Gipstein admired the iconic New London Ledge Lighthouse from a reasonable distance for years. They can even catch a glimpse of it in the winter from one room in their home at Eastern Point in Groton.
They never envisioned, however, they would someday hold the keys to the more than century-old structure and spend a decade consumed by the work associated with its maintenance and restoration.
That’s what happened soon after the couple moved to Eastern Point in Groton in 2005 and joined the non-profit Ledge Light Foundation in 2008.
They found themselves immersed in work to prepare a gala in 2009 to celebrate the 100th birthday of the lighthouse. The two have since spearheaded most aspects of the group’s activities — from fundraising, tours and grant writing to the organization of volunteers, maintenance and creation of the museum inside the lighthouse.
Todd produced a documentary and even wrote a novel, “In the Shadow of the Light,” to help promote the lighthouse.
The couple recently stepped aside from their leaderships roles at the 30-year-old organization, Todd as president and Marcia as treasurer — more of an unpaid executive director — to focus a bit more time on their own endeavors.
Along with leaving the lighthouse in better condition than they found it, the two said they are counting on an even brighter future for the lighthouse with a new partnership with its landlords, the New London Maritime Society.
“People take such pride in this lighthouse. It means so much to so many people. I grew up hearing that foghorn. It’s part of the identity and soul of this region. If we lose it, we lose something of what makes us
unique,” said Todd Gipstein, who grew up in New London.
“You try to preserve those unique treasures so that history endures and can take pride in what we have here,” he said.
The New London Maritime Society, also the owners of Race Rock and Harbor Light, will look to play a larger role in promoting and marketing the lighthouse this year, said Maritime Society Executive Director Ed Cubanski. It took ownership of Ledge Light in 2015 as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.
“There’s definitely a good business opportunity there,” Cubanski said. “We’re looking at a completely different business model to really give access to the public, who really thirst for these great maritime treasures.”
In contrast to the 300 or so people taken to Ledge Light last year by the Ledge Light Foundation — one of the more challenging years for tours because of increased competition — Cubanski said he is looking for 4,000 or more visitors to the only lighthouse in the society’s portfolio where there is consistent public access.
Plans for tours at Harbor Light on Pequot Avenue in New London have been thwarted by local zoning regulations. Tours at Race Rock, while possible, are a more difficult venture because of where it is situated at Race Rock Reef.
Going forward, Todd Gipstein said the Ledge Light Foundation will continue its successful partnership with Project Oceanology for chartered tours. The Maritime Society plans to expand the number of public tours through possible partnerships with Cross Sound Ferry and the Thames River Heritage Park Water Taxi. Cubanski said details still are being worked out.
An increase in proceeds from the tours will help the Maritime Society apply for matching grants and eventually start larger structural projects and preservation work at the lighthouse.
The Ledge Light Foundation completed its work on a shoestring budget, in part thanks to volunteer work from community partners that have included Navy submarine crews, Coast Guard cadets, the City of Groton and citizens. Located at the mouth of the Thames River, the lighthouse is situated in Groton waters.
“It’s amazing how many people we’ve had out there,” Marcia Gipstein said.
The work is not easy since equipment and people must be shuttled to the lighthouse by boat and work is mostly done during the six months that weather allows. Work has included renovations of the rooms, installation of the museum exhibits and replacement of 30 of the more than 42 windows.
“A lighthouse a mile out on the water is a tough nut to crack. The building will beat you up and when you solve one problem something else beats you up,” he said.
Just one unsolved challenge is the lack of power at the lighthouse. Power is supplied to the lighthouse from a mile-long cable from Avery Point in Groton. It failed last year.
While the light and foghorn are solar-powered and not affected, it has forced the use of a generator for air-conditioning and television to run the orientation film. The organization is looking at the use of solar panels.
Todd, who worked for three decades with National Geographic as a writer, lecturer and photographer, said with some of the responsibility of the lighthouse in the hands of others he and his wife will have less to fret about during their travels this year. He has been president since 2010 and handed over leadership reins to Bruce Buckley.
Marcia Gipstein, a yoga instructor, was recognized last year with the 2017 Jacqueline B. Nixon Community Service Award for her commitment to the light house.
The two remain on Ledge Light Foundation board and can’t imagine being completely sidelined from future work ahead.
As for what some might call thankless work at the lighthouse, Marcia Gipstein said, “our main goal has been to preserve it … and get the public to see it.”
“That’s the major reward we got — the faces and thankyous,” she said.