About a year from now, the Arcadia Publishing House wants to publish a new book for the “Images of America” series, titled “Lighthouses of San Diego.” Co-authors will be Karen Scanlon and her identical twin sister, Kimberly Fahlen.
Both sisters have a close relationship with lighthouses. Fahlen is a docent at the Cabrillo National Monument and is responsible for polishing the glass prisms of three Fresnel lenses on display there.
She has written for the San Francisco Society and the World Lighthouse Society and travels the U.S. and Europe photographing lighthouses.
Scanlon is an author who has focused on the maritime history of San Diego. She has written extensively on the Point Loma lighthouse and occasionally assists Kimberly cleaning windows and walls in the lantern of Old Point Loma Lighthouse.
“Images of America” is a series devoted to the history of a particular area. They are ultimately story books and can be found all over the country. History topics span a wide interest, including small towns, large cities, and the people and industries that built them.
Publications for San Diego include “Cemeteries of San Diego,” “The Navy in San Diego,” “Surfing in San Diego,” and “Mission Beach,” which is in press right now.
The new book will cover the U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation in the tower at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse, the Mexican lighthouse visible from the U.S. border, and the three Point Loma lighthouses: Old Point Loma, Ballast Point, and Point Loma.
“Images of America” are compilations of historic photographs with captions. The authors are currently seeking photographs or documents from the late 1800s to 1975 and are asking Point Loma residents to contribute to the book.
The photographs will be electronically scanned and immediately returned. Photograph credit is always given to the person who owns the image.
“It is important to us to cover the history of our lighthouses in a most in-depth way,” Scanlon said.
Each photograph will be accompanied by a short text.
“We are looking for lightkeepers at work in the lighthouse and on station grounds, their families, or dogs and old cars, and anything else that enriches the story,” Fahlen said.
The twins have their own lighthouse stories, as well. In December 1999, when U.S. Coast Guard personnel removed the 3rd Order optic from the lantern of Point Loma’s leggy tower, the twins were the only civilians on board.
“We gave the lens its final polishing on the last night it stood in the tower. It was mighty sad to see it come down,” Fahlen recalled.
When the lens was reassembled for safekeeping at the new Assistant Keepers Quarters at Cabrillo National Monument, the twins were the first to polish it again.
“We’re too sentimental for our own good,” Scanlon said. “Yet there is a happy ending for San Diego’s lighthouse lenses, but you’ll have to read the book for the whole dramatic story.”
For more information, call Scanlon at (858) 272 7357, or e-mail [email protected].