The Day It All Changed

Release date:  Tuesday, August 4, 2026

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CHAPTER ONE

The crowds became less and less every year.  People just weren't interested in the old stories surrounding the lighthouse.  

The Waugoshance lighthouse stood 16 miles west of the straits of Mackinac.  This area of Lake Michigan was especially treacherous due to shallow depths.  This was the only lighthouse on the Great Lakes to be completely surrounded by water.  

The tower stands 76 feet thick at the bottom, tapering to two feet at the top.  Originally the base was just 20 feet in diameter, but an addition was made in later years to add a small two bedroom home for the light keeper and his family.  

Standing on the shore I watched anxiously as a small boat prepared to take a handful of people to the lighthouse for a daily tour.  This would be one of only two tours for the day.  Attendance had dropped greatly over the years and without more visitors to the lighthouse this would surely be the end of her.  Something had to be done.  I grew to love this place over the years and I didn't want to see her destroyed.  

People no longer believed the stories of the strange happenings at the Waugoshance.  They chalked it up to a museum curator's wild imagination to attract visitors.  Although some of the stories had changed over the years, the truth was still the best way to save the lighthouse.  

CHAPTER TWO

The year was 1904 when Oscar Hartnell, owner of the "George E. Hartnell" stood on the deck of his schooner waiting for his crew to arrive.  Being new to the shipping industry, Mr. Hartnell had already broken many of the rules surrounding sailor superstitions.  The schooner had originally been named for his wife Georgia, and was scheduled for her first launch on a Friday.  When the original crew was notified of the schooner's name and launch date, all but one decided not to work for Mr. Hartnell, citing that naming the vessel after a woman and making the first launch on a Friday was bad luck and they would have no part of it.  Lack of a horseshoe nailed to the davit post also did not help the schooner from having the potential for hoodoo status.  

Upon further consideration, Mr. Hartnell changed the schooner's name to the "George E. Hartnell" and added a horseshoe...