"Mother Ocean's Anvil" | Matt Eaton
This was written as followup from the Corbett 4th and 5th grade tour.
We talked about this amazing photograph of Matt's (from over a mile away on shore) during your tour, and I wanted to follow up with you on some research I did because of our talk.
Towards the end of the day, one of you asked me if it was still a lighthouse, and I first said I thought so, because, seriously, you would still have to let boats know that a seriously huge rock was there, and then I got smart and said, "You know I actually don't know the answer to that, but I will find out.". I did.
No, it is not still an active lighthouse. It was decommissioned in 1957.
I was correct about the construction era - it was built in 1881.
I was also correct about my awe about it being built without all the tools we have today to do something impossible.
This blog has a good overview of the difficulties of building and living in Tilly.
www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/02/20/tillamook_rock_lighthouse_in_oregon_has_a_history_of_death_and_madness.html
I also rediscovered that the word I was searching for where the cremated remains are kept is columbarium, not mausoleum. Mausoleum is for structures that house tombs or coffins. Columbarium (isn't that a very pretty word?) is for cremains. The plan was to house up to 100,000 cremains in that lower building (with waterproof. There are currently 33.
I was wrong about the sale price. I told you 1.5 million. It's actually 6.5 million (the 1.5 million is what the owner was going to give back into repairs and cleaning), and, of course, you also need to buy a helicopter, so that'll make it an even 7 million if you go low end.
So I'm out of the running, but you can invite me to visit and we'll sit in the tower and watch the waves crash on all sides of us and look at the teeny tiny landlocked humans a mile away on the beach.
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/03/29/historic-terrible-tilly-tillamook-lighthouse-for-sale/
Not done with Tilly yet? Me either...
Towards the end of the day, one of you asked me if it was still a lighthouse, and I first said I thought so, because, seriously, you would still have to let boats know that a seriously huge rock was there, and then I got smart and said, "You know I actually don't know the answer to that, but I will find out.". I did.
No, it is not still an active lighthouse. It was decommissioned in 1957.
I was correct about the construction era - it was built in 1881.
I was also correct about my awe about it being built without all the tools we have today to do something impossible.
This blog has a good overview of the difficulties of building and living in Tilly.
www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/02/20/tillamook_rock_lighthouse_in_oregon_has_a_history_of_death_and_madness.html
I also rediscovered that the word I was searching for where the cremated remains are kept is columbarium, not mausoleum. Mausoleum is for structures that house tombs or coffins. Columbarium (isn't that a very pretty word?) is for cremains. The plan was to house up to 100,000 cremains in that lower building (with waterproof. There are currently 33.
I was wrong about the sale price. I told you 1.5 million. It's actually 6.5 million (the 1.5 million is what the owner was going to give back into repairs and cleaning), and, of course, you also need to buy a helicopter, so that'll make it an even 7 million if you go low end.
So I'm out of the running, but you can invite me to visit and we'll sit in the tower and watch the waves crash on all sides of us and look at the teeny tiny landlocked humans a mile away on the beach.
https://www.opb.org/article/2022/03/29/historic-terrible-tilly-tillamook-lighthouse-for-sale/
Not done with Tilly yet? Me either...
 | The photograph links to a great story about the 1913 Thanksgiving for the lightkeepers of the Tillamook Lighthouse from the Facebook page of Foundation For Coast Guard History. You can also find Terrible Tilly's official Facebook page here... Tillamook Rock Lighthouse Facebook page. The New York Times wrote a great story about Tilly when she came up for sale, that has a fabulous video interview with WWII veteran, Jim Gibbs, who was actually a lighthouse keeper there! Great pictures, including the original design plans and amazing to get to hear from a man who actually lived there... |
Thank you for pushing me to check myself and learn more about Terrible Tilly. I loved taking the time to find out more.
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There is a beautiful 30"x20" print of Matt Eaton's "Mother Nature's Anvil" just inside the front door at Troutdale Art Center, and matted paper prints in the boxes.
"MotherOcean's Anvil" can be ordered at any size up to 60" x 48".
"MotherOcean's Anvil" can be ordered at any size up to 60" x 48".
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