For the seafaring men of yesteryear, there existed no more welcoming sight than the harbor lights of home. They were much more than just a signal beacon. They lit the path through darkness, storms, and fog. Each harbor community prized their lighthouse; it was built with integrity and unique flair, and was depended upon to bring their men safely home.
Harbour Lights was created to honor these pillars of American tradition. Not only were they sentinels of safe harbor; many were uniquely crafted examples of American architecture. Built with local materials and workmanship, they were designed to compliment the landscape and last for generations. Because each lighthouse so uniquely typified both the region and the people they served, they are treasured as historical icons.
Bill Younger, founder of Harbour Lights, studied and admired lighthouses for both their architecture and their history. Realizing that many people shared his passion, he worked with master sculptors to devise a method of creating exact miniature replicas to offer to collectors. In 1991 his wife and daughters helped him choose seventeen lighthouses to commemorate. Each was carefully researched, and the sculptures were correct in scale and detail. Limited edition replicas were made, each sold with a numbered certificate of authenticity.
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Lighthouses are more than just architecture. They are an integral part of history for those whose livelihood came from the sea. In order to help preserve that history, Younger formed the Harbour Lights Collectors’ Society in 1995, to serve both collectors and historians. Their painstaking research reveals not just the history of each lighthouse itself, but the region it served and the people who depended upon it. It is recorded and shared through the Society along with the limited edition replicas.
New replicas are continually added to the collection, which now numbers more than seventy active models. Sixty more have been retired, making Harbour Lights a producer of one of the most extensive collections of limited edition lighthouse replicas worldwide. Every coastal region of the United States is represented, as well as areas of Canada, Europe, and Asia. A new line of U.S. Coast Guard ships is currently being developed, commemorating guard and lightships used to protect America’s shores. The company also mass-produces smaller versions of each replica for sale to the general public. The latest project is a complete Harbour Lights’ Collector’s Edition. It includes a detailed history of the Society and of every sculpture ever produced.
