Linda Furbish remembers how her only grandson, Mason Warren, loved gazing out over the water at sunset. Warren was a 21-year-old Harpswell lobsterman when he died in a vehicle crash in 2022.
“This was going to be Mason’s home someday,” Furbish said about her house on Route 24 near the southern tip of Great Island, just north of the bridge to Orr’s Island. “In fact, he was living here when he died.”
Last summer, Furbish began designing and building a lighthouse in her front yard to honor Mason’s legacy, with help from her partner, William Sparks, and other family and friends. They recently completed the project.
Furbish designed the lighthouse, which stands 14 feet tall and is made of cedar, glass and other materials. It even has a functional, rotating light. She included an access panel so the motor and lightbulb can be replaced easily.
Furbish has extensive experience with arts and crafts. She said Mason’s grandfather, Paul Warren, of Topsham, helped with the construction. Several local residents and businesses also contributed to the project, either by donating materials or labor.
They included Bob Webber, co-founder of Cundy’s Harbor contractor R.A. Webber & Sons Inc., who painted a memorial sign that now stands next to the lighthouse. Webber gifted the sign to Furbish. It includes an image of Mason’s lobster boat.
Fowler’s Roofing, of Chelsea, supplied roofing materials for the project. Local resident Paul Morgan donated the building wrap. The local Home Depot in Topsham gave Furbish special deals on wood and other materials.
“They really did a lot,” Furbish said. “They gave us discounts that they probably wouldn’t give to anyone else.”
The project has been attracting attention ever since it started, she said. Many people have stopped by to admire the work, and one Orr’s Island couple even mailed a card to Furbish expressing their admiration. The card was addressed to the “lighthouse keeper.”
The lighthouse is well constructed. Furbish and Sparks dug a foundation to make sure it would remain solidly in place. They said it took some trial and error to make sure all the pieces fit together into something that looks professional. The six-sided lighthouse “has lots of angles,” Sparks noted.
Furbish said she has built several smaller lighthouses over the years, but nothing close to the size of Mason’s lighthouse.
Her hope is that, as she gets older, she’ll always be able to go outside, see the lighthouse, and remember her grandson, “as long as the wind doesn’t take it away.”
