A recent find at a Scottish lighthouse reveals a handwritten message dating back to 1892, shedding light on the lives of past lighthouse keepers.
**Old Lighthouse's Hidden Treasure: A 132-Year-Old Note Unearthed in Scotland**
**Old Lighthouse's Hidden Treasure: A 132-Year-Old Note Unearthed in Scotland**
Engineers discover a historical message in a bottle while refurbishing Corsewall Lighthouse.
During the refurbishment of the historic Corsewall Lighthouse located in southwest Scotland, mechanical engineers made an extraordinary discovery: a glass bottle containing a handwritten note over a century old. This lighthouse has been guiding sailors through turbulent waters for nearly two centuries, but it was during a routine inspection that the engineers stumbled upon the hidden message.
Ross Russell, one of the mechanical engineers involved in the restoration, recounted the moment they uncovered the bottle from a wall cavity. Curious about its contents, the team collaborated to extract the message, which was sealed with a corroded wire and an old cork. Upon removing the cork, they revealed a note with a date inscribed as September 4, 1892.
Barry Miller, the current lighthouse keeper, expressed his excitement when he was summoned to view the note. “We were all shaking, especially me,” he commented after reading the note to his colleagues. The anticipation built around whether the note contained a unique message, perhaps a love declaration, a complaint, or even a hidden treasure map, quickly turned into a mix of laughter and historical intrigue.
The incident serves as a reminder of the personal and professional lives of those who once kept watch over the coast, like John Wilson and his assistants, whose names appear on the document. As the engineers and lighthouse staff reflect on their extraordinary find, it opens a window into the past and connects modern custodians of the lighthouse with their predecessors, walking the same paths over a century apart.