Plenty of light! Federal government shedding lighthouses; buyers transform them

The federal government says it has gotten rid of more than 100 lighthouses through giveaways and auctions, and it doesn't intend to stop selling them.

Federal officials say 68 of the lighthouses have gone to preservationists while 36 others have been sold at public auction. Officials say the General Services Administration's Boston office has been responsible for about 80 percent of lighthouse conveyances and those transfers have netted $3.35 million for the Coast Guard.

The government is in the midst of an online auction for the Halfway Rock Light Station off of Harpswell, Maine. The lighthouse is attracting interest, with a high bid of more than $200,000. Federal officials say it's a good figure for a lighthouse that is only accessible by boat, a feature that frequently drives bidders away.