Madbury Lighthouse
The Madbury Lighthouse is not a lighthouse at all; the nearest lighthouse to Madbury is Fort Constitution Light on New Castle Island in Portsmouth Harbor. Rather, the phrase refers to the local nickname for a small, out-of-the-way private social club and bar in the town of Madbury, New Hampshire. Owned and operated by the Madbury Safety & Vigilance Society, the 32'x48' concrete block structure is located just outside of Coffins Landing at the end of Cedar Point Road. Although technically all non-members must sign the guest book and be accompanied by a member, that particular rule has not been enforced for years. For all intents and purposes, the bar is open to the public. The club earned its nickname, "the Lighthouse," because, in the words of a long-forgotten Madbury resident, "That's where people go to get lit."
The interior is dimly lit, worn but not dirty. The bar runs along the wall to the right, with low tables and chairs occupying most of the rest of the room, except for two pool tables in the back. Beyond the billiards area are two doors leading to club offices and a hallway leading to the restrooms. A jukebox in the corner plays last year's hits for a nickel and the cigarette machine next to it dispenses Camels, Luckies and Chesterfields for 35 cents a pack.
The walls are a color between putty and taupe, the result of years of nicotine buildup on white paint. The floor is brown and might be tile or might be linoleum. It's hard to tell. The ceiling is too low for its fans, which makes the whole room a bit uncomfortable, especially for taller individuals. The tables and chairs are an odd assortment of two or three different styles, as are the barstools. Behind the bar there is more shelf space than is needed for the paltry selection of liquors on offer. The primary beverage of choice is Carling's Black Label on draft, an old favorite among the membership, served in a plastic cup for 50 cents.
At the conclusion of the war, desiring to continue the friendships that had grown up over many evenings at Cedar Point, and also continue their "public service" to the community, the Madbury Safety & Vigilance Society formally incorporated as a private social club, and negotiated with the Coffin family to purchase 1/4 acre of land on Cedar Point Road for the nominal price of $1. They built their "HQ Post" on that land in 1946 using mostly volunteer labor and donated materials.
Many local GIs returning from the war joined the Society, and it was not long before some of the members, like many returning veterans across the country, joined various local motorcycle clubs like the "Die Hards," "Iron Eagles" and "Bandits." Throughout that time the HQ Post maintained a neutrality that allowed all members to associate freely, and the MSVS has remained a strong and active social club for two decades. Over the years, the group has also done volunteer community service work in Madbury, including parking assistance and traffic control at town events, food drives for the poor, and an annual Christmas toy drive for underprivileged children.
For Secret Information About the MSVS Click Here
For More Secret Information About the MSVS Click Here
Description
The windowless building sits on a dark lot set back to the right at the end of the narrow road leading to Cedar Point. It may have been painted white at one time in the distant past. Over the grimy blue door, illuminated unsteadily by a solitary flickering incandescent bulb, is a dark blue sign with whitish letters that say simply, "MSVS." There is a small gravel parking lot behind the building, and a smaller, paved area in front, just off the road, which is often filled with motorcycles, lined up like horses outside an old west saloon.The interior is dimly lit, worn but not dirty. The bar runs along the wall to the right, with low tables and chairs occupying most of the rest of the room, except for two pool tables in the back. Beyond the billiards area are two doors leading to club offices and a hallway leading to the restrooms. A jukebox in the corner plays last year's hits for a nickel and the cigarette machine next to it dispenses Camels, Luckies and Chesterfields for 35 cents a pack.
The walls are a color between putty and taupe, the result of years of nicotine buildup on white paint. The floor is brown and might be tile or might be linoleum. It's hard to tell. The ceiling is too low for its fans, which makes the whole room a bit uncomfortable, especially for taller individuals. The tables and chairs are an odd assortment of two or three different styles, as are the barstools. Behind the bar there is more shelf space than is needed for the paltry selection of liquors on offer. The primary beverage of choice is Carling's Black Label on draft, an old favorite among the membership, served in a plastic cup for 50 cents.
History
The Madbury Safety & Vigilance Society was formed in early 1942, after America's entry into World War II. The misfit group of older men and 4-F army rejects, who wanted to do their part for the war effort, took upon themselves the obligation of protecting Madbury from enemy espionage and infiltration. Their primary methodology was to meet every evening at Cedar Point and scan the surface of Little Bay in search of German U-Boats, while earnestly consuming cans of Carling's Black Label beer. The MSVS never encountered any U-Boats, nor did they capture any enemy spies, but it must also be said that during the entire war, not a single enemy infiltration took place in the town of Madbury, as far as anyone knows.At the conclusion of the war, desiring to continue the friendships that had grown up over many evenings at Cedar Point, and also continue their "public service" to the community, the Madbury Safety & Vigilance Society formally incorporated as a private social club, and negotiated with the Coffin family to purchase 1/4 acre of land on Cedar Point Road for the nominal price of $1. They built their "HQ Post" on that land in 1946 using mostly volunteer labor and donated materials.
Many local GIs returning from the war joined the Society, and it was not long before some of the members, like many returning veterans across the country, joined various local motorcycle clubs like the "Die Hards," "Iron Eagles" and "Bandits." Throughout that time the HQ Post maintained a neutrality that allowed all members to associate freely, and the MSVS has remained a strong and active social club for two decades. Over the years, the group has also done volunteer community service work in Madbury, including parking assistance and traffic control at town events, food drives for the poor, and an annual Christmas toy drive for underprivileged children.
For Secret Information About the MSVS Click Here
Not long after the war, the criminal tendencies of outlaw biker gangs, to which some MSVS members belonged, began to exert their influence upon the club. Over the next few years, while the Rank and File continued their admirable public service work in the community, and maintained an excellent public image, the Officer Corps of the MSVS also dabbled in such illicit activities as small-time gambling and street-level drug dealing, eventually making these activities, along with prostitution, the primary fundraising activities of the organization, and a source of under-the-table personal income as well.
Most of Madbury's more questionable denizens, along with some of the town's ostensibly "upstanding" inhabitants, are more than well aware of the illicit activities that go on at the Lighthouse, visiting the place only as frequently as their individual vices require, as do a good number of Litchmoor University students and even a few of the older boys from The Drury Academy.
For several years the New Hampshire State Police and the FBI have been investigating the MSVS, but due to the club’s secrecy and good reputation in the community the investigation has so far been unsuccessful due to an inability to infiltrate the organization.
Most of Madbury's more questionable denizens, along with some of the town's ostensibly "upstanding" inhabitants, are more than well aware of the illicit activities that go on at the Lighthouse, visiting the place only as frequently as their individual vices require, as do a good number of Litchmoor University students and even a few of the older boys from The Drury Academy.
For several years the New Hampshire State Police and the FBI have been investigating the MSVS, but due to the club’s secrecy and good reputation in the community the investigation has so far been unsuccessful due to an inability to infiltrate the organization.
For More Secret Information About the MSVS Click Here
In recent years, most of the Officer Corps of the MSVS have come to believe that supernatural malevolent forces are at work in the town of Madbury, and the idea is becoming an article of faith within the organization. Having long ago assumed the duty to protect the town from covert threats, the MSVS has developed a spiritual component to its understanding of itself, and in that regard considers its members duty-bound to protect Madbury from those ever-strengthening evil forces.
Madbury Safety &
Vigilance Society
PRIVATE SOCIAL CLUB
Madbury Safety & Vigilance Society, Inc.
467 Cedar Point Road
P.O. Box 14
Madbury, N.H. 03823
(603) 742-6787
467 Cedar Point Road
P.O. Box 14
Madbury, N.H. 03823
(603) 742-6787
ORGANIZATION:
The Madbury Safety & Vigilance Society is a highly secretive organization composed of a leadership team known as the "Officer Corps," and a general membership known as the "Rank & File." The members hold regular meetings monthly on the first Wednesday at the Lighthouse. Membership in the MSVS is highly restricted. New applicants must be sponsored by a current member, approved by the Officer Corps and accepted by a majority of the Rank & File. The precise makeup of the Officer Corps is known only to members, the exact number of which is not generally known, but estimated to be about 50.
Comments