More than twenty lighthouse keepers and assistant keepers served at the Galloo Island Lighthouse from the time of its first lighting in 1820 until its automation in 1963. But the one who served the longest was Robert C. Graves, whose tenure spanned thirty years, first as an assistant keeper in 1903, then as the head [...]
Les Casquets Lighthouse, photo by Juan Gutierrez Andres, courtesy of Wikipedia Commons. One of the blessings of writing about lighthouses is meeting other people who love lighthouses, especially those who work with them. Since there are few lighthouses that still employ keepers, it is quite a pleasure to meet a [...]
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Maine, Photo by Chuck Turk If Gus only knew... A lighthouse keeper’s job can be a lonely one, especially if it’s on a stag station – one that doesn’t have room for families. Such was the case at Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse at South Portland, Maine. The spark [...]
Moose Peak Lighthouse (Mistake Island) Photo courtesy T.Bruce Jeffries and lighthousefriends.com. One day in 1905, the MacDonald brothers, both ministers, stood on top of Cadillac Mountain on Mount Desert Island, Maine. As they scanned the island-laden coastline, Alexander suddenly slapped his brother on the shoulder and exclaimed, “Angus, what a parish this would [...]
Boston Light on Little Brewster Island, MA, photo by Chuck Turk 300 is a big number. And it’s worth celebrating, Since this is my 300th post on this blog, it is a special anniversary for me. And fittingly, I get to share it with a lighthouse. Not just any lighthouse, but the first [...]
American Shoal Lighthouse, Florida, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com Lighthouses were not always the idyllic, romantic locations many have imagined them to be. Although some of us would welcome the peace and quiet of an isolated lighthouse, to many lighthouse keepers the solitude was depressing, boring and monotonous. Even when the keeper had a [...]
Libby Island Lighthouse, Maine Flash followed Keeper Gleason Colbeth everywhere. Keeper at Libby Island Light, Maine, Colbeth said his medium brown Irish setter was so intelligent she could almost talk. And being the devoted pet that she was, Flash never let her master out of her sight. If Colbeth went to the 1823 [...]
Rondout Creek Lighthouse, NY, courtesy lighthousefriends.com. Hudson River, NY, 1857 When George Murdock, the keeper at Rondout Creek lighthouse, didn’t return with the supplies, his wife Catherine knew something had happened. Her worries were confirmed when officials from the mainland arrived to tell her he had drowned on his way back to the [...]
Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, MA, 1891, photo courtesy USCG Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, at the western end of Cuttyhunk Island, provided guiding light into both Buzzard’s Bay on one side and Vineyard Sound on the other. The two-mile-long island was home to lighthouse keepers and their families for many years, beginning in 1823. In 1911, Levi [...]
Race Rock Lighthouse, NY, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com Off the eastern end of Long Island Sound, you’ll find Fishers, Little Gull, Great Gull, and Plum – a string of islands. Many ships pass between the islands, but the deepest gap, called “The Race,” is just off the end of Fisher Island near a reef [...]
Start Point Lighthouse, Devon, UK Start Point is one of the most exposed peninsulas on the English Coast, running sharply almost a mile into the sea. The rugged, windswept headland was not a popular assignment for the families of lighthouse keepers sent to the 150-year-old lighthouse situated at the end. Winters seemed especially [...]
St. John's Point Lighthouse, Ireland, photo by Storefix, wikimedia commons Just down the road from the first church built by St. Patrick stands St. John’s Point Lighthouse. Set near ancient ruins, the lighthouse is located on the most easterly point of Ireland and marks the entrance to Dundrum Bay, an area notorious [...]
White Island (Isles of Shoals) Lighthouse People on the New Hampshire seacoast knew it was out there. Several miles from shore, on the southern tip of White Island in the Isles of Shoals, the only lighthouse off the coast of New Hampshire, sat sadly alone and decaying. Built in 1859, the White [...]
Eastern Point Lighthouse, Gloucester, MA, photo courtesy Kraig Anderson Massachusetts’ Gloucester Harbor is known as America’s oldest seaport, supporting fishermen, whalers, traders and even smugglers since 1616. The area is also known for its dangerous currents, ledges, and storms which claimed 779 vessels and 5,305 lives between 1830 and 1910. But another [...]
Start Point Lighthouse, Devon, UK, source Wikipedia Commons, photo by Nilfanion Gordon knew it was only a matter of time before his occupation and his way of life would be gone. Trinity House, the governing body of lighthouses in the United Kingdom, had detailed to its lighthouse keepers the plans to automate [...]
Cats have been friends of mariners for centuries. They had an important job on ships – to keep the vessel free of rats and mice that not only ate food supplies, but gnawed through the ships’ ropes. Cats were also common along waterfronts where they controlled rodents in warehouses and helped clean up the remains [...]
Cape Canaveral Lighthouse, photo courtesy of NASA When Cape Canaveral Lighthouse was first lit in 1848, its location was so remote, no one but the keeper and his family lived near it. However when the Civil War broke out in 1861, Keeper Mills Burnham had unexpected company. Under the orders of the new [...]
Cuttyhunk Lighthouse, 1891, photo courtesy US Coast Guard In August, 1944, the family of Cuttyhunk, Massachusetts Lighthouse Keeper Octave Ponsart planned a joint birthday and beach party to celebrate the birthday of Uncle Gene and cousin Connie. Due to sugar rationing, Mrs. Ponsart spent weeks saving enough sugar to make birthday cakes for [...]
Longships Lighthouse, UK Needles, Eddystone, Longships, Bishop Rock – these well-known lighthouses in the UK are a few of the country’s “rock” lighthouses. The name “rock” denotes that the lighthouse is offshore and not on land. In fact, many of these were built on rocks barely large enough for the lighthouses, yet [...]
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, photo courtesy US Coast Guard Terrible Tilly was not a good place to spend a holiday. Only one of the five lighthouse keepers assigned to Tillamook Rock Lighthouse would win the prime spot in the rotation to spend time with his family on Thanksgiving. The other four would have to [...]
Bishop Rock Lighthouse, UK, photo by Ian Cowe Gordon Partridge checked the lighthouse duty schedule and blew out a breath. It was his turn to do his least favorite job at the lighthouse. With three keepers at Bishop’s Rock Lighthouse, each keeper was assigned duties on a rotating basis. As a result, everyone [...]
Burnt Island Lighthouse, ME, photo by Bob Trapani, Jr. “Molly, the Andersons are coming over this afternoon.” “Yay!” Ten-year-old Molly jumped up and down. “I can’t wait to see Tommy!” Mother pointed her wooden spoon at Molly. “Well, you two stay out of trouble, if you can. We get to see their [...]
Five Fingers Lighthouse, AK, photo courtesy lighthousefriends.com. The waters of Alaska are a beautiful place to take a cruise surrounded by snow-capped mountains and pristine forests. But for lighthouse keepers at the Five Fingers Island Lighthouse, loneliness outweighed the beauty of its isolated location. Five Finger Islands, a collection of rocky islets in [...]
Two Bush Island Light, Maine, old postcard courtesy lighthousefriends.com March, 1902 “Woof! Woof!” What was that dog yapping about now? Keeper Altiverd Norton at Two Bush Island Lighthouse off the coast of Maine woke to the sound of his dog Smut’s bark. The dog was obviously excited about something. Was it a [...]
White River Lighthouse, MI, photo by Chuck Turk Splash! “Help! Somebody please help!” Frances’ Johnson jerked her head away from the lantern window she’d been cleaning and looked toward the sound of the cries. She quickly assessed the situation, all too familiar now that the weather was warmer. Frances ran down the [...]