'Women Who Kept the Light's shares stories of heroic women lighthouse keepers

"It has always seemed to me that the light was part of myself..."
Abbie Burgress Grant, keeper of the White Head Light Station, 1875-1892

   Books about pioneering women have always inspired me, and Women Who Kept the Lights will soon become part of my permanent collection. Loaned to me by a friend, this slim volume bursts at the seams with the inspiring and heroic exploits of the brave few whose endless, backbreaking daily work saved lives and ships on coastlines around the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
    Not much first-hand information exists about women lighthouse keepers. The authors cobbled together log entries now stored in the National Archives, newspaper clippings and limited personal writings, and correlated historical events that occurred during the women's terms of service.
    Many women who kept the lights assumed the post with a father or husband, then were appointed replacements after their loved ones died. The earliest keepers worked with primitive lanterns that required maintenance and cleaning every few hours, throughout the night. Many of the lighthouses were poorly maintained, as were lighthouse keepers' quarters.
Conditions varied, coast to coast  Margaret Stuart, at Bombay Hook Light on the south side of the Smyma River in Delaware, lived in deplorable conditions, with quarter-inch gaps between shingles on the roof, rough hewn floors and walls, a kitchen in the dank cellar and the smell of oil permeating the entire house, according to an inspector's report. On the opposite coast, Emily Fish, a widow who kept the Point Pintos Light House in California, brought a Chinese servant and house full of elegant furnishings with her and, after a suitable period of mourning for her deceased husband, became part of the social scene in Monterrey Bay. She was paid $1,000 a year around the turn of the century, while keepers on the east coast averaged $400-500 per year, by all accounts. In California, according to the authors, most men were interested in the Gold Rush, which opened many career options for women.
    One of the most fascinating stories is that of Harriet Colfax, Michigan City Indiana, 1861-1904. She set type for her brother, who ran the local newspaper, but when his health failed and he sold the business, she sought an appointment as lighthouse keeper, probably obtained through a family political connection. Miss Colfax kept a detailed log of her experience, which the authors point to as the most complete and grammatically correct log on file in the National Archives. Apparently, she also had a sense of humor, as evidenced by this entry:

August 16, 1872: This is the day on which the Comet was to strike the Earth and demolish all things terrestrial- but failed to come up to appointment.

   Of special interest to me were the sections on Mary Terry at Sand Point, Elizabeth Williams at Beaver Island Harbor and Little Traverse and Kate Marvin at Squaw Point in the Upper Peninsula, three of the 20 women known to have kept Michigan lighthouses. Williams is unique among her peers, in that she wrote about her life and experiences in published books: A Child of the Sea and Life Among the Mormons. A native of Beaver Island, she moved to the lighthouse with her husband, who later died while trying to save the crew of a ship in distress. Mary was appointed to replace him a few weeks later. Even though she lost other relatives to the sea as well, she never lost her love of it, as evidenced by her writings, which are quoted in this book.
    The stories of heroic rescues, amazing feats of strength and determination are woven throughout this book, which profiles some of the bravest women in America's history. This is a must-read for anyone who appreciates well-researched, well-written herstories.

Women Who Kept the Lights
An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers
by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford
Cypress Communications 1993

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Women Who Kept the Lights: An Illustrated History of Female Lighthouse Keepers