A Life of Dedication and Bravery
Lighthouse work required discipline, repetition, and the ability to endure solitude in remote locations. The role demanded unwavering dedication and self-sufficiency. At times, it also called for acts of personal bravery. Lighthouse keepers and lightship crews were often aware of peers who had perished due to ice, tsunamis, and violent storms. Despite the risks, they continued their service. Some keepers even risked their own lives to save others in danger, rescuing mariners and visitors from storms, shipwrecks, and thin ice.
Women also played significant roles as assistant keepers and, in some cases, full keepers. They often assumed these positions after the death or retirement of husbands or fathers and carried out the same responsibilities under the Lighthouse Board, Lighthouse Service, and United States Coast Guard.
Daily Work and Resource Management
Keeper salaries were modest, leading many to supplement their income by fishing or piloting vessels. In these cases, spouses and children often assumed the lightkeeping duties. By 1809, lightkeepers were already required to track oil usage, a precious resource for lighting the lamps. Standardized forms for oil consumption and supply records were introduced in 1813 after the installation of Winslow Lewis’s patented reflectors and lamps.
Florida’s lighthouses reflect nearly every style built across the nation—brick, stone, iron, conical towers, screwpiles, and offshore structures. Alongside Maine and Michigan, Florida remains a notable lighthouse state. The Amelia Island Lighthouse, operational since 1839 except during the Civil War, is Florida’s oldest continually functioning beacon.
Core Responsibilities of Lightkeepers
The fundamental duties of lightkeepers evolved but remained rooted in core responsibilities:
- Carrying fuel to the lantern room and filling the lamp
- Trimming wicks, replacing mantles, and operating oil vaporizers
- Cleaning chimneys, lenses, and windows with jeweler’s rouge and whiting
- Polishing brass fixtures and tools
- Cranking and operating the clockwork mechanisms
- Lighting the lamp at sunset and extinguishing it at sunrise
- Monitoring nearby maritime traffic
- Drawing curtains during daylight to protect the lens from heat and discoloration
- Maintaining and painting the lighthouse and the surrounding buildings
- Greet visitors and log inspections
- Keeping detailed records and ordering supplies
Lightkeepers were also expected to maintain personal cleanliness, family orderliness, and sobriety.
Official Instructions to Keepers (1835)
A set of formal instructions issued by the Treasury Department in 1835 outlined the expectations for U.S. lighthouse keepers:
- Light lamps at sunset and maintain them until sunrise.
- Keep lamps, reflectors, and lanterns clean and in order.
- Trim wicks every four hours for maximum illumination.
- Maintain detailed oil usage logs and submit quarterly reports.
- Refrain from selling alcohol on lighthouse grounds.
- Accept only high-quality supplies and report any deficiencies.
- Notify superintendents if contractors fail to supply necessary items.
- Do not leave the station without prior approval or a suitable substitute.
- Route all communication through the Superintendent.
Improving Standards and Hiring Practices
Originally, lightkeeper appointments were political and sometimes given to unqualified individuals. By 1852, hiring standards improved. Applicants were required to:
- Be between 18 and 50 years old
- Read, write, and keep accounts
- Perform manual labor and basic repairs
- Operate and sail boats
Keepers underwent a three-month probationary period. Sea-experienced young men served as assistants in larger stations, while retired sea captains or mates, often with families, managed single-keeper posts. Fog signal stations preferred assistants with machinist skills.
In 1867, Congress fixed the average annual salary for keepers at $600. They were permitted to cultivate onshore land but forbidden from engaging in outside business or housing borders. Despite lacking pensions or injury compensation, many lightkeepers continued their service with resilience and pride.
Quarterly inspections by district officials evaluated the condition of the lighthouse, living quarters, equipment, and overall maintenance, ensuring the high standards of operation and safety were upheld.