“Lighthouse keepers in the 18th and 19th centuries, male and female, faced much danger and performed heavy physical labor,” write Mary and Candace Clifford in their 1993 book Women Who Kept the Lights. “But it was by no means a liberating experience.” “It was a wonderful chapter of women’s history, the way they served in this man’s job,” says DeWire. Some records were destroyed in a fire in the National Archives in the 1920s. “But I would not be presumptuous if I said there were several thousand.” “It was just presumed that women were going to help out whether they were paid or not,” says Elinor DeWire, a historian and the author of more than a dozen books about lighthouses. maritime history, however, she’s not quite so unique-even if it’s hard to pinpoint precisely how many female lighthouse keepers came before her. Of the 70 keepers who have tended to Boston Light since 1716, Snowman is the first and only woman. “That’s probably what I miss the most about the island-that expansiveness, and being close to the water, in the elements, in the fog, in the snow, in the sleet.” The current Boston Light dates to 1783, though the first lighthouse on the site was built in 1716. Surrounded by trees, unable to see the sun rising or setting, “I feel claustrophobic,” said Snowman, in her profoundly Bostonian accent. Ongoing safety issues as well as COVID-19 had confined her to her home on the mainland, in Weymouth*, and she’d been struggling with cabin fever. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteer, she became its civilian keeper.īut when we spoke, she was nowhere near the lighthouse. “I stepped out of the dinghy, and I looked up at the lighthouse tower, and I said, ‘Daddy, when I grow up, I want to get married out here.’ And I did, in 1994.” Then, in 2003, after more than three decades as a U.S. It’s a lifelong love story-at 10, she first visited the island with her father. “When I asked you about past lives,” she said, “I feel as if I’ve done this before, and that I came home.”įor the past 17 years, Snowman has served as the keeper of Boston Light, a centuries-old lighthouse, out on a freckle of treeless land in Boston Harbor, in Massachusetts. I hesitated, and she changed the subject. But some are far enough from civilization that they require a survivalist’s ability to find drinkable water, store supplies, and go days without outside contact during inclement weather.“Do you believe in past lives?” asked Sally Snowman. Of course, not all lighthouses are so isolated. The remote island is hard to reach, and the National Park Service warns that “only the most experienced private boaters and sea kayakers should consider attempting a trip to this lighthouse.” There’s no running water and you use an outhouse (forget about electricity, too). The actual light on this Wisconsin lighthouse is automated, but the rest is up to you. Take, for example, the Michigan Island Lightstation. That means they’re often far from society or on islands. Lighthouses are intentionally remote outposts. It goes without saying that very few lighthouses have cable or wi-fi. One in Wisconsin boasts a large number of closets, but you’ll have to look elsewhere for electricity. Some lighthouses have no power at all (at least for keepers’ quarters). LIFE AS A LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER GENERATORMany lighthouses are in remote locations or on islands, so that means a generator is often the only available power supply. And somebody has to turn on the electricity, too. Generate your own electricity (or live without it)Ī lighthouse doesn’t magically send out light. It’s an ironic problem that people living in a secluded lighthouse have to be sociable enough to invite strangers into their home. If you’re living at one of them, as lighthouse keeper you’re their guide.Īt the Rose Island Lighthouse, for example, you’ll even be responsible for emptying out donation boxes at the end of the day. Many lighthouses include a gift shop, museum, and guided tours on their itinerary. Lighthouses are historical landmarks, and that means you’ll have visitors. These are just four of the difficult things you have to do if you call a lighthouse home. LIFE AS A LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER FULLEach has different responsibilities, but even a rental can be a full time job. There are a few different ways to live in a lighthouse: you can buy one, rent one, or become a volunteer or paid lighthouse keeper. It’s picturesque and peaceful, according to postcards. Living in a lighthouse sounds great: you sip from a full mug of coffee, look at the ocean, and occasionally shoo away some seagulls.
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