From 1776 to the present day, more than 140 women have served as keepers of American lighthouses. Today, the only official keeper in the United States still employed by the U.S. Coast Guard is Sally Snowman at Boston Light Station. In addition to women light keepers, there were many assistant keepers and also countless wives and daughters who helped maintain the lights along with assisting with daily chores. Not much was written about female lighthouse keepers until the book “Women Who Kept the Lights” by Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford. This video is dedicated to the memory of J. Candace Clifford.
Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org