
The guest in this episode, Tony Ashdon, spent 22 years in the Coast Guard including some time as a lighthouse keeper. Tony spent some years on an aids to navigation team that serviced lighthouses and other aids in District One, in the northeastern U.S. He was also part of an inspection team for a while.
He spent a few years as the keeper of the old Deer Island Light in Boston Harbor, a spark plug type lighthouse that no longer stands, and also some time at Plymouth, or Gurnet Light, in Massachusetts. Tony is also an accomplished model boat builder.

This interview was facilitated by John Lopez of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. John also takes part in the interview, which was conducted at Tony Ashdon’s home in Rockport, Massachusetts.
Right: This painting of Deer Island Lighthouse in Boston Harbor was done by Tony Ashdon’s wife, Margo.
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U.S. Lighthouse Society Historian Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of 24 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is a past president of 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’s weekly podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org