Photo: Sophie Hills/The Christian Science Monitor.
Sally Snowman stands next to a Fresnel lens in the Hull Lifesaving Museum in Hull, Massachusetts, Nov. 9, 2023. She retired at the end of the year after two decades as the keeper of nearby Boston Light.
Lighthouses are to the US what castles are to Europe, and there are many enthusiasts working to ensure that lighthouses don’t crumble but have an economically sustainable future for generations to come.
Sophie Hills reports at the Christian Science Monitor, “When Sally Snowman became the keeper of Boston Light in 2003, she expected the role to last only two years. … Ms. Snowman is the last of the lighthouse keepers in the United States. Her retirement marks the end of 307 years of keepers of Boston Light, originally established in 1716.
“When Ms. Snowman first set foot on Little Brewster Island at age 10, it was love at first sight. ‘I want to work as a keeper and get married here,’ she recalls saying. She did both. Now, after 20 years as keeper and even longer as a volunteer, she’s ready to retire. …
“For centuries lighthouses played the crucial role of guiding sailors safely through hazardous waters. Today, some are still active aids to navigation. They also hold a mystical, sentimental power to many, mariners or not, who balked at the news of the last lighthouse keeper retiring. The keeper herself has little patience for a nostalgia that would hamper the future of the icon she has tended for two decades. Ms. Snowman believes the transition will help lighthouses keep shining in the 21st century, rather than fade away.
“The appeal of lighthouses reaches far and wide, says Jeremy D’Entremont, who has a weekly podcast, ‘Light Hearted,’ and is the historian for the United States Lighthouse Society. Just recently, his co-host was an 11-year-old girl from Kentucky.
“While big ships today have ample navigational technology, their captains ‘feel welcomed’ by lights at harbor mouths, says local Dave Waller, who co-owns nearby Graves Light Station in Boston Harbor. And the need is still practical for smaller crafts. …
“The U.S. Coast Guard’s mandate isn’t to restore or preserve historical structures like lighthouses. The military branch will continue to operate the aids to navigation – like the light and foghorn – but the actual upkeep of the physical structures and tours of the island are better suited to a different entity. …
“Over her 46 years as a Coast Guard auxiliary volunteer and keeper, Ms. Snowman has become intricately acquainted with the history of the lighthouse and local nautical history. … A spiritual person, she’s touched by all the light has seen and withstood. And even those things it has not been able to withstand, such as when it was demolished by the British as they made their last escape from the harbor during the Revolutionary War. …
“Ms. Snowman is quietly firm that the transfer of the lighthouse is what’s best. ‘It’s important to ensure that our national icons are properly cared for,’ she says.
“Under a process laid out by the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, there’s a mechanism for ownership of the historic sites to be transferred. Federally owned lighthouses are offered first to other federal agencies, then state and local governments, followed by nonprofits, and eventually private individuals.
“Graves Light Station was bought at auction a decade ago after sitting neglected. When Mr. Waller stepped out onto the top deck and saw the panoramic view of Boston and the ocean, he ‘fell in love.’ … The lifesaving role of lighthouses ‘is not ancient history,’ says Mr. Waller. Just recently, two men had a boating accident and made it to the rocks at the base of Graves Light before they were rescued.”
More at the Monitor, here. No paywall. Subscriptions solicited.
Photo: Suzanne and John’s Mom.
The Southeast Light, New Shoreham, RI, is still important in navigation but is not manned.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 