 Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a native of Portland Maine, visited Portland Head Lighthouse several times. A literary giant, he penned poems based on American life and history. His poem “The Lighthouse” may be inspired by one of his visits.
Enjoy this short excerpt: The rocky lead runs far into sea And on its outer points, some miles away The lighthouse lifts its massive masonry A pillar of fire by night of cloud by day The startled seas leap over it the storm smites it with all the scourges of the rain And steadily against its form Press the great shoulders of the hurricane
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 There were over 400 women who were light keepers. By the 1800s, almost all of the United States' lighthouses had female assistant light keepers or head light keepers at one time or another.
J. Candace Clifford championed female light keepers in the book, "Women Who Kept the Light.” J. Candace Clifford used her expertise to help advance the cause of lighthouses and women during brief life. She coauthored the book, "Women Who Kept the Light" which sheds light on the dynamic impact of female lighthouse keepers. Candace served as a maritime historian for the National Park Service and the United States Lighthouse Society. The United States Lighthouse Society has launched a new online catalog in her name. I met J. Candace Clifford at the reopening of the Anclote Key Lighthouse in Florida. She took photos of the event and did a television interview. I was sketching when our paths crossed. Candace paused to photograph me. We exchanged business cards and talked briefly. After the publication of the article she encouraged me to write, I was contacted about an art exhibit. My exhibit “Shattering the Lens” at the National Lighthouse Museum in New York paid homage to Candace Clifford and female light keepers. Don’t dwell on what went wrong, focus on what to do next. Denis Waitley Don’t dwell on what went wrong, focus on what to do next. Denis Waitley
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Amelia Island Lighthouse is Florida's oldest lighthouse. Originally built to guide vessels entering the St. Mary’s River and the Atlantic Ocean, the former Cumberland Lighthouse was moved due to changes in the channel that made it obsolete. It was dismantled brick by brick and transported by ship to Amelia Island. After being reconstructed, the lighthouse was lit in 1839 as Amelia Island Lighthouse. Two female assistant light keepers served at Amelia Island Lighthouse: Mrs. Winfield Woodland (1860-) Jane M Donnelly 1868-1871  Life can truly be hard on dreams. I often find encouragement in the lives of female light keepers. They never gave up when life was hard on their dreams.
Despite suffering substantial loss, they served valiantly as light keepers. When Joseph Andreu fell 60 feet to his death white washing the St. Augustine Lighthouse, his wife Maria Andreu became the light keeper. Maria Andreu is the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard and the first to command a federal installation. St. Augustine’s other female light keeper was Kate Harn. Beginning in 1889 Harn served as the 2nd Assistant light keeper for six months after the death of her husband. My painting, “Field of Dreams” is a tribute to St. Augustine’s two female light keepers. The clouds in my painting symbolize their dreams and the bright yellow daisies represent the perseverance of these women. (staugustinelighthouse.org)  Voted one of the world's most beautiful lighthouses, Fanad Lighthouse is one of 12 the Great Lighthouses of Ireland. It is located on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. The Fanad Lighthouse was first exhibited on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 181.
Fanad Lighthouse was built after the shipwreck of the Royal Navy Frigate, Saldanha, where 250 people died. The only survivor was the Captain’s parrot. A helipad was added in 1921 for emergency services for Tory Island and Inishtrshull. In 2012, the Commissioner of Irish Lights approached the community for their input on the idea of refurbishing the Fanad Lighthouse and opening it for tourism. The community group established Forbairt Fhanada Teoranta to manage Fanad Lighthouse. They administer accommodations, guided tours and the Visitors Center.  With so much talk about the gender wage gap today, it's hard to imagine that back in the 1800's there wasn't a wage gap for women lighthouse keepers.
In fact, at one time Ida Lewis was the highest paid lighthouse keeper. She even became the first woman to receive a gold Congressional Medal for lifesaving. Despite this, Lewis received the criticism that it was unladylike for women to row boats. Lewis replied, "None-but a donkey would consider it 'unfeminine' to save lives." With five female keepers, New Canal may hold record for the most female light keepers. Elizabeth Beale 1847-49, Jane Discoll 1850-53, Mary Campbell 1869-93, Caroline Riddle 1893-1924. Margaret Norvell 1924-1932  Countless widows served briefly as light keepers without recognition and perhaps compensation.
Women served heroically alongside their husbands and others served immediately after the deaths of their husbands. Some declined an appointment as light keeper after the death of their spouses. Ann Taylor whose husband, William Taylor, died requested to be relieved as light keeper of Cape St. George. Anne’s spouse was the official light keeper July 11, 1849-November 1850. A letter dated July 27, 1850 forwarded to me by Author and Historian, James Hargrove describes her plight. It was written from the HW Taylor, Customs House of Apalachicola: “Sir Mrs Ann H. Taylor widow of the late WJ Taylor keeper of Cape St. George Light and who since the death of her husband has retained the situation as keeper has dignified her wish to be relieved by appointment of other person. At the suggestion of W Hawkey who is now absent and whose return is uncertain… I have sent down Edmond Austin to take charge and it is Mr. Hawkey request that he be accepted as keeper from 1st August when Mrs. Taylor proposes to leave.”  It took a lot of courage to work a desolate lighthouse. Families were responsible for growing their own food. Both men and women keepers ensured the light burned at night, rescued shipwreck sailors while keeping the lighthouse in tip top shape.
Maria Andreu is the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard and the first to command a federal shore installation. She was a light keeper for St. Augustine Lighthouse, 1859-1861. Kate Harn served 1889-90. Armed with this new knowledge I painted the strength and softness of the lighthouse. Clouds lingered above and bright yellow flowers blossomed below. They both symbolized the tenderness of these women who cared for their families and schooled their children.  The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse in Pompano Beach, Florida was built after four centuries of wrecks on beautiful but dangerous area reefs. Pompano Beach is often called the “Wreck Capital” of Florida because of the numerous shipwrecks in Hillsboro Inlet.
The Hillsboro Lighthouse has a black and white day mark. The top of the lighthouse is painted black to make it visible above the trees. The bottom white half contrasts against the trees. The lighthouse, also called "Big Diamond" is unique. With a beam of 28 nautical miles, it has the strongest light beam of all US lighthouses. Built in 1907, Hillsboro Lighthouse has an idyllic setting. Swaying palms trees and calming azure water, belies its noble purpose. It was constructed to warn mariners of unseen hazards. My painting, “Perils in Paradox” showcases this paradox as the title indicates. The forceful depiction of black and white day mark of the lighthouse is softened by the peaceful and tropical setting. |
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