Most lighthouse keepers as we think of them were employees of the United States Lighthouse Service, founded in 1789. The Service was the first Public Works Act of the first United States Congress; it authorized the transfer of existing lighthouses from the jurisdiction of individual states to the federal government. Keepers at first worked under the authority of a local Collector of Customs, though the Collector’s role declined over time as the business of maintaining lighthouses became more professionalized. Lighthouse keepers became civil service employees in 1896. The care of the nation’s lighthouses moved from agency to agency until 1910, when Congress created the Bureau of Lighthouses. The U.S. Coast Guard took over responsibility in 1939.
A keeper’s job was not quite a 24-hour job, but it could be. Typically, the keeper’s day began before dawn and ended well past dusk. Although a keeper was responsible for making repairs and well as other routine duties, each one also had to be prepared to respond to emergencies, including shipwrecks. The most obvious part of the keeper’s duties was to keep the light operating according to the daily schedule, which would vary from station to station, depending on geographic location, typical weather conditions, and other factors. During severe storms, the light had to be kept in operation 24 hours a day until the storm was over. Starting in the 19th century, the Lighthouse Service periodically provided guidance and requirements for its employees, such as the 1927 Instructions to Employees of the United States Lighthouse Service. This document included instructions for keeping the lighthouse in working order and emergency response, but also instructions about matters of daily life, including standards of conduct and the required use of the official Lighthouse Service uniform.
The typical image of a lighthouse keeper is a solitary, grizzled white man in a rain slicker, but the reality was more complex. Many keepers were able to have their families with them at the lighthouse. They lived in the quarters that were connected to a lighthouse or a house nearby. Family members often contributed to the job; in fact, there are many instances of women actively participating in their husbands’ duties, and of women who inherited the position of keeper upon the death or incapacity of a husband or a father, and then kept the position for many years or even for life. Through the middle of the 19th century, African Americans also commonly assisted the official keeper as a paid servant or as an enslaved person. But as the status of African Americans evolved over the course of the mid-late 19th century, the complexion of lighthouse staffs as well as life-saving station staffs (who operated under the United States Life-Saving Service) also changed. The Lighthouse Service began hiring newly freed individuals to work at Southern stations, and by the late 1870s, some lighthouses were overseen by African American Keepers and several had all-African American staffs. The Pea Island Life-Saving Station, in Rodanthe, North Carolina, was the first life-saving station in the country to have an all- African American crew and be commanded by an African American, Richard Ethridge, appointed in 1880.
The advent of automation gradually made the traditional lighthouse keeper unnecessary. Today, all lighthouses in the United States are automated, with the exception of the Boston Light, in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. A law was passed in 1989 requiring that the Boston Light remain manned, so a keeper remains there today.
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Further Reading:
African American Lighthouse and Lifesaving Service Members, U.S. Coast Guard Compass 2010
United States Lifesaving Service Historical Bibliography
FAQs
The Coast Guard further clarified in 2022 that there are 90 people employed as lighthouse keepers across the country, all of whom are considered to be employees of the federal government, and 54 of whom operate out of British Columbia. The last civilian keeper in the United States, Frank Schubert, died in 2003.
Why are there no more lighthouse keepers? ›
The advent of automation gradually made the traditional lighthouse keeper unnecessary. Today, all lighthouses in the United States are automated, with the exception of the Boston Light, in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area.
How much money does a lighthouse keeper make? ›
Lighthouse Keeper Salary
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay |
|---|
| Top Earners | $67,000 | $5,583 |
| 75th Percentile | $57,500 | $4,791 |
| Average | $50,573 | $4,214 |
| 25th Percentile | $41,000 | $3,416 |
Boston Light thus became the only manned lighthouse in the United States. The law also required that public access to Little Brewster be facilitated, and this occurred during the 1990s, culminating with the official opening of the island to the public in 1999.
How many lighthouses still have keepers? ›
Only one light in the US still has an official US Coast Guard Keeper — Boston Light in the outer harbor of Boson, Massachusetts. Because it is an historic site as the location of the first lighthouse in the US, the US Congress passed an act requiring that it must always have an official Keeper.
Did lighthouse keepers get paid? ›
The salaries of Lighthouse Keepers in The US range from $21,732 to $198,326, and the average is $46,172.
What do lighthouse keepers do all day? ›
Maintain light station launch (boat) and keep in good working order. Keep boathouse clean, organized, and in good repair at all times. Provide visitors with tour of light station as needed. Clean keeper dwelling chimneys as needed to prevent fire.
Do lighthouse keepers stay up all night? ›
At offshore lighthouses and headland lighthouses, the three keepers on duty kept four-hour watches in turn. These watches were from 0200 to 0600, 0600 to 1000, 1000 to 1400, 1400 to 1800, 1800 to 2200, and 2200 to 0200 hours. This meant the same keeper kept the 2am to 6am watch and the 2pm to 6pm watch.
How long would lighthouse keepers stay? ›
You can often volunteer as a host lighthouse keeper or for a small fee, typically as a seasonal option from late spring through early fall. Your duties might include leading tour groups, doing light maintenance or tending grounds, and you can often stay for a few days or up to a few weeks.
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Some lighthouses have no power at all (at least for keepers' quarters). One in Wisconsin boasts a large number of closets, but you'll have to look elsewhere for electricity. It goes without saying that very few lighthouses have cable or wi-fi.
Can anyone be a Lighthouse Keeper? ›
Becoming a Light-house Keeper
In order to be considered for the position of light-house keeper you had to: Be between the ages of 18 and 50. Be able to read, write, and keep accounts. Be able to perform the requisite manual labor.
What US state has the most lighthouses? ›
4. With more than 115 lighthouses along the Great Lakes, Michigan boasts the most lighthouses of any U.S. state.
Is the U.S. giving away lighthouses? ›
The GSA has been transferring ownership of lighthouses since the U.S. Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000. Since then, about 150 lighthouses have been transferred: 80 or so given away and another 70 auctioned. More than $10 million were raised from the lighthouses sold at auction.
What is the oldest lighthouse still standing in the United States? ›
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the nation. The lighthouse was completed on June 11, 1764 due to the efforts of 43 prominent New York merchants.
What state in the U.S. has the most lighthouses? ›
Within the USA, the state with the most lighthouses is Michigan with approximately 130 current lighthouses along its many miles of shoreline on the Great Lakes. Historically the state may have had as many as 250 active lighthouses.
When was the last lighthouse keeper? ›
Sally Snowman retired as the keeper of Boston Light at the end of 2023. With all lighthouses now automated, she was the last Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in America.
What state has the most number of lighthouses? ›
4. With more than 115 lighthouses along the Great Lakes, Michigan boasts the most lighthouses of any U.S. state.
