![]() ![]() ![]() William worked at the South Foreland lighthouse near Dover, England. The earliest official documented lighthouse keeper was named William, who was part of the famed Knott family of keepers. Many responsibilities were altered to include building and buoy maintenance, realigning navigational aids off the coast and technical maintenance on automated systems. Coast Guard in 1939.Īlthough electricity, automations and other technological advancements did away with the need to tend to the lights as diligently as in the past, lighthouse keepers are still needed in some areas to ensure ship safety. As for the care of individual lighthouses, that responsibility was given to the Bureau of Lighthouses in 1910 and then the U.S. In 1896, lighthouse keepers officially became civil service employees. The Lighthouse Service provided keepers with additional guidance in the 19th century, notably with its "Instructions to Employees of the United States Lighthouse Service." The hefty handbook "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." ![]() Their duties included completing routine maintenance work, like making repairs preparing to respond to emergencies, like shipwrecks and keeping the light operating, which varied based on geographic location, weather conditions, and other factors. Lighthouse keepers often worked long hours, usually beginning their day before dawn and ending it well past dusk. Their duties also expanded as the job become more professionalized. were employees of the United States Lighthouse Service, which was the first Public Works Act of the first United States Congress. In certain instances, duties were passed from husband to wife, usually when the former died or was incapable of maintaining their position.ĭuring the 18th century, most lighthouse keepers in the U.S. That also meant duties were often passed down from generation to generation, as seen in "Slumberland" when Nemo asks her father why she has to learn math if she's going to take over his role and care for the lighthouse. Before electricity, that meant maintaining the oil lamps (such as trimming the wicks, which inspired the nickname "wickies") and the clockwork mechanisms.īecause of the remoteness and dedication required, lighthouse keepers often lived on location. Historically, lighthouse keepers were essential to keeping the lights on so that ships would have visibility and not wreck. Here's a closer look at the origin of the job and how it has changed: Over the years, lighthouse keepers have been heavily romanticized in Hollywood, despite it being regarded as an isolating profession. Admission: free, but donation requested.Do people still live in lighthouses? Are their duties the same now that technology has taken over? We had questions.Address: Point Fermin Park, San Pedro, CA 90731.The Los Angeles Maritime Museum, and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, are also in the San Pedro area.ĭrive a short distance to Rancho Palos Verdes, and visit the magnificent clifftop park that's home to the Point Vicente Lighthouse, and Point Vicente Interpretive Center. Walk up the hill from the Point Fermin Lighthouse, to see the Korean Friendship Bell. Kids must be over 40 inches tall to visit the lantern room.ġ0. Docent led or self guided tours are available today, providing a peek inside the kitchen, parlor room, bedrooms, and of course the spiral staircase to the lantern room. It's free to tour the Point Fermin Lighthouse. The Point Fermin Lighthouse underwent extensive renovations, and was opened to the public in 2003.ĩ. It took another 70 years before the original lens were located at a real estate office in Malibu, and are now visible on the lower floor of the lighthouse.Ĩ. The lens were removed from the Point Fermin Lighthouse, when the lantern room was converted to an unsightly watchtower by the U.S. All West Coast lighthouses were extinguished to avoid detection from Japanese submarines. The lighthouse fell dark on December 7, 1941, after the Pearl Harbor attack. When electricity arrived in 1927, the Point Fermin Lighthouse was turned over to the city of L.A.Ħ. After both parents died, the two Austin daughters ran the lighthouse from 1925 to 1927.ĥ. ![]() The Austin Family were the final lighthouse keepers, arriving in 1917 and raising eight children at the lighthouse. By all accounts he loved to entertain, and graciously welcomed curious visitors.Ĥ. The next lighthouse keeper was a retired Sea Captain, George Shaw. Eventually they tired of the isolation and moved on.ģ. Two sisters, Mary and Ella Smith, were at the helm for the first eight years, from 1874 to 1882. It's rare for lighthouse keepers to be women, but this was actually the case for Point Fermin Lighthouse. The first lighthouse keepers at Point Fermin Lighthouse were women. ![]()
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