“Recognizing lighthouse keepers and the life saving services that they rendered promotes an awareness of lighthouses and maritime history. Through these pages we share the unique stories of Chesapeake Bay area lighthouse keepers.” ~ Chesapeake Chapter Board Member, Betty Collins
Contact: Chapter Historian historian@cheslights.org
Permanent link to this article: https://cheslights.org/our-heritage/keepers/
“Little information has been written about African American lighthouse keepers in the U.S. Lighthouse Service. Compared to the number of white keepers, African Americans did not have the same opportunities available, particularly in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After the Civil War and during reconstruction, African Americans were finally being offered positions as official keepers and assistant keepers at stations in the south. Through these biographies, we highlight those men and women in the Chesapeake Bay area, because in addition to being lighthouse keepers, many were also significant in African American history and in their communities.” Jennifer Jones, Chapter Historian
Most of the women in the lighthouse service worked alongside their husbands or fathers. Some of these women were eventually appointed principal keepers upon their death. With these biographies, we recognize the resolve and courage of women lighthouse keepers in the Chesapeake Bay area.
