The Last Lighthouse Keeper in U.S. Steps Down

The historic Boston Light on Little Brewster Island overlooking Boston Harbor was constructed before the Revolutionary War. The original lighthouse, constructed in 1716 stood 60 feet high and was circular in shape with a tapering tower made of rubblestone. On the grounds of the tower, a keeper's house, barn, and wharf were built and, a fog horn cannon was installed in 1719. 

1879 / Morning off Boston Light / by C Drew. 

When the American Revolution came, the islands in Boston’s harbor were the site of several skirmishes between patriots and British soldiers and sailors. The British took over Boston Light in 1774. In July of 1775, local Massachusetts patriots decided to destroy the lighthouse to prevent the British from benefitting from its use. The British rebuilt the lighthouse within a matter of days! The most significant damage happened as the British were leaving the harbor ---- they blew up the Boston Light for good in 1776 -- or so they thought!

The new lighthouse wasn't built until 1783. It was similar to the first lighthouse because it was circular in structure and made of rubblestone. The difference was the height as the new lighthouse was 75 feet tall. Another difference was that this lighthouse didn't use candles, it had four fish oil lamps as its beacon. In 1811, a revolving mechanism was installed to create a flashing light, and in 1859, a second-order Fresnel lens was installed to replace the chandelier of oil lamps and reflectors. At this time, the height of the lighthouse was increased to 89 feet. 

Over the years, many improvements were made to the Boston Light.  For example, fog signals were upgraded several times, and other buildings, some still standing, were constructed; others were reused for different purposes. In 1948, the Boston Light was electrified and in 1957 a cable was run from Windmill Point to drive the rotating mechanism of the Frensel lense, so the keepers didn't have to wind it every four hours! This modernization however didn't affect one important duty of the keeper. Every day, at sunrise and again at sunset, the keeper had to climb the steep iron staircase to turn the switches on or off for the light and rotating gear. 

Steep and treacherous the climb to the top

In 1959, the Boston Light was changed from a family-operated to a male-only station under the auspices of the Coast Guard. In 1964, Boston Light became a National Historic Landmark and in 1987, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1989, a bill sponsored by Senator Kennedy required that the Boston Light remain permanently manned, making this lighthouse the only legislatively manned lighthouse in the United States. The island's light became fully automated in 1998, ending the keeper's climb to the top twice a day. The site was officially opened to the public in 1999.

A lovely view of Boston Light

A new chapter in the story of the Boston Light occurred in 2003 when Sally Snowman,  was appointed as light keeper. Snowman was not only the first woman to attain this role in the long history of the Boston Light, but she was also the first civilian appointed since 1941. 

Sally Snowman, keeper of Boston Lighthouse, lowers the American flag, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor. Boston Light is the last permanently manned Coast Guard lighthouse in the country, and 2016 marks its tricentennial. 

After a twenty-year stint beginning in 2003, in December 2023, Sally Snowman, the only remaining lighthouse keeper in the United States retired. Snowman has not only served as the keeper, she is also a historian of this 307-year-old icon that overlooks Boston's rocky shoreline. She enjoyed regaling the tales of the lighthouse with the visiting public and hopes this tradition continues. Dressed in 18th-century inspired clothes that would have been worn by a lightkeeper's wife or in a Coast Guard uniform she ascended the 76 spiraling steps to clean the windows and polish the lens that acts as a beacon of warning to keep mariners from smashing into the rocks. She also mowed the lawn and maintained the six additional buildings on the grounds of the island. A professor by profession, it was her fantasy to become a lighthouse keeper since she visited the island at age 10. As the lightkeeper for 20 years, Snowman told NPR, " “It’s sort of a metaphysical type of thing that – I felt something so deeply in my heart and in my cells and the space between the cells that it came into fruition. It’s a fairy tale come true."

The Sunset of an Era

For much of her time as a lighthouse keeper, she lived on the island. In 2018, due to a portable water problem, the public could no longer visit the island, and Snowman could no longer live there.  Tenacious as ever, Snowman decided to commute to the island from her home in North Weymouth. This commute could take up to an hour and a half one way over open water in her six-foot skiff.  Until she retired in December 2023, Snowman's visits were dictated by weather and tidal cycles, resulting in stays of up to an hour or so, or not at all, when storms kept her away. Snowman, now 72,  plans on spending her retirement researching historical documents and making presentations. Reflecting on her time as lightkeeper, Snowman told WBUR, "I believe we are all beacons of light. We are all lighthouses from our heart space. So for me to be out there for 20 years, my energy is going to be out there. It's there."

The lighthouse is now being sold to a private owner. The arrangement with the new owner is that the site must be preserved. Let's hope that the new owners and their staff will do a good job of maintaining the traditions of the lighthouse keepers around the world and preserving the history of this historic site.