Manned lighthouses as of:
1987 July: 18 (9 in Maine) of 500 active
1987 Oct: 16
1987 Nov: 13 of 445 active
1988 Jan: 14
1988 May: 12 (8 Maine, 2 other New England, 2 others)
1988 Sep: 11
1989 Oct: 6
(Based on counts given in various newspaper articles)
| LIGHTHOUSE | LOCATION | STATE |
AUTOMATED |
LAST HEAD KEEPER |
NOTES | |
25 |
||||||
24 |
||||||
23? |
Great Duck Island | ME |
1986 |
BM1? Donald Parker |
||
22? |
Wood Island | ME |
1986 |
BM1? Warren Rowell |
||
21? |
Montauk Point | Long Island | NY |
Feb 1987 |
BMC W. Gene Hughes |
Fresnel lens removed |
20? |
New London Ledge | Long Island Sound | CT |
1 May 1987 |
BM1 Pete Polotnianka |
|
19 |
Cape Neddick | Nubble Point | ME |
13 Jul 1987 |
BM1? Russell Ahlgren |
|
18 |
Dry Tortugas (Loggerhead Key) | Florida Keys | FL |
July 1987 |
Fresnel lens removed | |
17 |
Browns Head | Fox Islands | ME |
Aug 1987 |
BM1? Charles Lawson |
|
16 |
||||||
15 |
||||||
14 |
||||||
13? |
Ambrose Channel | Raritan Bay, New York Harbor | NJ |
16 Mar 1988 |
BM1 Russell Dudemaine |
|
12 |
West Quoddy Head | ME |
30 Jun 1988 |
BM1 Malcolm Rouse |
||
11? |
Doubling Point | Arrowsic Island, Kennebec River | ME |
1988 |
||
10? |
Burnt Island | ME |
fall 1988 |
BM1? Henry Sieg |
||
9? |
Fort Point | ME |
Oct 1988 |
BM1 Larry Baum |
||
8 |
ME |
|||||
7? |
Owls Head | Penobscot Bay | ME |
1989 |
BM1 Malcolm Rouse |
|
6? |
Portland Head | Cape Elizabeth, Casco Bay | ME |
7 Aug 1989 |
BM1? Davis Simpson Jr. |
|
5 |
Egmont Key | Tampa Bay | FL |
1 Oct 1989 |
||
4 |
Coney Island | NY |
Dec 1989 |
Frank Schubert |
Last civilian lighthouse keeper in the US. Schubert remained as caretaker until his death in 2003. | |
3 |
Block Island Southeast | RI |
July 7, 1990 |
Light deactivated | ||
2 |
Goat Island | Cape Porpoise near Kennebunkport | ME |
fall 1990 |
BM1? Bradley Culp |
|
1 |
Boston (Little Brewster Island) | Boston Harbor | MA |
16 Apr 1998 |
BM1 Scott Stanton |
Boston maintains a permanent caretaker due to an act of Congress. USCG enlisted personnel remained on the island until 2003 when a member of the CG Auxiliary (Sally Snowman) became caretaker. |
| LIGHTHOUSE | LOCATION | STATE |
AUTOMATED |
UNMANNED |
LAST ENLISTED KEEPER |
| Jupiter Inlet | Florida East Coast | FL |
1966 |
July 1987 |
BM1 Mitchel W. Oakland |
| Hillsboro Inlet | Florida East Coast | FL |
1 Nov 1973 |
1997 |
BM3? Larry Jesse |
| Boston | Boston Harbor | MA |
16 Apr 1998 |
2003 |
BM1 Pedro Gonzales |
Sources - Newspaper Articles:
"Lighthouse Shift Marks End Of Era." Hartford Courant. 2 May 1987.
"Last of the Lighthouse Keepers: Egmont Key Crew Mans A Final Outpost." Orlando Sentinel. 12 Jul 1987.
"Kind of Sad." Orlando Sentinel. 14 Jul 1987.
"Keepers Of Ambrose Light: The Crew Of The Last Manned Lighthouse In New Jersey Will Soon Be Replaced By Computers." Philadelphia Inquirer. 3 Nov 1987.
"Bid To Automate Lighthouse Raises Seaside Town's Ire." Philadelphia Inquirer. 24 Jan 1988.
"Lighthouse Keeper On His Way Out" Boston Globe. 1 May 1988.
"Down East." Orlando Sentinel. 30 Jun 1988.
"After 164 Years, A Lonely Beacon Loses Its Human Touch." Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. 20 Mar 1988.
"A Colder Light: Computers Drive Last Lighthouse Keepers and Families From Their Salty Old Homes." Chicago Tribuine. 18 Sep 1988.
"Tampa Bay Beacon To Keep Manpower." South Florida Sun Sentinel. 29 Oct 1989.
"Keeper of the Flame Shines On." Staten Island Advance. 24 Nov 1989
Sources - Other:
LighthouseFriends.com
Wikipedia