We trimmed the wick by touch on fog nights, because the glass would sweat over before the next turn.
Martha Ellery
Assistant keeper, North Head Light
Stories from the northern lights
Keeper voices at the edge of the coast
Beyond tower plans and dates, these accounts follow the people who trimmed wicks before dawn, read weather in the spray, and kept a steady rhythm through long winters on the headland.
Read keeper accounts.“By the second watch the sea had settled into its old iron rhythm; all that remained was the lamp, the logbook, and the sound of steps across the gallery.”
Keeper Accounts
Voices from the lamp room and shoreline
Short recollections from keepers and families, preserved in a plainspoken editorial style.
My father said the first rule was quiet boots on the stair; the second was never miss the weather log.
Jonas Pike
Keepers son, raised at Gull Point
When winter cut the road, we signaled by lantern to the storehouse and carried flour back by sled.
Elias Rowe
Head keeper, Brackwater Tower
Mother kept spare matches in three places; she said a calm lamp was as important as a full pantry.
Annie Mercer
Keeper family member, Saltwick Station