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5. What Drew Women to This Work?
- University of Michigan Press
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g CHAPTER FIVE g What Drew Women to This Work? It’s a sad fact, but true: Most women became lighthouse keepers to provide for themselves and their children after the death of a keeper husband.1 And some were relatives of keepers who just fell naturally into the profession. One example of this was Caroline Warner—an assistant keeper for ten years at the St. Clair Flats South Channel Range lights—who was the daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, wife, and mother of keepers.2 Anna Garraty—who served at Presque Isle Harbor —also had lighthouse keeping in her blood. Her parents were both keepers and passed the profession along to Anna and three of her siblings .3 For still others, the lure was almost indescribable. Elizabeth Van Riper Williams spoke of it this way in her memoir, A Child of the Sea; and Life among the Mormons: From the ‹rst the work had a fascination for me. I loved the water, having always been near it, and I loved to stand in the tower and watch the great rolling waves chasing and tumbling in upon the shore. It was hard to tell when it was loveliest. Whether in its quiet moods or in a raging foam.4 Money may also have been a motivation for some women. Lighthouse keeping was one of the few positions at which women could earn as much as men; even Michigan’s ‹rst female keeper, Catherine Shook, made the same salary—$300 a year—as her male predecessor and successor.5 What’s more, women’s job opportunities in the late 23 24 Daughter Anna Garraty (pictured here) and mother Mary Garraty are the only Michigan female keepers known to have been related. Photo courtesy of the Presque Isle Township Museum Society Elizabeth Van Riper Williams is the only Lady of the Light to have written an autobiography. In it, she described her life on the Great Lakes, contact with American Indians, and the Mormon colony on Beaver Island. Photo courtesy of the Beaver Island Historical Society [54.225.24.249] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 11:06 GMT) What Drew Women to This Work? 25 nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were frequently limited to the home (housekeeper or cook) or to industry (mill and factory jobs). Being your own boss or a valued assistant to the boss in a ‹eld that was important to your state and the nation? That had some status associated with it. Despite the practical advantages of a career in the Lighthouse Service, few females took up the challenge. And some who did paid a painful price. Two lost their lives—one by drowning, one by ‹re—on the job. Some, like Alice Nolen, buried children.7 But, in terms of sheer numbers, Elizabeth Van Riper Williams suffered the greatest losses among Michigan women: losing her ‹rst husband to a watery death as well as two brothers and three nephews.8 g Pentwater Keeper Was Kicked Out of Her Job g Though most keepers appreciated the steady employment the service provided, the isolation and monotony of the work drove others to distraction—or worse. After performing ably for eight years following the death of her husband, the keeper of the Pentwater Pier light started acting in an unprofessional manner. The Naval Secretary of the Lighthouse Board wrote to his superior that “Mrs. Annie McGuire has been reported…for drunkenness and irregular habits.”6 These were serious charges, and the district inspector recommended McGuire’s removal. Acting swiftly to ensure the safety of Lake Michigan mariners, the board dismissed her eight days later. And that appeared to be the end of her lighthouse-keeping career. ...