Shining light on Maryland’s women lighthouse keepers

A black & White photo of Fannie Mae Salter cleaning the lens on a lighthouse lamp<br />

Lightkeeper Fannie Mae Salter cleans the lens of the Turkey Point Light, where she served as the head keeper from the time her husband, Clarence Walter “Harry” Salter, passed in 1925 until her retirement in 1947 when the light was automated. She was the last female civilian lightkeeper in the U.S. when she retired. Credit: USCG Historian’s Office, CG-09231

Scenes from Turkey Point Lighthouse and the people who cared for her

ell Turkey Point Light historical photo with two people gardening on the lawn

Fannie Mae Salter and son Bradley Image from USLHS

This collection of photos by the Turkey Point Light Station, Inc. gives a glimpse into the family life of Fannie Mae Salter as well as scenes of the lighthouse over the years.

Turkey Point Lighthouse projected light 13 miles down the Chesapeake Bay. Its fog bell stood on the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the Elk River. Mrs. Salter once manually rang the bell every 15 seconds for an hour during a lengthy passage of a steamship in dense fog.

A green map that contains a lighthouse pic at each location in maryland

The Chesapeake Bay’s unique outline was a navigation danger in many spots. (Above) an interactive map from lighthousefriends.com

Point Lookout Lighthouse (below, yesterday and today) stands at the opposite end of the Chesapeake Bay from Turkey Point Lighthouse.) Public domain images

historic photo of Point lookout lighthouse and buildings. Sepia tone

House with lighthouse atop. White clapboard and red roof<br />

(Below) Esther O’ Neill was the eighth keeper in a single family that tended Concord Point Lighthouse and who lived in the keeper’s house. Both are open for tours by the Friends of the Concord Point Lighthouse. Photo: Chesapeake Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society

White brick keepers house in havre de grace, with outline of a previous adjacent house on its side

Let’s shine light on Maryland’s dedicated women lighthouse keepers

One look at the Chesapeake Bay’s shallow depths, sandbars and irregular coastline and it is easy to see why Maryland had so many operating lighthouses during the 19th and 20th centuries. What’s surprising, though, are how many women lighthouse keepers guided ships and likely saved untold lives during those years.

The Chesapeake Chapter, U.S. Lighthouse Society and their volunteer Jennifer Jones researched and assembled a listing of the Maryland and Virginia women who served as lighthouse keepers. Their tenure ranged from a few months to decades. Here is the Society’s complete collection.

Thirty Maryland women served as lighthouse keepers, some alone. They endured dangerous conditions, isolation and a profound sense of responsibility. Here are their dates of employment and their assigned lighthouses:

Margaret Bowling (1874 – 1879) Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse
Georgiana Sherwood Brumfield (1895 – 1919) Turkey Point Lighthouse
Rebecca Crouch (1873 – 1895) Turkey Point Lighthouse
Ann Davis (1830 – 1847) Point Lookout Lighthouse
Martha Ann Edwards (1853 – 1855) Point Lookout Lighthouse
Josephine McWilliams Freeman (1876 – 1912) Blackistone Island Lighthouse
Beatrice Evelyn Goeshy (1931 – 1955) Drum Point Lighthouse & Piney Point Lighthouse
Araminta Gray (1822 – 1823) Bodkin Point Lighthouse
Martha C. Grymes (1894 – 1903) Mathias Point Shoal Lighthouse
Mary Hagelin (1866 – 1868) Cove Point Lighthouse
List continues below photo.

Current photo of the keepers house and lighthouse at Cove point

The Cove Point Keepers House, where Mary Hagelin would have lived, was just steps away from duty. Today, the Calvert Marine Museum operates the house as a vacation rental. Photo: Wiki Commons.

Nancy Wickett Ward Lawson (1869 – 1871) Janes Island Lighthouse

Sarah Levy (1853 – 1855) Fishing Battery Lighthouse

Elizabeth Lusby (1844 – 1862) Turkey Point Lighthouse

Sarah Meeds (1901) Fort Carroll Lighthouse

Martha Nuthall (1850 – 1861) Piney Point Lighthouse

Esther O’Neill (1863 – 1881) Concord Point Lighthouse

Mary Josephine Parkinson (1874 – 1877) Sandy Point Lighthouse

Sarah E. Peterson (1915) Hawkins Point Lighthouse

Fannie Mae Salter (1925 – 1947) Turkey Point Lighthouse

Mary E. Smoot (1875 – 1882) Upper Cedar Point Lighthouse & Mathias Point Shoal Lighthouse

Buena Vista Speake (1895 – 1917) Upper Cedar Point Lighthouse

List continues below photo.

(Below) The Upper Cedar Point Lighthouse, where Mary Smart and Buena Speake kept watch, was located in the Potomac River and was dismantled in 1963. Public domain image by US Coast Guard

Charlotte Suter (1844 – 1846) Piney Point Lighthouse

Rosannah Tatham (1844 – 1849) Bodkin Point

Sarah Thomas (1857 – 1859) Cove Point Lighthouse

Helen C. Tune (1877 – 1883) Piney Point Lighthouse

Harriet Valliant (1851 – 1856) Sharps Island Lighthouse

Helen Isabella Waterworth (1871 – 1875) Hawkins Point Lighthouse

Mary Jane Whiteford (1867) Sandy Point (land)

Elizabeth Wilson (1873 – 1877) Piney Point Lighthouse

Mary Yewell (1860 – 1861) Sandy Point (land)

The Chesapeake Chapter of the U. S. Lighthouse Society, an all-volunteer organization, perpetuates the history of lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, lightships and lightship crew that served in the Chesapeake Bay area and educates the public on their service. It is an affiliate of the United States Lighthouse Society. The Chapter also supports restoration and preservation of Chesapeake Bay lighthouses, primarily the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. Volunteers are welcome.