Over time, the lighthouses gradually transformed into an organization specifically for marine traffic.
For mariners navigating a relentless and sometimes unforgiving sea in the 19th-century, lighthouses along shorelines were a vital lifeline in maintaining safety at sea. Ultimately many lighthouses were built along the east coast of Florida.Īlong the nation's coasts, keepers helped ensure a looming light on the horizon would be seen by sailors, making them aware of a port or of a hazard to navigation. Augustine the lighthouse tradition began nearly 450 years ago when Don Pedro Menendez claimed Florida for Spain in 1565. Her yearly salary was $400 in what was then called the Lighthouse Service.Ī lighthouse and lighthouse keeper were essential to the orderly - and safe - continuation of the St. Townspeople rallied in support of her appointment. Maria Andreu, of Minorcan descent, was left with five or six children to raise. 10, 1859, "Monday last … (Joseph Andreu) was engaged in white washing the tower of the Light House" when the scaffolding gave way and he fell 60 feet. Her appointment came after her husband died on the job. Maria Andreu thus became not only the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard but also the first to command a federal shore installation, say officials. Augustine Lighthouse after her husband, Juan, died. In 1859 she assumed the watch as the lighthouse keeper at St. Mabel Bretherton had also served at Cape Blanco lighthouse in Oregon prior to coming to North Head.Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu stands out both in the annals of the U.S. From 1905 until her resignation on Octoshe assisted in the care and operation of the light. She was the only female keeper assigned to North Head lighthouse. He lived at North Head for 26 years.ĭuring the time Pesonen was head keeper, he had a second assistant keeper by the name of Mabel E. Keeper Pesonen had at one time served on the lighthouse tender “Manzanita” and as an assistant keeper at Tillamook lighthouse.
He was placed in charge of North Head lighthouse on May 16, 1898, the day the lighthouse was put into service. The first head lighthouse keeper at North Head was Alex K. The cleaning and maintenance of the light and lens was the most important duty of the keepers. The light was lit from dusk to dawn with cleaning and polishing being done during the daylight hours. If one of the keepers left, the hours would become much longer. Keepers would traditionally work 8 hour shifts if there were three keepers. Lighthouse keepers and their families had a remote and hard life. All of the original buildings are still located on site. A keeper’s residence, a duplex to house two assistant keepers, a barn, and outbuildings were also constructed at that time. The final outcome is not known.Īt the same time the lighthouse was being constructed, construction workers built two oil houses just to the east of the lighthouse. The contractor filed suit against the United States to recover $5,868, damages. The station was finally completed on April 10, 1898. Written in the “Report of the Light-house Board for 1898, “The contractors for furnishing the metal work delivered it on August 15, 1897, 173 days after the expiration of the time for the completion of their contract, incurring a penalty for delay of $4,325, or $160 in excess of the amount they were to receive under the contract.” The government granted the contractor an extension until November 15, 1897. The tower was built 65 feet above the ground, designed large enough to hold the First-order Fresnel lens transferred from Cape Disappointment lighthouse. The lighthouse was constructed by George Langford, an early contractor and builder from Portland, Oregon. Those ships could not see Cape Disappointment lighthouse, two miles to the south, in time to safely enter the Columbia River channel.Ĭonstruction began on North Head lighthouse in 1897 and it was completed and lit on May 16, 1898. North Head Lighthouse was built to provide an aide to navigation for ships approaching from the north.
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