Ladies of the lights : Michigan women in the U.S. Lighthouse Service

Author

Patricia Majher

Call Number

• H 387.155 M233 (CEN)

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Publication Information

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, c2010.

Physical Description

x, 120 p. : ill., map ; 24 cm.

Summary

From the Publisher: Michigan once led the country in the number of lighthouses, and they're still a central part of the mystique and colorful countryside of the state. What even the region's lighthouse enthusiasts might not know is the rich history of female lighthouse keepers in the area. Fifty women served the sailing communities on Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior, as well as on the Detroit River, for more than 100 years. From Catherine Shook, who raised eight children while maintaining the Pointe Aux Barques light at the entrance to Saginaw Bay; to Eliza Truckey, who assumed responsibility for the lighthouse in Marquette while her husband fought for four years in the Civil War; to Elizabeth Whitney, whose combined service on Beaver Island and in Harbor Springs totaled forty-one years-the stories of Michigan's "ladies of the light" are inspiring. This is no technical tome documenting the minutiae of Michigan's lighthouse specifications. Rather, it's a detailed, human portrait of the women who kept those lighthouses running, defying the gender expectations of their time.

Contents

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1: Female lighthouse keepers: a brief history
• 2: Michigan: home to the most female keepers
• 3: Typical duties of a lighthouse keeper
• 4: How did women get appointed to keeper positions?
• 5: What drew women to this work?
• 6: What special hardships did women face?
• 7: Were any female keepers also mothers?
• 8: Were female keepers treated differently from male keepers?
• 9: What were the contributions of wives of male keepers?
• 10: How long did female keepers serve?
• 11: Sixteen who served
• 12: Interview with Frances (Wuori Johnson) Marshall
• 13: Epilogue
• Map
• Geographical list of keepers
• Alphabetical list of keepers by last name
• Alphabetical list of keepers by lighthouse
• Chronological list of keepers
• Suggested reading
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index.