Register 188 Seats Remaining

Women Lighthouse Keepers

And the History of the US Lighthouse Service

Celebrate Women's History Month by taking a deep dive into the history of female lighthouse keepers throughout New Jersey, as well as the history of "Old Barney" -- the historic Barnegat Lighthouse.

Celebrate Women's History Month by taking a deep dive into the history of female lighthouse keepers throughout New Jersey, as well as the history of "Old Barney" -- the historic Barnegat Lighthouse.

You may remember the presenter, Mary Rasa, from her engaging virtual program which was held this past November at the Ocean County Library, called Christmas in WWII. This time around, Mary will share stories of families who lived and worked at New Jersey lighthouses. These families consisted of the men who were selected as lighthouse keepers, as well as their wives and children. The wives and daughters of the male keepers would learn to tend the light so that, in the event of the keeper's passing, the light would still be taken care of. In these special circumstances, the wife and / or daughter would then officially take the place of keeper or assistant keeper. Notably, the position of keeper or assistant keeper was one of the first government career fields open to females. This program explores the stories of five remarkable female keepers in particular, including Sarah Patterson Johnson, who was the assistant keeper at Sandy Hook Light.

Mary Rasa is a native of New Jersey where she was museum curator / park ranger for the National Park Service at Sandy Hook. Mary currently runs her own business conducting historical research, writing exhibits, brochures, grants, and social media pages as well as conducting history talks for non-profits, libraries, senior centers and historic sites.

This program will be held virtually via Zoom. The link will be sent to registrants during the week leading up to the program.

Upcoming Events