Lecture: Keepers of the Light - Women Lighthouse Keepers of the Hudson River

"Keepers of the Light: Women Lighthouse Keepers of the Hudson River"

Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 7:00 PM | Virtual via Zoom

$5/household | HRMM members FREE

In honor of Women's History Month, Sarah Wassberg Johnson will present on the women lighthouse keepers of the Hudson River, tracing their lives and the lighthouses they kept. From the earliest lighthouses of the Hudson River in the 1820s and '30s to restoration efforts of the 1980s and '90s, women have played an instrumental role in maintaining Hudson River Lighthouses and keeping the lights burning. Includes information on Catherine Murdock, keeper of the Rondout Lighthouse for 50 years (pictured at left), Nancy Rose, keeper of the Stony Point Lighthouse for 47 years, the daring Kate and Ellen Crowley of the Saugerties Lighthouse, and many other women, including some who kept their lights for only a few months. Learn of how they weathered ice dams, storms, accidents, and political changes. 

Speaker Bio:

Sarah Wassberg Johnson is the Director of Exhibits & Outreach at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, where she has worked since 2012. She is also the editor and co-author of Hudson River Lighthouses and editor of the Pilot Log, the museum's annual history journal. Sarah has an MA in Public History from the University at Albany.