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Interview With A Lightkeeper

Mr. Thornhill: First when we went there, we used gasoline for the lighthouse light, then it went to kerosene. In 1966, we started using a diesel generator and finally in 1968, we got electricity when the road went in.

Tyler: Were you glad to have the electricity?

Mr. Thornhill: The electricity was great and we now also had the road. The Department of Transportation provided a vehicle to us and finally in 1968, our families moved to the lighthouse station with us. My wife and I had nine children-six sons and three daughters. It was nice to have our family all together.

Tyler: What were some of your duties at the lighthouse station?

Mr. Thornhill: I had to do all of our maintenance work including painting. We kept log books relating to weather conditions, and we had to clean the lighthouse lens at least once a week and after every storm. Our supplies were provided by the Department of Transportation and we had regular inspections every year. We had certain restrictions such as no long hair or beards, and no alcohol allowed. We didn't have to wear uniforms but we did wear coverall suits.

Tyler: Mrs. Thornhill, what were your duties at the lighthouse?

Mr. Thornhill: My jobs were to look after the cooking, house work and of course the children. We had some cows and after they were milked I would separate the cream and save it. Usually once a week, I made some butter.

Tyler: How many years did you work as a lighthouse keeper?

Mr. Thornhill:I worked as a lighthouse keeper for a total of 35 years.

Tyler: Did your children help you at the lighthouse?

Mr. Thornhill: The children could go into the foghorn building but they had to be accompanied by an adult. The children did have chores and one of their jobs was to pump water. There was no water supply at the lighthouse, but we had a great system, which collected rainwater though pipes. The rainwater gathered in a huge tank under the house. There was a natural filtering system of sand and rocks. Once the water was filtered it was pumped into a holding tank in the attic and gravity would bring it into the pipes and sinks so we could use it. In later years, a natural spring developed between the rocks on the cliffs. We had lots of water.

Tyler: Did your children like living at the lighthouse station?

Mr. Thornhill: Yes, I think they did because there were lots of areas to run around and play. They climbed the rocks, swam in salt water at Beachy Cove, built a log cabin in the woods, caught caplin when they rolled in on the beach and picked berries. We had lots of blueberries, marsh berries, partridgeberries and even raspberries close by. In the winter, there were lots of areas to slide.

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