Ida Lewis was only 11 years old when her father Hosea was appointed keeper of Newport’s Lime Rock Lighthouse in 1853. Four years later, he suffered a debilitating stroke and his teen-aged daughter began assisting her mother in tending the light that marked the often stormy harbor. Ida devoted her life to her work, spending some six decades at the light. Following the deaths of her parents, first her father and then her mother, she was appointed keeper in 1879 at the annual salary of $750 making her the highest-paid light tender in the country. Ever modest of her achievements, she remained devoted to her duties until her death in 1911.
September speaker Varnum Trustee Brian Wallin brings an added knowledge to this story as he also narrates the Rhode Island Fast Ferry Lighthouse Cruises on Narragansett Bay. His richly illustrated lecture portrays one of the most famous women of the 19th century and highlights the role other women played in the care of lighthouses across the country.
RSVP by 6:00 pm Friday, September 6 to Scott Seaback at 401-413-6277 or by email at [email protected].
PLEASE NOTE: Reservations for dinner are mandatory and MUST be received by the date and time listed above. NO walk-ins allowed!
MEETING DATE: Monday, September 9
TIME: 5:30 pm (social hour); 6:30 (dinner followed by presentation)
LOCATION: Varnum Memorial Armory Museum, 6 Main Street, East Greenwich, RI
DINNER MENU: Steak fry! Baked potato bar, seasonal veggies, Caesar salad, dessert & coffee
FEE: $20/person
Illustration of Ida Lewis rowing by Phebe Ann Hanaford 
Ida Lewis’ grave at the Common Burying Ground 
Lime Rock Island in 1869 (Harpers Weekly)
