A Roman lighthouse is located on the Cliffs of Dover in the UK that was constructed in 40 A.D. The oldest existing lighthouse in the world is considered to be La Coruna in Spain that dates from ca. It was destroyed in stages by invaders and earthquakes, being destroyed in the 1300s. This lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ptolemy I and his son Ptolemy II constructed it between 300 and 280 B.C. Anna dedicated her entire life to the Presque Isle Lighthouses and serving 23 years as the lighthouse keeper on her own.The first known lighthouse was the Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt. On August 31, 1926, Anna officially retired and moved to Alpena to live with her siblings. In the spring of 1926, the Eleventh District Superintendent of Lighthouses declared that the range lights needed to be automated. Throughout the years, Anna and her family faced several more wildfires. Even after the fire was out, the team continued to remove ashes and soot from the range towers. Anna and her crew worked day and night for weeks. She ordered the men to cut down trees near the property to keep the fire at bay and create more visibility for ships to see the lights. Luckily, neither of the lighthouses were affected, but sadly 2.5 million acres of forest and land had been destroyed.Įxcerpts from Anna’s logbook state that she had hired a crew of firefighters to help her protect the range lights. Anna and her mother were stationed at the range lights, and Anna’s brothers and sister were stationed at the New Presque Isle Lighthouse. The intense flames from the famous Metz fire of 1908 separated the Garrity family. The Metz FireĪnna and her family survived one of the largest fires in Michigan history. It was important that the lights did not go out, since they helped safely guide ships into the harbor. She needed to check on both range lights twice a night to make sure they were still running. It was said that in order to reach the lantern rooms, Anna needed to cross some rickety boards that were oftentimes quite slippery. Photo Courtesy: Presque Isle Township Museum Society. Sometimes her teenage niece, Loretta (Sister Mary’s daughter), would stay with her during the summer and help with smaller tasks. Anna didn’t have an assistant and did the majority of the work by herself. It was roughly a ten-mile walk to the nearest post office and back. She conquered hours of weekly clerical work that needed to be completed for the government. Anna was known as a hardworking and determined woman who could “get the job done,” no matter if the job was seen as “man’s work.” Every year in the springtime, Anna would clean carpets, remove storm windows, and put in screens. Other chores included painting, woodwork, fixing stairs, latticework, washing windows, reading oil measurements, cleaning oil trays and barrels, lawn care, woodcutting, etc. Lighthouse keeper duties consisted of caring for the harbor lights and the station. Luckily, the government recognized Anna’s skills and natural talents, which she inherited from her family. During this time, it was very rare for a woman to officially be hired as the main keeper. She also holds the longest-running lighthouse keeper position for the range lights, serving at 23 years. At the age of 31, Anna became the first and only female lighthouse keeper for Presque Isle. Lighthouse keeping was definitely in the Garrity family’s blood, and Anna decided to carry on the family tradition.Īnna secured the job as lighthouse keeper at the Presque Isle Harbor Range Lights in 1903. The children, who lived after childhood, grew up learning daily lighthouse keeping duties, and four out of the six continued to pursue careers in lighthouse keeping just as their parents did.Īll three of Anna’s brothers worked as lighthouse keepers and even served for the New Presque Isle Lighthouse after their father passed away. John, Annie (sadly, passed away at the age of 6), Mary, Thomas, Kathryn, and Patrick Jr. Photo Courtesy: Debbie Trelfa.Īnna was the youngest Garrity child with six older siblings. Alpena Area Convention & Visitors BureauĪnna Garrity.
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