Cape Ann Light Station Light-Keepers Wanted
Looking for Light-Keeper volunteer work on a rocky island off the coast of Rockport, Massachusetts?
The Thacher Island Association is searching for two volunteer Lighthouse Keepers to help maintain the Twin Lights of Thacher Island, the iconic symbol of Rockport.
Paul St. Germain is offering a one-week apprenticeship program to train two assistant Lighthouse Keepers next summer.
Both trainees will work hard without pay for the dream of living free in one of the Keeper’s houses. Who said the best things in life are free?
Interested Candidates must
1. be a Nail Bender capable of nailing anything together, aka Carpentry skills,
2. be a Handy Man ready to fix and operate equipment in a flash, aka Mechanical skills,
3. have a soiled reputation, aka Landscaping skills,
4. possess basic CPR skills just in case you die of a lonely heart on the isolated island,
5. possess a passion to help Lighthouse campers and tourists, and
6. have a great sense of humor to do all this for the starting salary of $0.00 per hour!
All interested working volunteers can send their resumes to 155 South St., Rockport, MA 01966.
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On Dec 21, 1771, the Twin Lights of Thacher Island were first lit as the first station to mark a navigational menace instead of a harbor entrance. The Light Station was important to American coastal trade, transatlantic mariners, and the international trade that entered Massachusetts Bay during the nineteenth century.
Currently, the North Light Tower is a private aid to navigation and the South Light Tower is an Active Coast Guard Aid to navigation. “The fishermen and lobstermen who go by it all the time like to see the lights lit. So we do it for old times’ sake and as a memorial for past mariners who have sailed there,” according to Paul St. Germain, president of the Thacher Island Association.
Of the 800 standing American Lighthouses, 400 Lighthouse are Active Coast Guard Aids to navigation as a visual aid for the safety of all mariners!
For more information about the Lighthouses, please visit the previous post “Camping at a Lighthouse” and click on the photo of this post.
Related News Story:
Wanted: Lighthouse keepers; hard work, no pay
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November 24th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Oh to be 30 years younger and to be able to do something like this for a summer! I think it would be grand but alas, I am old and incapable of too many handyman skills - leastways not those that one would need at a lighthouse!
November 24th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
It sounds like a great opportunity for maybe the first two weeks or so. But after that I would probably go stir crazy!
November 25th, 2007 at 1:43 am
Linda, finding a way to restore the energetic spice of a 22 year-old would be twice as nice!
Fortunately, there is summer lodging available in one of the Keeper’s house so we can be young at heart and enjoy visiting these romantic ocean castles! For July and August weekend reservations, call (617) 599-2950 early - right after March 1st, 2008. The cost is $75 per person for a maximum of 6 people with a 2 night minimum. Pack drinking water, food, and other necessities if you decide to stay over!
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Debo, living this life would be a unforgettable experience of a lifetime!
Fortunately, many offshore American Lighthouses rotated the duty schedules of four Light-keepers with two Keepers on duty for two weeks and two Keepers on shore leave for two weeks to reduce the stress of working at a isolated Lighthouse.