Ladies of the Lights - Michigan

They were women before their time, taking on the romantic, yet dangerous and physically demanding job of tending to the beacons that protected the shoreline. In all, some 40 women have been identified who excelled in this profession over the years — dating back as early as the 1840s and as recent as present day. Nearly 70 images of keepers, their families and their lights make up this presentation. The program includes readings from newspapers and autobiographies, as well as handouts including the list of featured ladies and additional reading references for attendees.

Dianna Stampfler has been researching and sharing stories about Michigan’s historic lighthouses since the late 1990s and is the author of “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses and “Death & Lighthouses on the Great Lakes”. She is a member of the Midwest Travel Journalists Association, Historical Society of Michigan, Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, U.S. Lighthouse Society, Association for Great Lakes Maritime History, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, Friends of Pilot & Plum Island Lighthouses, National Museum of the Great Lakes, Michigan Maritime Museum and several other historic organizations.