An Institution That Is a Model — Mrs. Murdock's Record In Government Service — The Life Saver Who Wears No "Hero" Medals and Refuses to Talk of Himself.
           
A short time ago a brief item in The Freeman announced the resignation of Mrs. Murdock as keeper of the Rondout light house and the appointment of her son to position. At the time of her resignation Mrs. Murdock enjoyed the distinction of being, with one exception, the oldest light house keeper in the service of the government, and in terms of continuous service, the oldest employee of the light house board. One other keeper is older than Mrs. Murdock, but none has served the government so long. In accepting her resignation the light house board wrote to Mrs. Murdock a letter congratulating her on her continuous service of more than 50 years and expressing its satisfaction with her faithfulness during that long period.  By reason of her long and excellent service Mrs. Murdock had before attracted the attention of the light house board and received letters of commendation which are highly prized.  In 1906 she was commended for the excellent order in which the light house was found and verbal commendations from inspectors have been frequent and warm.  Mrs. Murdock resigned August 28, 1907, and her resignation was accepted September 12.

Mrs. Murdock was appointed keeper of the Rondout light in 1856, when Franklin Pierce was president, and has, therefore held office continuously for more than 51 years, under the administrations of twelve of the 21 presidents that the country has had in its entire history.  Changes of administration have sometimes brought temporary anxiety and trouble, as some worthy patriot who yearned to serve his country as a lighthouse keeper would apply for the position, but in every case the government has declined to make a change.  To be in one spot for 51 years -- the "one spot" being so literally exact as in the case of the keeper of the Rondout light whose entire domain is an artificial island so small that one need not be much of an athlete to jump across it -- would seem to most persons a cheerless way of spending half a century, but it has left no indication of despondency or loneliness with Mrs. Murdock and her family.  A Freeman reporter who called at the light house a few days ago found it one of the neatest and most cheerful homes he had ever entered.
           
Mrs. Murdock, who is always described by reporters who visit the light house as "motherly," probably because that word so exactly describes her appearance and manner, bears her 79 years lightly, keeps up with the world's progress by reading The Freeman every evening and is perfectly content and happy in her home.
           
"Lonely? No, indeed." was her reply to a question.  "With all the boats going by and the view over the water why should anyone be lonely here?  But when I am away for a few days I am always ready to come back, for no other place seems like home."
           
Mrs. Murdock, who before her marriage was Miss Catherine A. Parcell, is a native of the town of Esopus and has spent nearly all of her life in that town, the Rondout light house being within the boundaries of Esopus and not in the city of Kingston as is generally supposed. Mrs. Murdock spent her early days at Ulster Park, residing in the house adjoining the school house.  She was married to George W. Murdock, a native of Stone Ridge, who was for a time keeper of the lower light house.  Later he was for a year and a half a guard at Sing Sing prison before being appointed keeper of the Rondout light house.  Within a year of his appointment he was drowned at Ponckhockie while on his way to the light house.  Mrs. Murdock was appointed to succeed him.  For a time, until her children grew up, she was obliged to employ a boy to row the boat, but for many years none outside of the family have shared in the duties of the position.
           
Until 1867 the light house was an old frame building. There were no dykes and boats could land directly at the light house pier. The present stone building was erected in 1867.  It is a comfortable eight-room residence, surmounted by the lantern.  With the building of the dyke came the necessity of lighting the dyke lights, three in number. Many times, Mrs. Murdock says, it has taken her son nearly the whole forenoon to get to the dyke lights to extinguish them when the creek was full of floating ice and he would have to alternately walk on the ice, dragging his boat, and row across the places where the ice was not strong enough to hold him. Often he would return with icicles hanging to his clothing and completely exhausted by the struggle. For a fortnight at a time it has been impossible to reach the shore.
           
With the growth of systematic ways of doing government business has come added work in the way of bookkeeping.  Records are now kept of the weather, the amount of oil burned each night, and the amount of wick burned.  Reports have been sent back because of a discrepancy of a gill in the account of the oil burned.  "It isn't such an easy job as folks think," says Mrs. Murdock, "and everything has to be in order all the time, for you never know when an inspector is coming.  He inspects not only the light, but the whole house, and everything must be in order."
           
That everything has been in order is proved by the long term of Mrs. Murdock's service and the complimentary letters she has received. Certainly no inspector could criticize the house as The Freeman reporter found it.  Aside from its interest as a light house, it has been made a museum of curiosities and mementoes by the family. Probably the most complete collection of pictures of Hudson river craft in existence has been gathered by the present keeper, Mrs. Murdock's son.  It covers Hudson river steamers from Fulton's first crude boat to the magnificent Hendrick Hudson. Another feature is Mr. Murdock's collection of table glasses from the various river boats, it has been added to from time to time.  Mr. Murdock's hobby is known to the river men, and as a result whenever a Hudson river man goes abroad or visits any remote place, he brings away with him a souvenir glass for "Jimmie" Murdock.  Each is labeled and placed in the collection. 
           
Life at the light house has not been without excitement. In the great freshet, when the Eddyville guard lock was washed away, it seemed for hours as though the building must be swept from its foundation. Again, a few years ago, when all of the boats in the creek were swept out by the ice and flood, it was feared that some of them would crash into the house, but it was not touched. At another time, when only one barge broke loose, it struck the light house dock. [editor's note: December 10, 1878 flood]
           
When the Charley Ross excitement was at its height, [1874] Mrs. Murdock's son-in-law bought a boat for her of a man who said he was from Albany.  She did not have the money to pay for it, and did not care to pay cash, as she feared it had been stolen.  The man, who was in the boat anchored along the flats, collected all but $5, and then went away.  Later detectives came, questioned and searched.  It developed that the man with the boat was Mosher, one of the captors of Charlie Ross.  Mrs. Murdock still chuckles over the notion the detective had that she wanted anyone else's children.  "I had enough of my own to take care of," she says, "and I told them so, too." Mosher never came back to collect his $5, and Mrs. Murdock says the detectives told her they believed she was the only person in the world who ever got ahead of Mosher in a business deal.
           
Another feature of life at the light house is the number of persons that have been saved from drowning by the keeper's family.  With the introduction of small motor boats, often sailed by people unfamiliar with the river, accidents have multiplied.  As many as three motor boats have run on the dyke in one week, often at night.  Sometimes the people realize their danger.  Often they do not.  Usually they feel humiliated by their experience, and say nothing about it.
           
Of this interesting feature of life at the light house the reporter sought information from James Murdock, the present keeper, but sought it vain.  The most definite statement he could get was, "Yes, I've pulled quite a lot of them out of the water, but let that go.  I'm not the one that ought to talk about it."  Pursuing the search for information further, the reporter asked a few questions of Mr. Murdock's mother and wife, while the keeper was absent, lighting the dock lights.
           
"I've often told Jimmie that he ought to be written up," said his mother, "but he always says 'Let others do the talking,' and there it ends. The reporters that come here always write about me, and never say anything about him. Once in a while there is a little item in the papers about some life he has saved and I have kept a lot of clippings, but half of the stories do not get printed at all because he never says a word to anybody.  No, I can't begin to tell you how many lives that boy has saved — I can't even give you a guess and he never kept track of it.  And then the risks he takes to oblige people. Why, not long ago he rowed four people over the river in an awful gale at night so they could get to Poughkeepsie by automobile."
           
"Why, I remember when the Glenerie sank," said the younger Mrs. Murdock, "he went out and saved a woman and that man they call Uncle Sam.  Often on dark nights we hear calls for help and he will row out and get people off the dyke, where they have run their motor boats.  In the ten years that I have lived here he has saved half a dozen from drowning, not counting those he has saved from spending a night on the dyke.  Has he ever had a medal?  Well I tell him he ought to have one, more than one, too, but he won't listen to it or do a thing — just says 'let the others do the talking.'"
           
"Oh, I don't know, I never kept a record, and anyway nobody would let a poor fellow drown," was the answer the reporter got from Mr. Murdock to a final appeal for some facts about his career as a life saver.  Then he started in to tell how the ferryboat saved a party stranded on the dyke from spending the night there and brought out a picture of the steamer City of Kingston in Seattle and insisted on changing the subject to anything but life saving.
           
The light house family now consists of representatives of three generations — Mrs. Murdock, the former keeper; her son James, the present keeper, who was born in the light house [editor's note: James, Sr. was born in the 1837 wooden lighthouse]; Mrs. James Murdock, who resided in a city before her marriage, but thinks the light house the finest spot on earth to live, and their son James Jr., born in the light house [editor's note: James Jr. was born in the 1867 bluestone lighthouse].

1832-03-17 Evening Post (NY);
[Editor's Note: There were two lighthouses near Stuyvesant: The northern one, which this article deals with, about 1.5 miles north of Stuyvesant Landing on the east side of the river, and a southern one, on the northern tip of the island on the west side of the river, opposite Stuyvesant Landing.]
To the Editor of the Sentinel --
Sir, — I am about to record one of the most afflicting and singular providences I ever witnessed. The Hudson river had been rising for more than 24 hours, when the ice began to give way. It was thought that the light-house standing about one mile above the landing, was in danger of being injured by the large bodies of ice which were floating down the river. About two o’clock to-day, two gentlemen [one named Charles M. Beecher, the other's name unfortunately unknown], with great difficulty, made the light house in a small boat, as it was now standing in and entirely surrounded by water. They advised Mr. Witbeck, the occupant of the house, to leave it, together with his family, immediately. They accordingly made preparations to do so, by removing their furniture into the upper story, and making a comfortable disposition of their cows and other stock. When nearly ready to leave their threatened home, suddenly and with terrible violence the ice came rushing upon the house — they were startled by one awful and tremendous crash, and in less than a minute the whole two story stone edifice was a mingled heap of ruins. The family, consisting of ten persons, with the exception of one, were in the building when it fell. — Four of them disappeared, and were either buried beneath the ruins, or swept off by the impetuous flood. Two daughters of Mr. Witbeck — one aged 15 and the other 13, and two of his grandsons, one 14 and the other 8 months old — were the unfortunate victims of this dire catastrophe. By the timely assistance afforded by the two gentlemen above alluded to, who were near in a boat, six persons out of ten, were saved. The survivors were badly bruised, and on reaching the shore, so chilled and exhausted, that they were unable to walk. They were taken to a house near by, and made as comfortable as circumstances would admit.

I am informed that it is not expected Mrs. Witbeck will recover, and that the recovery of the other members of the family is considered very doubtful. This family is now left in a destitute condition to share the lot of the suffering and of the poor.
Yours, JOHN ALLEY.
 
From the (Coxsackie) Greene Co Advertiser of Wednesday.
Damage by the Ice.—The freshet in the river broke the ice at this place yesterday. In the morning footmen passed over; at 1 o’clock the ice began to move and in three hours it had nearly all disappeared.  At Coeymans they have sustained heavy loss. The store house on the dock of N. Stepens is nearly destroyed, together with a considerable quantity of grain; about one half of the store is carried away, and a schooner was driven into and nearly through the part left standing, where she remains.  Another store house, with a quantity of hay in bundles, was swept off, and two or three vessels sunk.

We have sustained no damage at this place, except that part of the new pier, which is to connect this with the Lower Landing, is carried away.

1832-03-21 Independence Newspaper (Poughkeepsie)
"MELANCHOLY OCCURRENCE -- On Tuesday last, about 12 o'clock, M., the ice in the Hudson River at Stuyvesant Landing, began to give way. The river had at that time risen to an unusual height, the water being twelve feet above low-water mark, covering the docks to the depth of four feet, and making an entrance into most of the storehouses on the wharfs. Serious and well-grounded apprehensions were entertained that every building along the margin of the river would be swept away, but happily those fears were not realized, the buildings having sustained only a trifling damage. The ice continued to move about, and apparently in one solid mass several miles in extent. During this interval, a most distressing scene was witnessed at the site of the upper lighthouse, situated a mile and a half above the Landing. This was a stone building, 20 feet by 34, and two stories high, with a mole surrounding it 4 feet in height. The water had risen to the top of the mole before the ice began to move, which rendered the situation of the inmates truly alarming. Soon the immense field of ice above was seen to swing from its moorings, and coming down with irresistible force[,] struck the lighthouse, which in a moment was a heap of ruins.
​
There were at the time ten individuals in the building, four of whom, melancholy to relate, were buried under its crumbling walls. Mr. Volkert Whitbeck, the keeper of the lighthouse, his wife, their daughter, Mrs. Van Hoesen, and three other individuals escaped from the falling edifice, barely in time to save their lives. Those who perished were: two daughters of Mr. Whitbeck, aged 15 and 13 years, and a son of Mrs. Van Hoesen, aged 12, and her infant child. All must inevitably have found a premature death, but for the intrepid exertions of Mr. Charles M. Beecher, to whose praiseworthy efforts the rescue of the survivors is mainly attributed. Mr. Beecher put off in a small boat from the shore to relieve Mr. Whitbeck and his family from their perilous situation, but owing to some delay in arranging the furniture &ct., they were not prepared to leave the building until it began to fall -- and then too late for some of the unfortunate inmates. --- Kinderhook Sentinel." 

1832-03-21 Poughkeepsie-Journal
The Kinderhook Sentinel gives the following account of the destruction of the Light-House there:
"The Light House was a stone building, 20 by 34, and two stories high, with a mole surrounding it, four feet in height. The water had risen to the top of the mole before the ice began to move, which rendered the situation of the inmates truly alarming. Soon the immense field of ice above was seen to swing from its moorings and come down with irresistible force, struck the Light House, which in a moment was made a heap of ruins. There were at the time ten Individuals in the building, four of whom. melancholy to relate, were buried under the crumbling walls. Mr. Volkert Witbeck, the keeper of the Light House, his wife, the daughter Mrs. Van Hoesen, and three other individuals, escaped from the falling edifice, barely in time to save their lives. Those who perished, were two daughters of Mr. Witbeck, aged 15 and  13 years, and a son of Mrs. Van Hoesen, aged 14, and her infant child. All must inevitably have found a premature death, but for the intrepid exertions of Mr. Charles M. Beecher, to whose praiseworthy efforts the rescue of the survivors is mainly attributed. Mr. Beecher put off in a small boat from the shore to relieve Mr. Witbeck and his family from their perilous situation, but owing to some delay in arranging the furniture, &c., they were not prepared to leave the building until it began to fall — and then too late for some of the unfortunate intimates [inmates]. 

They live in a lighthouse not over one hundred and twenty miles from New York,
on the Hudson River, keep it themselves, and their lamp is always trimmed and burning,
and on a foggy night when the light is not visible you can hear one of them a mile off
blowing a fog horn herself; for the Government has been too mercenary to give them
one of the automatic kind. Moreover, they have saved many lives. Miss Kate C.
Crowley is the mistress and keeper of Saugerties Lighthouse.  She is capable of any
daring deed involving danger or self-sacrifice; and as to the manner in which
the lighthouse is kept, it is unexcelled.

It was a bright, starlight night, and the writer sat in the pilot house, talking to the
steersmen, who guided the steamer safely through the shadows of the frowning peak of
the Highlands, and answered questions or volunteered information between the
rotations of the wheel. As we turned a bend in the river a light that looked like a star of
the first magnitude twinkled far away in the distance. That's  fifteen miles away; said
the man at the wheel.;That's Saugerties Light. We';ll lose it again a dozen times in the
turns of the river. Do I know the girls? Well, no, not to speak to ';em, but I';ve seen ;em
on the river many a time by daylight, pulling away a great heavy row-boat that no two
river men would care to handle in one o£ them gales that sweep down through the
mountains. Well, it was one of these occasions, I was comin' up the river on the old
Columbus after she'd got out of carryin'; passengers, and took to the towin' business.
We'd got little north of Rondout. and I was all alone at the wheel; I heard a rumblin';
behind me, and I looked around, and when I saw a great big cloud with thunderheads
rushing up from the south, I knew we were going to catch a ripper. We were then pretty
nearly abreast of Tivoli, and Saugerties Lighthouse was only about two miles ahead. A
sloop loaded with bluestone, which had just put out from the mouth of Esopus Creek,
and was standing down the river, went over when the squall, struck her; and soon I saw
two men struggling in the water.

Hardly a minute elapsed before two female forms were seen fluttering around
the small boat by the lighthouse.  In another minute it was launched, and it bobbed up
and down in the seething, foaming waters. The two girls, bare-headed, with a pair of
oars apiece, began pulling toward the men in the water. The waves ran so high, the
gale blew so madly, the thunder roared so incessantly, and the lightning flashed in such
blinding sheets, that it seemed impossible for the women ever to reach the men, to keep
headway, or to keep from being swamped. But they never missed the opportunity of a
rising billow to give them leverage, and they managed by steady pulling to get ahead
until they reached the men in the water. The great danger was that the tossing boat
would strike the sailors and end their career, but one of the gals leaned forward over the
bow of the boat, braced her feet beneath the seat on which she had been sitting,
stiffened herself out for a great effort, and as her sister kept the bow of the craft
crosswise to the waves, caught one of the men beneath the arms as he struck out on
top of a billow, lifted and threw him by main force into the middle of the boat, and then
prepared, for the other man. He had got hold of the sloop's rudder, which had got
unshipped, and was floating on the water. He let go and swam towards the row-boat,
and was hauled in also by the woman and his half-drowned comrade. You couldn't
have got any river boatmen to do what those girls did.

Ellen is a brunette, tall, slim, with dark eyes and dark hair. When Kate is animated she is exceedingly pretty. She has a [illegible] of milk-white teeth, and dimpled cheeks, and looks at you with a pair of large eyes full in the face. She said: "We are simply two girls trying to do our duty here in this quiet place, taking care as best we can of our blind father and aged mother."

If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!

Originally built in 1839 of granite Robbins Reef Lighthouse is located between Staten Island's North Shore and the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.  The spark plug style lighthouse warns mariners to avoid a rocky reef.  The solar powered light, blinking every six seconds is maintained by the US Coast Guard. The Noble Maritime Collection maintains the structure.

Before the days of automated lights, lighthouse keepers and their families lived in the lighthouses and maintained the lights. The Robbins Reef lighthouse has six levels from the cellar where the cistern was kept for fresh water up to the the lantern gallery above the fifth level balcony. The kitchen was on the first level, the sitting room and office on the second floor with bedrooms on the third and fourth levels.

Katherine Walker maintained the light for 33 years following the death of her husband Captain John Walker. from pneumonia in 1890. The lightkeeper's duties included: checking the light throughout the night to be sure the lens was clean so the light could be seen - this was especially important on frosty winter nights.  A foghorn, powered by an engine in the basement, sounded every three seconds. When it failed, the lightkeeper had to hammer on a bell at the top of the tower until help came from the mainland to repair the engine. Detailed records were required as was meticulous cleaning of the lens and windows. Rescues were an important part of Kate's duties as she took her rowboat out to aid mariners in trouble. The American Seaman's Friend Society maintained a library boat that provided reading material. 

Learn more about the Noble Maritime Center, Kate Walker and the Robbins Reef Lighthouse here. 

​If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!

Description accompanying print: The original painting, by noted artist, John Gould, might well be called an inspired masterpiece. It was developed with help for accuracy from the well known expert, retired captain William O. Benson of Sleightsburgh, N.Y. He is an authority on the Hudson River History, its boats and shipping. Learn more about John Gould (1906-1996) here: https://johngouldart.com/about/

The maiden voyage of the "Alexander Hamilton" was placed by the artist for this painting, passing Rondout Creek, Kingston, N.Y. The area with the two Kingston Lighthouses makes an important historical background for this great documentary painting.

The maiden voyage suggests a wedding procession with the gleaming white boat, the accompanying flotilla and the sparkling reflection of the sun on the water, resembling wedding confetti.

[Editor's note: 2023 season lighthouse tours and Solaris solar powered boat rides are offered by HRMM here: https://www.hrmm.org/all-boat-tours.html]

                                   The ALEXANDER HAMILTON'S First Trip 
The following is a brief description of the event by Captain William O. Benson: On the 29th of May, 1924, the Hudson River Day Line steamer ALEXANDER HAMILTON made her first voyage on the great Hudson River from New York City to the State Capital at Albany.

I was a student in the old District No. 13 School at Port Ewen, and we had been told the HAMILTON was making her first trip up river. I was wishing she would be late, so I could rush out at 3:30 p.m. and run to the sand bank at Sleightsburgh and watch her come up. I will admit all day in school my mind was on the new HAMILTON and sure enough when school was dismissed I guess I was the first out and on my way to the sand bank.

I could see the new flyer coming up off Schleede's brick yard south of Port Ewen. She was about an hour late due to some problem with her new engine, I guess due to the fact she was new.

As she was passing the Rondout Lighthouse, the steamer JACOB H. TREMPER was just coming out of Rondout Creek. When the HAMILTON blew her landing whistle for Kingston Point of one long, one short and one long, how the sea gulls and egrets rose high in the air. The Lighthouse keeper rang the fog bell three times and the ferry TRANSPORT, just inside of the Lighthouse, blew three whistles in salute which the HAMILTON answered. Also on the starboard side of the HAMILTON, out in the river, was Cornell Steamboat Company tug HARRY blowing her chime whistle. It sure was great to stand and watch a new sidewheeler being greeted by other much older steamboats from another age.

She was all decorated out with American flags and signal colors for her first trip up the river.

She was faithful to the old Hudson for 47 long years, carrying many happy people up and down and to the pleasure parks along the beautiful Hudson River.

                                         More about Port Ewen brickyards:
At the end of his school day in Port Ewen, William O. Benson ran to the Sleightsburg shore and spotted the ALEXANDER HAMILTON coming up off Schleede's brickyard south of Port Ewen. The tall brick stack in the painting might have been remnants of one of the Port Ewen Brickyards, Turner or Jacob Kline/Bishop. The chute was probably used to load bricks or ice blocks onto barges for transport to New York City.

In 1852, Jacob Kline, became cashier for the Pennsylvania Coal Co., and John Ewen (namesake of Port Ewen) became President. From then until 1865, Port Ewen thrived as a terminal for Honesdale, PA coal which came on Delaware & Hudson canal boats and was transferred to barges going to New York City on the Hudson River.

However, after litigation between the D&H and Pennsylvania Coal companies, the latter moved to Newburgh in 1865 leaving many Irish canal workers who lived on that Port Ewen hill unemployed. Jacob Kline built a brickyard which employed these workers and saved Port Ewen from economic collapse. Tugs were named after Kline's daughters.

John D. Schoonmaker of Kingston had a large 23,000 ton ice house erected, helping employment in the winter when the river was frozen. Ice was harvested from Turner's pond on the Port Ewen hill and stored in the icehouse.

Everyone loves a good ghost story. Especially during this time of year, as Halloween approaches in the Hudson Valley region. Rondout Lighthouse is home to one of these ghostly tales.

The Legend of the Widow’s Watch tells the tale of a young bride who haunts the Rondout Lighthouse, forever searching for her lighthouse keeper husband who perished on their wedding night in a tragic boating accident. On certain autumn nights, lucky (or perhaps unlucky) people may catch a glimpse of this ghostly woman in white watching over the dark waters for her beloved groom to return.

Well, I hate to be the Grinch of Halloween, but this tale, like most legends, has taken tiny bits of truth and spun them into myth.
​
Catherine (Parsell) Murdock Perkins, the presumed subject of this ghost tale, was no weak maiden fair left pining for her groom. While it was her first husband, George Murdock, who was initially hired as the keeper of the Rondout light, she obtained the position after his death and (wo-)manned the lighthouse for over fifty years. 

Catherine, now widowed at age twenty-eight with three young children in her care (the youngest just eight months old and the oldest only four years), took over running the lighthouse and the many difficult tasks that included. Fuel oil for the light would have to be hauled, wicks would need to be trimmed precisely, the glass lens carefully shined. The light was to be lit punctually at sundown, and kept burning until sunrise.  Logs were kept detailing the supplies used, with different monthly and quarterly reports to be filed. The entire lighthouse, even the bedrooms, were to be meticulously kept and subject to inspection.

Catherine married a second time, to Jeremiah Perkins, probably sometime before the 1861 birth of the first of their two children together. Instead of passing the keeper position to her new husband, she continued in the role herself. The 1865 New York State census indicates that Jeremiah worked as a laborer, while Catherine’s occupation was lighthouse keeper.

Catherine was widowed for a second time a few months after that census was enumerated. In August of 1865, details of Jeremiah’s death were published in the Albany Argus:
​
Jeremiah Perkins…. deck hand on the steamer "Santa Claus", had occasion one day last week to go on board the barge "Humboldt", in tow of the steamer.  He had been in the hold of the vessel, and on attempting to ascend, and when he had taken a couple of steps on the ladder, it fell over backward with him, causing him to fall heavily upon the floor.  He was so much injured that he was not able to extricate himself, and he lived but a couple of hours after the accident.[1]

​Catherine, now thirty-six years of age, persevered with her work keeping the lighthouse marking the mouth of the creek illuminated. The sailors that plied the waters of the Hudson River and Rondout Creek relied on her for their safety.

In 1867, a second Rondout Lighthouse was constructed. This second lighthouse was Catherine’s home until her retirement at age seventy-nine in 1907, after more than fifty years of dedicated service. James Murdock, her son who had been born in the lighthouse, was the next family member to take on the lighthouse keeper position.

Catherine died at son William Perkin’s home in Ponckhockie in 1909 at the age of eighty-one years, after a long illness.

The lighthouse that had been Catherine’s home was left boarded up after being replaced by a third Rondout Lighthouse in 1915. The lighthouse that had been Catherine’s home was eventually demolished in 1954.

While a spooky tale of a heartbroken, widowed bride haunting the Rondout Lighthouse might be appealing to those looking for a fright, the actual facts show little resemblance to the legend. While Catherine was widowed twice, and both husbands’ deaths did, in their own way, involve boats, she was far from a newlywed at the time of either of their deaths.

​The Rondout Lighthouse that stands today was constructed years after Catherine’s death, and was not a building she would have known in life. Given the season, however, if you dare to check out the legend for yourself, a few evening lantern cruises remain available through Halloween night! ​https://www.hrmm.org/all-boat-tours.html

In this virtual lecture from March 17, 2021 Hudson River Maritime Museum Director of Exhibits and Outreach Sarah Wassberg Johnson discusses the role of women as lighthouse keepers and caretakers of Hudson River lighthouses. From the 1830s to the present, women have played a special role in staffing and preserving Hudson River lighthouses.

For more information about Hudson River Lighthouses, visit http://www.hudsonriverlighthouses.org

Or purchase the book "Hudson River Lighthouses," published by the Hudson River Maritime Museum, available here: https://www.amazon.com/Hudson-River-L...

​The Hudson River Maritime Museum's Follow the River Lecture Series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank. For upcoming lectures, visit http://www.hrmm.org/lecture-series

In the long history of the Hudson River, there have been some truly extraordinary women. From lighthouse keepers and steamboat crews to political movers and shakers, we've put together a list of our favorite blog posts highlighting some of the Hudson River Valley's most fascinating ladies. To read each post, just click on the photo or title. Enjoy, and Happy Women's History Month!

​Fannie M. Anthony - Stewardess of the Mary Powell
Fannie M. Anthony was Stewardess aboard the steamboat Mary Powell for more than 40 years, from approximately 1870-1912. Of mixed Indigenous and Black heritage, Fannie fought stereotypes to become a beloved figure on the Hudson River.

Dorcas Schoonmaker vs. the President
​When her husband Abram died, Dorcas took his place as keeper of the Saugerties Lighthouse in the 1840s. But at a time when all lighthouse keepers were political appointees, a change in the Presidency put her career at risk.  

Media Monday: Kate Walker and Robbins Reef Lighthouse
From 1890 to 1919 Kate Walker kept the Robbins Reef Lighthouse. Located in the middle of New York Harbor, south of the Statue of Liberty, Kate kept the light burning. 
​

Kate and Ellen Crowley - Heroic Guardians of the Saugerties Light
​When their father lost his sight, Kate Crowley took his place as keeper of the Saugerties Lighthouse in the 1870s. With her sister Ellen, they kept the light, cared for their parents, and even affected daring rescues.

Woman Welder on the Rondout
​Danish widow and welder Mrs. Catherine Nelson is the only woman known to have worked on the construction of the Rondout Creek Suspension Bridge, in 1921. 

Women in the Forest: Tree Ladies and the Creation of the Palisades Interstate Park
​Guest author Jeanne Haffner, PhD recounts how women helped save the Palisades and build the Palisades Interstate Park. 

The Women of Schuyler Mansion
Guest author Danielle Funicello traces the lives of the Schuyler women and their impact on New York State and national history. 

The Indomitable Catherine Murdock
​The local favorite! Catherine Murdock served as keeper of the Rondout Lighthouse for over 50 years, from 1856 to 1907. 

For more Women's history, join us for the virtual lecture "Espionage and Enslavement in the Revolution: The True Story of Robert Townsend and Elizabeth" by Claire Bellerjeau on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 at 7:00 PM on Zoom!

You can check out more events and offerings at Women's History Month Kingston.

​If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!​

Today's Media Monday post is all about extremely cold wintry conditions on the Hudson River in 1934, featuring footage of the Tarrytown (a.k.a. Sleepy Hollow) Lighthouse! This short film from British Pathe/Reuters features aerial footage of New York City and the Lower Hudson. The cold snap was deadly, as outlined below.

On February 9, 1934, the New York Times reported on the record-breaking subzero temperatures, writing "At Tarrytown, powerful government tugs pounded at the ice that had formed in the harbor. They were trying to open a lane for lighters on which several hundred automobiles from the plants of the Chevrolet and Pontiac companies had been loaded for transport to New York. The Cars were destined for shipment to Europe. The ice in the harbor was more than fourteen inches thick and the tugs were unable to smash their way through."

On February 10th, the Times published an article entitled, "Mercury 14.3 Below Zero on New York's Coldest Day: Six Dead and Hundreds Treated for Frostbitten Ears and Noses - 8-10 Below Due Here Today." 

Hundreds of school children needed to be treated for frostbite, six people died in their homes or on the streets due to the cold weather, and dozens of people suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to heat their vehicles in closed garages (none died). Snow removal efforts were halted due to the extreme cold, fire hydrants froze, and evictions were postponed.

In maritime news, the Times reported, "The Coast Guard ice breaker AB-24 found the ice in the Great South Bay too strong even for her sharp prow. Hempstead Harbor also was icebound, causing some concern to industries there dependent on water carriers for supplies. The Bronx and Passaic Rivers were frozen solid and in the later fifty small craft were in danger of being crushed by the ice. In the Poconos and in New Jersey the finest supplies of ice in years were reported but - it was too cold for men to cut it." 

By February 11, 1934 the temperatures rose to more seasonal just-below-freezing, but 1934 remained one of the coldest winters on record for New York City.

​​If you enjoyed this post and would like to support more history blog content, please make a donation to the Hudson River Maritime Museum or become a member today!​

Today's Media Monday post is another teaser trailer for our forthcoming documentary film, "Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River." The museum is crowdfunding for this film on Indiegogo, so help us make it a reality and get some really cool perks in return. We have made significant progress toward our goal - will you help us reach it before January 13?

"Ice Guardians" is a teaser trailer look at some of the amazing footage filmmaker Jeff Mertz got of the Hudson-Athens, Rondout, and Esopus Meadows Lighthouses last winter. As we approach the holiday season, it seemed apt to share the icy beauty with everyone. The drone footage also reveals how isolating life at a lighthouse in winter could be, and how the lighthouses themselves needed to be protected from the heavy floes of ice. 

If you missed the first trailer, catch up below! 

We have already received dozens of individual donations, as well as support from Ulster Savings Bank, Rondout Savings Bank, and Ulster County Cultural Services & Promotion Fund administered by Arts Mid-Hudson. But we've still got a ways to go before we reach our goal, and just under a month to do it in. 

You can help by liking, commenting on, and sharing our social media posts, YouTube videos, and this blog post. 

If you'd like to do more to help, you can join our individual fundraiser contest, where you can get credit for donations from family and friends on Facebook and other platforms. Check out our latest campaign update to learn more. You can earn the same perks as higher level backers. 

And, if you'd like to donate to the film but don't want to do so online, you can always mail us a check! Send it to the Hudson River Maritime Museum, 50 Rondout Landing, Kingston, NY 12401 and write "Seven Sentinels" or "lighthouse film" in the check memo line.