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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.
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In the spirit of the Seven Sentinels film, today we are revisiting a time in which all lighthouse keepers in the country were direct political appointments by the President of the United States. This form of political patronage was legally in place until the 1890s, and in the early days of lighthouses, meant that keepers were replaced at every election. Although numerous Hudson River Lighthouse keepers were removed - for one reason or another - under this system, one of the most egregious examples was the removal of lighthouse keeper Dorcas Schoonmaker of the Saugerties Lighthouse. Dorcas became keeper after the death of her husband Abram Schoonmaker, who had replaced former keeper (and member of the opposite political party) Joseph Burhans in the last. In 1849, Dorcas, a widow with young children, was removed from her position and Joseph Burhans was put back in place. There were few options for widowed women to make a living for their families in the 1840s and '50s, especially if they did not own a home from which to operate a boarding house or similar business. We have found at least two newspaper articles eviscerating President Zachary Taylor for his decision to replace Dorcas (even though it is likely he had no hand in the decision-making at all, leaving it to local party bosses). But perhaps justice was ultimately served - Taylor became the shortest-serving president in U.S. history, dying suddenly just 16 months after taking office. You can read transcriptions of the newspapers below, both of which quote the Saugerties Telegraph: "Taylor Continues Proscribing Women." Monmouth Democrat, Freehold, NY, August 9, 1849. The conduct of the heartless Administration is daily developing more and more of its enormous propensities for proscription. The removal of prominent office holders, of indomitable Democracy and enemies of every phase of whiggery, is a prerogative in the exercise of which we shall not complain. But when women, widows with families of children, are hunted and deposed, to gratify a vindicative [sic] political revenge, we think such outrages should call upon the head of Taylor the indignation of every honest man in the community. We have noticed previously, the removal of women from petty post-offices, the income barely being sufficient for their support. The latest instance which has come to our knowledge, is as disgraceful as those which have preceeded [sic] it. It is the removal of Mrs. Dorcas Schoonmaker, a poor and highly respectable lady, from the office of keeper of the Saugerties light-house, in the Hudson River - The Telegraph, published in that village, thus alludes to the case. Under President Tyler's Administration, in 1844, Abram E. Schoonmaker was appointed keeper of the light-house at this place [Saugerties]. He had been a boatman for years, and was at that time unable to perform hard labor. His appointment gave universal satisfaction to both parties. The salary supported him and his family. He was very attentive to his duties, and continued to hold office to the time of his death, in 1846. During the last year of his life, while he was confined to his room, and the greater part of the time to his bed, the duties were performed by his wife, and with such marked regularity and attention as to receive the universal commendation of the boatmen on the river. So interested were the masters of vessels on the Hudson on behalf of this lady, then as now a widow, with a family of children dependent on her for support, that a petition for her appointment to the office was at once drawn up, numerously signed, and forwarded to the proper department, and she was accordingly appointed. She has held the office from that time until this week, when she was removed to make room for Joseph H. Burhans, who was considered, it seems, entitled to receive it from the present administration - being a blue-light Federalist of the Hartford Convention school. It further states a remonstrance had been forwarded to the proper authorities, protesting against her removal, signed by every steamboat captain and every sloop captain navigating the Hudson, to whom it was presented, Whigs as well as Democrats, being a large majority of the officers of boats on the river; all of whom bore testimony that never since the first establishment of the light-house, has the light been kept with that care at all times of night as during the time when Mrs. Schoonmaker had charge of it. But all to no purpose. The voters of Ulster county will give Taylor such a demonstration at the next election, as will teach him a lesson which the Whigs of this State will be compelled to commit to memory. On the same day, all the way down in Tennessee, Mrs. Dorcas Schoonmaker also made the news, in largely the same language: "The Second Washington," The Daily Union (Nashville, Tennessee), August 9, 1849. General Taylor has removed Mrs. DORCAS SCHOONMAKER, a poor and highly respected lady, from the office of keeper of the Saugerties light-house, in the Hudson River. The Telegraph, published at that place, thus alludes to this case: Under President Tyler's Administration, in 1844, Abram E. Schoonmaker was appointed keeper of the light-house at this place [Saugerties]. He had been a boatman for years, and was at that time unable to perform hard labor. His appointment gave universal satisfaction to both parties. The salary supported him and his family. He was very attentive to his duties, and continued to hold office to the time of his death, in 1846. During the last year of his life, while he was confined to his room, and the greater part of the time to his bed, the duties were performed by his wife, and with such marked regularity and attention as to receive the universal commendation of the boatmen on the river. So interested were the masters of vessels on the Hudson on behalf of this lady, then as now a widow, with a family of children dependent on her for support, that a petition for her appointment to the office was at once drawn up, numerously signed, and forwarded to the proper department, and she was accordingly appointed. She has held the office from that time until this week, when she was removed to make room for Jos. H. Burhans, who was considered, it seems, entitled to receive it from the present administration - being a blue-light Federalist of the Hartford Convention school. The Cincinnati Enquirer says that a remonstrance has been sent to Washington against her removal, signed by every steamboat Captain and sloop Captain navigating the Hudson, to whom it was presented - whigs as well as democrats - being a large majority of all the officers of boats on that river; all of whom bear testimony that never since the first establishment of the light-house, has the light been kept with that care at all times of night as during the time when Mrs. SCHOONMAKER had charge of it. Is not that small business for the "Second Washington?" With references to the Cincinnati Enquirer, it seems as though the plight of Mrs. Schoonmaker may have gone "viral" in 1849, with her story published in multiple newspapers throughout the country. Sadly, Dorcas, who had lost several children in addition to her husband, moved in with one of her adult daughters and died just a few years later, in 1851, at the age of 49. She is buried with Abram in Mountain View Cemetery in Saugerties, NY. 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! You can also donate to support the museum's upcoming documentary film, "Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River," which will include this story and many more.
Today's Featured Artifact is actually from our research library, although it is old enough to be its own artifact. It is the leather-bound book, Instructions and Directions to Light-House and Light-Vessel Keepers in the United States. This third edition was published in 1858 by the United States Light-House Establishment (later the United States Lighthouse Service) and this particular copy is embossed on the leather front cover that it is the property of the United States Light-House Establishment and that this particular copy belongs to the Van Wie's Point Light. Van Wie's Point Light was a white stone beacon light located off of Van Wie's Point, which is on the West side of the Hudson River, half way between Castleton-on-Hudson and Glenmont, NY, across from Papscanee Island. It was installed in 1854 and the tower did not include keeper's quarters. Henry Van Wie hired as keeper in 1853, presumably while the beacon was being constructed, but he was dismissed before the year was out and replaced with Herman Wendell, who served from 1853 to 1858, when he was also dismissed. Finally, in 1858, a suitable keeper was found - William Welch (husband of Catherine Van Wie). Welch was keeper when this instruction manual arrived, writing in large, loopy script, "Rec'd August, 1860." William Welch remained on as lighthouse keeper until his death on September 7, 1910 at age 93 - the oldest and longest-serving light keeper in Hudson River history, serving 52 years (beating Catherine Murdock by at least one, if not two years). He was succeeded by his son, Warren Welch (who was 66 years old at the time), who served as keeper until at least 1915. Before his death in 1930, Warren Welch also served as chief engineer aboard the steamboat "Hendrick Hudson." Van Wies Point Light was replaced with a black skeleton tower sometime in the 1930s. Although this particular version of the lighthouse keepers instructions has not been digitized, you can read the 1881 Instructions to Light Keepers by clicking the button below. 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!
Giving Tuesday is coming up next week, so for today's Media Monday post, we thought we would share our newly released trailer for the forthcoming film, "Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River!" After a summer of recording footage and interviews for all of the seven remaining Hudson River lighthouses, we're going to spend the winter reviewing footage, editing, and starting to put together the film, with a planned release date of July, 2022. We are so excited for this project, but we can't do it without your help. For that reason, we've launched a crowdfunding campaign in hopes that those of you who love lighthouses as much as we do will help us tell their stories. Watch the trailer below for a taste of what's to come! Our crowdfunding campaign runs for the next two months. In that time, you'll be seeing more lighthouse content here on the blog as we share some of our coolest finds. Keep your eyes peeled for another sneak peak trailer, too! If you'd like to donate, we have some great perks. Click the button below and help us reach our goal of making it to the $5,000 mark by Thanksgiving! If you or your business would like to become a sponsor of the films or other film projects, please contact Sarah Wassberg Johnson at swassberg@hrmm.org. We're also doing a daily countdown to Giving Tuesday starting tomorrow on our Facebook page and Instagram account. Click the links and follow us to make sure you don't miss the updates. We'll leave you with a few behind-the-scenes photos from some of our trips this past summer. Thanks for your support! When this ABC news special first aired in the 1980s, the few remaining Hudson River Lighthouses were in rough shape. Some, like the Saugerties lighthouse, were even in danger of collapsing. Thankfully, local governments and volunteer organizations stepped up to save them from total destruction. This video, hosted by ABC News reporter Roger Caras, features the Rondout Lighthouse and Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, with interviews with Elise Barry, who wrote the National Register nomination for all seven lighthouses, and Emily Brunner, daughter of Hudson-Athens keeper Emil Brunner. You can visit almost all the Hudson River Lighthouses today! For more information visit www.hudsonriverlighthouses.org. Tours of the Rondout and Esopus Meadows Lighthouses are available on our 100% solar-powered tour boat Solaris! Get tickets here. Do you have a favorite Hudson River lighthouse? Share in the comments! 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!
Did you know that the Statue of Liberty was an official lighthouse from its opening in 1886 until 1901, when it was transferred to the War Department. The Statue of Liberty was also the first electrically lit lighthouse in the country. To learn more about the history of the Statue of Liberty and her days as a lighthouse, check out the museum's RiverWise film, "When the Lady Was a Lighthouse." To learn even more about the Statue of Liberty's time as a lighthouse, including a list of keepers, you can visit her page on the Hudson River Lighthouses website. 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!
Editor’s Note: The following text is a verbatim transcription of an article featuring stories by Captain William O. Benson (1911-1986). Beginning in 1971, Benson, a retired tugboat captain, reminisced about his 40 years on the Hudson River in a regular column for the Kingston (NY) Freeman’s Sunday Tempo magazine. Captain Benson's articles were compiled and transcribed by HRMM volunteer Carl Mayer. See more of Captain Benson’s articles here. This article was originally published June 2, 1974. Stuyvesant Lighthouse. The Upper Kinderhook or Stuyvesant Light during one of its long years of service to Hudson River boatmen. The structure shown here was built in 1868 to replace a previous light first erected in 1829. The lighthouse pictured here was replaced by an automatic beacon in 1933 after the building was dismantled. Image courtesy of hudsonriverlighthouses.org The lighthouses along the banks of the Hudson River have always been considered inanimate friends to boatmen. Years ago before the electronic wonder of radar, on foggy and stormy nights, the light houses were often friends indeed. In recent years the efforts of the Hudson Valley River Commission to preserve the last five lighthouses at Tarrytown, Esopus Meadows, Rondout, Saugerties and Hudson have drawn attention to these old navigational beacons. Other lighthouses that have passed from the scene have virtually been forgotten. Two lighthouses in his latter category that always intrigued me were the Old Maid’s Light on Rattlesnake Island at Coxsackie and the Upper Kinderhook Light north of Stuyvesant. Both have long since been torn down and replaced by automatic beacons — the Old Maid’s Light in 1939 and the Upper Kinderhook Light in 1933. The Old Maid’s Light on Rattlesnake Island allegedly got its name from two old maid keepers who maintained the lighthouse for years and years. The channel used to pass very close to the lighthouse and the keepers would always come out and wave to passing Day Liners and other steamers. Day Liners in turn, would invariably blow a salute on their whistle to the keeper's friendly greeting. The first lighthouse at Upper Kinderhook was put up in 1829. This was replaced in 1868 by a more substantial structure. The old stone block foundation of this lighthouse is still there. On a little piece of ground or island made there at that time to protect the dwelling from the freshets and ice jams in the Hudson of long ago, there are lilac bushes. In the spring, one can still see them there in full bloom. I suppose in the far distant past, some keeper or his wife placed or planted the lilacs to lend some color to their austere surroundings. Now, the lighthouse is long since gone and no one goes there. Everything else around the old lighthouse site has returned to a wild state. But the lilacs still flourish and bloom in May and lend color to the river bank — a living memorial to some long departed keeper of the light. On the river a story is told about a keeper of long ago at the Upper Kinderhook Light, who at one time placed a large mirror on the ground on the north side of the lighthouse. The mirror was placed there so that the keeper could look out a window at night from his bed and see if the red light in the tower above was still burning. As the story goes, one of the government lighthouse tenders happened to be going by late one night, which they very seldom did, and the lighthouse inspector was aboard. While looking at the lighthouse, the inspector could see a red reflection on the ground north of the tower. The inspector had the tender stop and he was rowed ashore. Sure enough he found the mirror. Allegedly the keeper was admonished and transferred to another lighthouse. Strangely, for years neither the Old Maid’s Light or the Upper Kinderhook Light were equipped with fog bells. The keepers, however, were always true to their jobs and responsibilities. If a steamboat or tow was coming down the river in heavy fog or snow blowing their whistles to get an echo, one could always depend on the keepers of the lights to be out either banging on a dish pan or making some suitable noise to let the boatmen know where they were. Now, on passing the sites of those two old lighthouses on stormy or foggy nights, all is silent. Both lighthouses are gone, along with their friendly keepers, never to return. In their stead, are automatic beacons — Flashing White, No. 23 and Flashing Red, No. 32. Progress is great, but the lighthouses were better, it seems to me. AuthorCaptain William Odell Benson was a life-long resident of Sleightsburgh, N.Y., where he was born on March 17, 1911, the son of the late Albert and Ida Olson Benson. He served as captain of Callanan Company tugs including Peter Callanan, and Callanan No. 1 and was an early member of the Hudson River Maritime Museum. He retained, and shared, lifelong memories of incidents and anecdotes along the Hudson River. 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!
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AuthorThis blog is written by Hudson River Maritime Museum staff, volunteers and guest contributors. Archives
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