Established in 1716 to guide ships safely into the port of Boston, U.S. Coast Guard Light Station Boston continues to flash its beam across Massachusetts Bay 300 years later. Boston Light is the last manned Coast Guard Light Station in the country, located on Little Brewster Island at the entrance to Boston Harbor – one of the 34 islands and mainland parks comprising the Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park. Sally Snowman, the 70th Keeper of Boston Light, will delight her audience with tales about Boston Light, family life on Little Brewster Island and the importance of this historic lighthouse for tomorrow’s mariner.
Sally Snowman is the 70th keeper of Boston Light, a post that dates back to 1716. She’s the last of her kind; every other Coast Guard light station in the country has long since reassigned its full-time keepers in the wake of automation. Secluded on Little Brewster Island for weeks at a time, she’s one part watchman, one part caretaker, and one part historian. Over the summer she’s eager to share her island’s history with the visitors who flock there and to impart a taste of the tranquility she’s found preserving this ancient lifestyle.