Wednesday, September 14, 2022
Battery Point Keeper's Log
I enjoy sweeping. That sounds funny, but as I sweep, visitors make their way up the walk and I have a chance to engage and visit. Plus it is a nice break from my work... This morning, we had two couples from Idaho and they were joined by a couple from Montana. I chatted with them around 8:20 AM. I let them know we would be leading tours of the lighthouse beginning at 10:00 AM. We visited for a while and I finished my sweeping and returned up the walk. As I approached the lighthouse, I saw a woman who asked if I lived here. I put the broom down and we chatted for a while. Turns out her and her husband immigrated from Honduras. She spent the whole time telling me about how their two children graduated from college in this country and have gone on to have good jobs. She wanted me to know how blessed they were to have been able to come to this country and to be able to call the USA home. She was so sincere and heartfelt, I did my best to keep from losing it on the spot as my eyes welled with tears. I told her I was only second generation in this country myself with both sets of grandparents having immigrated from Ireland and Italy. We have our challenges, but at that moment I looked at our flag with tremendous pride.
I made sure to feed our pet gulls and straighten up before putting on my tour clothes. Who is first in line for a tour but the couples from Idaho and Montana! I told them I was happy they came back and they told me they never left! We had 25 visitors and collected $308.97 in donations and sales.
One of the lighthouse artifacts we display is a small circular ceramic bowl with a removable lid which has a one inch hole in the middle. I usually ask if our guests know what this is, and most respond that it looks like a candle holder or potpourri holder. In reality, it is a hair receiver. These were used in the 1800's to store human hair that might come off when ladies brushed their hair. Instead of discarding the hair like we would today, they would collect it in this container until they had a large quantity. I then ask what would they do with it? Then I point to a piece of "hair art" on the wall in the shape of an anchor, which is made entirely of human hair braided together to make the anchor design. If you look closely, you also can see where they wove little flower designs into the anchor. The names of the hair donors are on the back side of the frame, and it reveals the names of the Magruder clan of women. This is significant, as Magruder was the very first lighthouse keeper in 1856! Recently, I discovered numbers associated with each woman's name on the back of the frame. Upon closer examination, there are tiny faded numbers around the anchor. These correspond to the individual woman who contributed her hair to that particular part of the anchor!
The hair receiver
The hair art anchor
After the tour, I swept the tower steps and cleaned the tower glass inside and out. This meant I had to crawl through a small opening and be on the outside of the tower in the crow's nest.
Teare balanced the sales register and organized sweat shirts and tee shirts and put them in order of size and ensured that each item had a price tag.
After dinner, I met a couple from Johnstown, Ohio. They were very interested in the lighthouse. I gave them a private tour. They were very appreciative and enjoyed the tour and tower experience.
Evening chores were completed and darkness has fallen, leaving only the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below. Every so often I look at Teare and ask "Can you believe we are living in a lighthouse?!"
This is Keeper's Teare and Bill wishing you a good night from Battery Point.
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