December 16, 2007 in More Logbook, Questions for the Keeper

Question for the keeper

Post placeholder image

I wonder how many keepers kept written logs like that when the job was more common.  Maybe you can find earlier versions of you from a century or two ago.

Initially, I was inspired to start keeping a logbook of my own after perusing an official log from 1892 from keeper James Crowley here at the Saugerties Lighthouse. Less like a diarist’s journal and more like an accountant’s tabluture, the log is a daily record of when the keeper ignited the light, when it was extinguished, the number of hours it burned, and how much kerosene was used. Aside from occasional notes on whether conditions, the log does not provide much in the way of personal observations. Numerous memoirs and written accounts exist for other lighthouses, but I haven’t seen any for the Saugerties Lighthouse in particular. Perhaps, those documents are buried in some dusty corner of the national archives.




By browsing this website, you agree to our privacy policy.
I Agree