Stratford Point Lighthouse in Connecticut
Keeper’s Granddaughter Saves the Steamer Elm City at Stratford Point Lighthouse in Connecticut
Stratford Point Lighthouse marks the entrance to Stratford Harbor, located in a frequently foggy area of Connecticut. In 1869, Benedict Lillingston became the keeper, accompanied by his invalid wife, Marilla, and his son, Frederick, who served as his assistant. His 12-year-old granddaughter, Lottie, often visited for extended stays at the lighthouse. She observed her grandfather performing some of his duties on the lantern, adjusting the clockwork mechanism, and cleaning the brass and windows.
A damaging nor’easter swept across the region one wild, windy October night in 1871. Lottie was visiting the family when Keeper Lillingston and his son spotted a distress signal off the point. Although by rule both a keeper and an assistant should never leave the lighthouse at the same time, both men feared for the victims aboard the vessel as the gale-force winds howled. They decided to join the rescue effort together, leaving Lottie to watch over her grandmother and the light.
Early Stratford Point Light, Courtesy US Coast Guard
After they left, Lottie remained in the bedroom with her grandmother and realized that the local steamer, Elm City, was scheduled to pass by at 11:00 p.m., just as it had countless times before. She decided to step outside and check the light. Lottie lit a small brass safety lantern and walked through the passageway to the base of the tower. She climbed the staircase to the middle landing and then carefully pulled herself up the narrow stairs to the tower, where she discovered that the lamp’s burner, nestled inside the Fresnel lens, had extinguished.
Unsure how to reignite the burner and knowing that the steamer was nearby, she used her brass lantern as a secondary light source to signal the Elm City as it approached during the storm. She carefully stopped the clockwork mechanism that enabled the beacon to serve as a revolving light and positioned her brass lantern at the center to intensify the light through the lens. Then, she set the clockwork mechanism to rotate the lantern. About 15 minutes later, the steamship passed the lighthouse and would later note in their report that the Stratford Light was “dim for half an hour,” unaware that the main lantern had gone out.
Lottie’s quick thinking helped to guide the oncoming steamer Elm City safely into the harbor. Keeper Lillingston returned with his son, having accounted for all survivors from the distressed vessel, and was relieved to hear that his granddaughter had managed to keep the light shining during the storm.
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