{"id":3582,"date":"2023-10-01T07:24:22","date_gmt":"2023-10-01T11:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nelights.com\/blog\/?p=3582"},"modified":"2026-07-28T12:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T16:02:49","slug":"four-generations-of-keepers-at-portland-lighthouse-in-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nelights.com\/blog\/four-generations-of-keepers-at-portland-lighthouse-in-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Generations of Keepers at Portland Lighthouse in Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Portland<\/a>

Portland Head Lighthouse at sunset.<\/p><\/div>\n

Four Generations of the Strout Family at Portland Head Lighthouse in Southern Maine<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Portland Head Lighthouse is Maine\u2019s oldest lighthouse, built in 1791 during George Washington\u2019s presidency, and one of the oldest lighthouses in America. Its location atop a rocky cliff on the shoreline marks the picturesque entrance to Maine\u2019s Portland Harbor in Casco Bay. Four shipwrecks occurred near the lighthouse, three a very short distance from the lighthouse, and one a few miles south of the lighthouse near Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse. Two of these, the wreck of the Annie C. Maguire<\/em> and the wreck of the Bohemian<\/em>, are the most well-known and somewhat intriguing in their stories. Following the tragedy of the Bohemian<\/em>, improvements were made in the vicinity offshore, and the Portland Head Lighthouse tower was eventually constructed. Portland Head Lighthouse also has a connection to four generations of the Strout family, who have dedicated over 100 years of combined service to the beacon.<\/p>\n

In the 1820s, Joshua Strout\u2019s mother had worked as the teenage housekeeper at Portland Head Lighthouse<\/a><\/strong> for an earlier keeper, Captain Joshua Freeman. The joyful keeper so inspired her that she named her son Joshua Freeman Strout when she married years later. Joshua Strout went to sea at the age of eleven, and by the time he was eighteen, he became a cook on a tugboat. He later became a captain of the brig Scotland<\/em> in 1854, where he sailed and transported cargo around South America. He captained other vessels and enjoyed sailing worldwide, dealing in foreign trade. It was more of a glorious adventure for these men drawn to the ocean than being planted on shore in America in those times. With the excitement of exploration and trade with other countries came many pleasant and often rough times. Some difficult periods included numerous severe storms, long stretches over open waters where time would seem to stand still, occasional mutinies to contend with when food supplies dwindled or spoiled, or abusive captains. During California’s gold rush, Strout helped transport many \u201cForty-Niners\u201d to San Francisco in search of their fortunes.<\/p>\n

\"Portland<\/a>

Portland Head Lighthouse on a stormy day.<\/p><\/div>\n

Sometimes, deep-water sailors like Strout were retired to respectable positions onshore due to accidents or, if they were lucky enough to live long enough, due to old age. A severe fall from the mast of his ship, Andres<\/em>, forced Captain Strout ashore, and in 1869, he was made keeper of the Portland Head Lighthouse with the help of his mother. His wife, Mary, served as assistant keeper for ten years alongside him until 1877, when their fourth son, Joseph, at 21, took over the duties as the new assistant keeper to help his father.<\/p>\n

The Strouts loved life at the lighthouse, and Joshua frequently met with the famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who lived nearby in Portland. Longfellow would visit the lighthouse once or twice a week, and the two men would enjoy many pleasant conversations together, becoming close friends. Longfellow\u2019s famous poem, \u201cThe Lighthouse,\u201d was believed to have been written while sitting on the rocks by Portland Head Light as he was enjoying the beauty that engulfed the region. Like many dedicated lighthouse keepers, Joshua rarely took time away from the light. He is known to have gone nearly 17 years without taking any time off.<\/p>\n

\"Annie<\/a>

Annie C. Maguire wreck courtesy Portland Museum<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the years, Joshua and Mary raised 11 children at the lighthouse but had lost three of their sons at sea. During a hurricane on September 8, 1869, Joshua barely escaped death when a fog-warning bell crashed over the cliff below the lighthouse close to him.<\/p>\n

Their most famous rescue involves the wreck of the Annie C. Maguire<\/em> on Christmas Eve in 1886, around 11:30 p.m. The vessel ran aground on the rocks nearly 100 feet from Portland Head Lighthouse. The captain could not see the lighthouse due to the heavy rain or possible snow squalls and misjudged his location. The Strouts were preparing to turn in when they heard the crash. They rescued all eighteen people safely while the ship lay wedged on the rocks, and remained as gracious as they could, even as the starving crew ate all their food. Creditors quickly seized the wreck later, but little of value was found. The captain and his wife, released days earlier, got away with stealing any valuables. It was an experience the Strout family would never forget.<\/p>\n

When Joshua Strout retired as Maine\u2019s oldest lighthouse keeper in 1904 at 79, his son Joseph, already an assistant keeper, was appointed as the next-generation keeper at Portland Head Lighthouse. He had a joyful reputation, like his father, and was affectionately called \u201cCap’n Joe\u201d by locals and mariners alike. The family also had a parrot named Billy for many years. The parrot learned that when inclement weather was coming, it would shout, \u201cJoe, let\u2019s start the horn. It’s foggy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshua Strout passed away a few years later at the age of 81. The Strout family, a combination of father and son, were keepers of Portland Head Lighthouse for 59 years from 1869 to 1928. When the assistant keeper position was traditionally promoted to John Strout, Joseph\u2019s son, on his 21st birthday in 1912, he became the third generation Strout to serve in a government position at Portland Head Light.<\/p>\n

\"Inscription<\/a>

Inscription Annie Maguire Wreck 1886<\/p><\/div>\n

On his birthday, John Strout decided to paint an inscription to commemorate where, years ago, the Annie C. Maguire<\/em> had wrecked on the rocks close to the lighthouse. He had to chip away a large portion of the rock to create a flat surface for painting. After mixing mortar, sand, and some paint, he painted the words \u201cIn Memory of the Ship Annie C. Maguire, Wrecked on this Point Christmas Eve, 1886.” He also had a wooden cross on top of the rock. The wooden cross has long since washed away along with the original painting, but the inscription has been periodically renewed and repainted over the years. It has evolved into a more straightforward inscription, “Annie C Maguire, Shipwrecked Here, Christmas Eve 1886,\u201d displayed today for residents and tourists alike.<\/p>\n

Along with the Annie C. Maguire<\/em>, two other vessels wrecked near Portland Head Lighthouse afterward and were almost at the exact location as the Annie C. Maguire<\/em>. One occurred during a severe winter storm on November 30, 1887, less than a year after the wreck of the Annie C Maguire<\/em>. The schooner D. W. Hammond,<\/em> was caught in the blizzard and crashed onto the rocks a short distance from the lighthouse. Joseph Strout and his brother Gilman ran out to the shore, where they could see the wreck. They could send a line out to the captain and his two crew members on the vessel and pull them safely to shore before the vessel broke apart.<\/p>\n

Many years later, on October 4, 1932, the 72-foot schooner Lochinvar,<\/em> carrying over 20 tons of fish cargo, was caught in heavy fog near Portland Head Light. It crashed on the rocks by the lighthouse, less than 100 feet from where the Annie C Maguire<\/em> had struck some 46 years before. The cargo was destroyed, but the captain and crew survived the ordeal.<\/p>\n

John Strout served at Portland Head Light for a few years as an assistant, then later worked at nearby Spring Point Light and the Lighthouse Depot in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The Strout family, spanning four generations, served a total of 128 years as lighthouse tenders, with over 100 years of combined service among family members. This included Joshua\u2019s mother\u2019s tenure as the housekeeper and caretaker at Portland Head Lighthouse. Many family members of different lighthouses would be involved in tending a lighthouse, including wives of keepers or their sons. Still, it was rare for there to be four generations of family members serving at the same lighthouse.<\/p>\n

Other members of the Strout family served at nearby lighthouses in Maine. Len Strout was the keeper a few miles from Portland Head Light, at Portland Breakwater Light, or Bug Light, from 1866 to 1867. Arthur Strout was an assistant keeper at Halfway Rock Lighthouse in Casco Bay.<\/p>\n

The current Strout family, whose ancestors served in the lighthouse, donated items a few years ago. Among the items donated is the original brass lamp used to light the lens in the lantern room of Portland Head Light on Christmas Eve, 1886, the night of the famous wreck of the Annie C. Maguire, which<\/em> crashed upon the rocks by the lighthouse.<\/p>\n

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