Kate Moore
Encyclopedia
Kate Moore was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...

 noted for the longevity of her tenure. The daughter of Stephen Moore, keeper of the Fayerweather Island Light in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 since 1817, she gradually took over his duties as he became ill; she was not formally appointed keeper, however, until after his death in 1871.

She kept a garden at the station, and tended oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....

 beds; she also carved and sold duck decoy
Decoy
A decoy is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction, to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.-Duck decoy:The term duck decoy may...

s. Moore kept a library, and had a collection of original paintings at the station, including one by Peter Paul Rubens. She entertained many visitors to the island, at one point numbering over a thousand in one year. During her time at Fayerweather Island she saved 21 lives; she once said that she wished she could have saved double that number.

Moore retired in 1878, and died at the age of 105 in 1900. The Bridgeport Regional Vocational Aquacultural School named a research vessel
Research vessel
A research vessel is a ship designed and equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel, others require a dedicated vessel...

in her honor.

See also

Lighthouse Digest article
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