Ida Lewis (lighthouse keeper)

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Ida Lewis

Idawalley Zorada Lewis (later Lewis-Wilson) (25 February 1842–24 October 1911) was an American lighthouse keeper noted for her heroism.

Ida Lewis was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the daughter of Captain Hosea Lewis of the Revenue Cutter Service. Her father was transferred to the Lighthouse Service and appointed keeper of Lime Rock Light in Newport in 1854, but in 1858 he was disabled by a stroke and his wife and daughter Ida took over his duties. Mr. Lewis died in 1872, and his wife was appointed keeper; Ida continued to help. Mrs. Lewis died in 1879, and Ida was appointed keeper.

Ida Lewis was called "the Bravest Woman in America", and her exploits were detailed in national newspapers such as Harper's Weekly, the New York Tribune, and Putnam's Magazine. She met President Ulysses S. Grant, Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, General William Tecumseh Sherman and Admiral George Dewey, plus many of the wealthy and prominent people who summered in Newport. She is credited with having saved 18 lives during the 39 years she spent at Lime Rock. The actual number may have been higher.[1] She was awarded a Gold Lifesaving Medal for her work.

Lewis married once, briefly, but spent most of her career alone at Lime Rock. She died of a stroke in 1911 while tending to the light and is buried in the Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery. In her honor, the station was renamed Ida Lewis Light, the only time that a keeper has been so honored in American history. It is now the home of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.[2] A United States Coast Guard buoy tender (Ida Lewis, WLM 551, first of its class, stationed in Newport, Rhode Island) also bears her name.

The Keeper of Lime Rock is a short biography of Ida Lewis and her service at Lime Rock Lighthouse.^[1] There are additional pictures of Ida Lewis available from the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog at the Library of Congress.^[2]