The Lighthouse Keepers

Early keepers of the light at Admiralty Head faced not only the quiet isolation of forest and sea, but also the threat of hostilities from Haida Indians of British Columbia. In 1857, just a year before the US government purchased land for the lighthouse from Dr. and Mrs. John Kellogg, a band of Haidas had camped at Admiralty Head with the intention of murdering the doctor in revenge for the death of one of their chiefs at the hands of Americans near Port Gamble.

But Kellogg had been away from home on one of his frequent trips, and the Haidas had grown tired of waiting. So instead, they murdered his neighbor, Colonel Isaac Ebey.

1861 - 1865:   Captain William Robertson

Admiralty Head Lighthouse opened January 21, 1861, in a white, wooden, two-story house with Captain William Robertson as keeper. The story goes that, "He got the job because he was a Democrat and then lost it because he was not a Republican." Before becoming a lighthouse keeper, he and his family had built two log cabins on Whidbey Island - the first having been burned down by Indians. When he built the second house, he had protected it by mounting a cannon on his ship, which was moored nearby. Robertson retired in 1865 and lived on Whidbey Island until his death in 1888.

1865 - 1878:   Daniel Pearson

The lighthouse gained notoriety during the term of its second keeper, Daniel Pearson, who brought two marriageable daughters with him as assistant keepers. In the 1870s, a lighthouse keeper earned $1,000 a year and an assistant made $625. Pearson reportedly owed his appointment to the fact that his Whidbey Island neighbors felt sorry for him because of poor health, and because a third daughter, a school teacher who was the family's main breadwinner, had died suddenly. Pearson's remaining daughters, Georgia and Flora, were courted by eligible bachelors from throughout the surrounding area. Georgia had been one of the earliest "Mercer girls", the marriageable young women brought out to Seattle from the East in by Asa S. Mercer. Flora, in her later years, became known as a writer and poetess. Her vivacity won for her the admiring title of "perennial queen of Island women."

Pearson eventually bought a farm on Whidbey Island and resigned from the lighthouse service in 1878.

1878 - 1888:   Laurence Nessel

In 1878, a 50-year-old bachelor took over. It was during Laurence Nessel's watch that the Point Wilson light came on line, December 15, 1879, on the far shore. Less than six months later, Admiralty Head's oil lamp was converted to kerosene.

1888 - 1903:   Joseph E. Evans

In 1888, Joseph E. Evans took over as keeper. Nine years into his watch, the U.S. government purchased an additional 123 acres adjoining the lighthouse for the construction of Fort Casey, a US Army Coastal Defense installation. The wooden lighthouse that has been Evans' home was located right where the Army wanted to install the 10-inch disappearing gun batteries, so it was moved north, close to the location of the present lighthouse. Sadly, during his term, one of his sons drowned in Puget Sound under mysterious circumstances.

1903 - 1914:   Charles Davis

In 1903, Charles Davis took over. He was the first keeper of the new masonry lighthouse designed by Carl Leick and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was said to be the most comfortable home in the territory with its indoor bathroom and laundry room, made possible by the presence of the adjacent Fort Casey. Davis would remain at his post until 1914, when he died in the lighthouse at the age of 82.

1914 - 1919:   Edward Scannel

1919 - 1922:   Hans Score

1922:   Harry "Doc" Kistemacher

In 1922, the Admiralty Head light was decommissioned after only 19 years of service in its current structure.