The Keeper Wore Skirts: The Women of the Biloxi Lighthouse

A dark brooding sky greeted the morning, and the birds that lived in the majestic, moss-draped oaks that usually saluted the day were quiet as though they sensed that something ominous was about to happen. Occasionally breezes stirred the blossoms of the magnolia trees growing on the boggy shore of the Biloxi Peninsula of Mississippi, but were unable to relieve the hot, humid weather. Gradually the breezes gave way to high winds coming off the Gulf of Mexico, and the waves that usually caressed the shore at the foot of the lighthouse began to increase in size. Mary Reynolds, the keeper of the lighthouse, was concerned and secured all the doors and windows of the building. Before long the full force of the Caribbean hurricane hit the coast. Trees unable to resist the strong wind were uprooted, and debris from demolished buildings flew through the air. Waves churned the sea into a frenzy, and large mountains water tore out chunks of the shoreline. Then the winds died down and an awesome silence enveloped the area. The elements seemed to be readying for a fresh assault.