How Many Cups In The Cupboard? How Many Steps In The Tower? Lighthouse Hospitality in Years Gone By

Lighthouse keepers were expected to be hospitable to strangers. In 1853 the United States Light-House Board (USLHB) provided lighthouse keepers with written instructions: "Keepers must be courteous and polite to all visitors and show them everything of interest about the station at such times as will not interfere with light-house duties. Keepers must not allow visitors to handle the apparatus or deface light-house property. Special care must be taken to prevent scratching of names and initials on the glass of the lanterns or on the windows of the towers. The keeper on duty at the time is responsible for any injury or defacement to the buildings, lenses, lamps, glazing of the lantern and to any other light-house property under his charge, unless he can identify the parties who have done the injury, so as to make them accountable for it; and any such damage must be reported immediately to the inspector or engineer of the district, with the names of the person or persons, if they can be ascertained. No visitor should be admitted to the tower unless attended by a keeper, nor in the watch room or lantern between sunset and sunrise."