Shirley Morong

March 3, 1947 This is a day long to be remembered. The wind blew up to 80 miles per hour and it rained and sleeted all night. There was no electric power from 4 pm the day before until noon on this date. We had to keep the generator operating all the time after the tower optic was placed in operation. We used an Aladdin lamp until it went dry, then I found a lamp that had some oil in it.

On  January 1, 1935 Fort Popham Light at the mouth of the Kennebec River bordering Popham Beach, Maine was buffeted by a snowstorm with gale force wind that was sending waves across the beach and against the rocky shore. As dusk descended, Lighthouse Keeper Alonzo Morong donned heavy clothing and walked from his house, across a wooden bridge to the lighthouse tower to light the lamp that would shine through the storm and darkness.

My husband enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in January, 1935. During his 23 years of service, he was stationed first on mainland lifeboat stations, later on a weather ship [ed. ocean station vessel], a buoy boat and the Hens and Chickens lightship. My children and I followed him whenever possible which meant he could be home sometimes, but sea duty meant long separations. The Lighthouse Service consolidated with the Coast Guard on July 7, 1939, when civilian lighthouse keepers could either retire or become members of the Coast Guard.