Clifford Gallant

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 Jane (Belknap) Fiester/Vail/Adams was one of the first white women to settle in the Oregon Territory. She outlived three husbands, operated on a mans eyes, and was the assistant keeper at the Smith Island and Cape Flattery Light Stations. She was born Jane Belknap in 1822. At the age of 17 she left her native Ohio for Illinois where she met and married Henry Fiesten. Henry was a skilled tailor who moved from town to town always seeking a more affluent life. Jane became used to the itinerant life.

During the years of manned light stations in America several women served as keepers. Almost all of them obtained the position due to their husbands becoming incapacitated or dying. For the greater part of 140 years, the Turkey Point Light Station in Maryland was under the care of women, many of whom were related.