The Bravest Woman in America: Part 2

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Jun 6, 2004

Even before my father died and I became the official lighthouse keeper, I rescued people from the cold Atlantic waters. My first rescue was in 1858. A group of young, foolish rich boys were out for a day of fun in a flimsy boat. One of them decided to play a trick on his friends. He climbed the mast and began rocking the boat. To his astonishment, the craft capsized (turned over.) All four boys were in the frigid waters of the ocean. I ran to my boat and rowed out to them. Once I'd pulled them into my boat, I learned that none of them could swim. My Father watched me rescue the boys. He was very pleased. Over the next few years, I rescued a dozen (12) people.

Much to my dismay, in 1869, a newspaper reporter from the Herald-Tribune wrote an article about my rescues. A lot of other papers began writing about my rescues, including Harper's Weekly. That's when things really got crazy. The people of Newport organized a parade in my honor. They gave me a mahogany boat with gold plated oar locks and red velvet cushions. The boat was named The Rescue. I appreciated the boat, but thought that gold oar locks and velvet cushions were a little far-fetched. The cushions would only be ruined by the salt water. It seemed to me the $100.00 sent to me by the Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York, was a much more practical gift. My greatest gift was when I was the first woman to receive the gold Congressional Medal for lifesaving . I was very proud.

In 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant came to Lime Rock to meet me. I was very honored to meet him. I spent several hours with the President and gave him a tour of the lighthouse. That year over nine thousand people traveled to Newport to stare at Lime Rock Light, hoping to catch a glimpse of me tending the light.

I also enjoyed the visits of General William T. Sherman, Admiral Dewey and Susan B. Anthony. It's nice to be noticed by famous people and I found their work very interesting. But most times the fuss drove me crazy. I got tons of mail from people I didn't know and a few of them were marriage proposals. Why would I marry someone I hadn't even met? That was spooky. Soon, all the publicity gave me a title. I become known as The Bravest Woman in America.

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