Before GPS and automated beacons, lighthouses — and the people who ran them — were essential to safe navigation. But life as a lightkeeper was anything but ordinary.
In this special feature, a historian, riverboat captain, and former lighthouse keepers share stories of the daily challenges, isolation, and dedication required to maintain the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse in its heyday. From freezing winters to round-the-clock maintenance, their accounts shed light on a way of life that’s now part of maritime history.