In the middle of the 19th century cast iron became a popular building material for lighthouses. How do you think
the weight of a cast-iron lighthouse would compare with one built of stone or brick? (Masonry towers built on soft or swampy
terrain would settle unevenly.)
Note the privy to the left of the keeper's dwelling. USLHB photo
Every lighthouse in the 19th century had a keeper who needed food
and fresh water. Is ‘cistern’ a familiar term to you? A cistern is a container which collects rain water when
it runs off the roofs through gutters. How much water do you think a keeper and his family would require every day? They had
no bathroom or flush toilets until late in the 19th century. For what other needs did they require fresh water?
How often would you do laundry if it required using water pumped out of a cistern and heated on a wood stove?
Lighthouse Maps
Eighth Lighthouse District
Can you find Matagorda Island Lighthouse on this map?
Click on map to view larger image
Source: 1881 Annual Report of the U.S. Light-House Board
This Reader's Guide is intended to be used with Lighthouses Short and Tall, a book for readers 11 and up written by Mary Louise and Candace Clifford. It is available from the publisher,
Cypress Communications, by using their book order form.
