Daughters and Wives: Keepers of the Light

Julia Williams was the keeper of the Santa Barbara lighthouse for over 40 years, which was the longest of any lighthouse keeper in California. Her husband Albert received an appointment to be keeper at the Santa Barbara lighthouse when it was still under construction. They moved to the then tiny village and waited seven months until the lighthouse was finished. It was first lighted on December 1, 1856. For four years, Julia helped Albert tend the light until, by some misunderstanding, another keeper was sent to replace Albert.

Albert began farming on some nearby property while the lighthouse changed keepers several more times, but in 1865 Julia petitioned for the keeper position, knowing she could do the job better than her husband’s successors. Albert, in the meantime, had lost interest in being a lighthouse keeper, so he worked on their ranch until his death in 1882.

Julia was the keeper at the Santa Barbara lighthouse for forty years, retiring at the age of 80 in 1905 when she fell and broke her hip, ending her career. During her tenure, Julia kept the lighthouse clean and functional, climbing the stairs every night to light the lantern, while at the same time taking care of her five children.

Fresh water was difficult to come by and Julia often had to saddle a horse, take a baby in her arms with the other children following, and travel a mile to the nearest spring. Like other mothers of her time, she did all the cooking, cleaning, sewing, and mending as well. Years later, her grandson remembered the smell of her fresh-baked bread and the colorful flowers in her garden.

She is believed to have only missed two nights in her 40 years of service. Those were NOT the nights her children were born; they were when her sons married.