Signal Sent Out

As its longtime keeper prepares to retire, the Old Scituate Lighthouse needs someone new to keep the historic beacon shining

Duncan Bates Todd is great-great-granddaughter of Simeon Bates, first keeper of the lighthouse in 1811. (Matthew J. Lee / Globe Staff)

Help wanted: Lighthouse keeper. Housing provided. Special benefits.

That describes the job that the Scituate Historical Society is trying to fill before fall. And finding the right person may not be as easy as it looks.

"A lot of people have a romantic notion of living in a lighthouse," said historical society president David Ball. "There are responsibilities that go with it. There's a lot more to it than people think. It takes a special person, no doubt about it."

For the past 22 years, that special person has been Ruth Downton. Since 1986 she has lived in the keeper's cottage at the picturesque, 198-year-old lighthouse that marks the entrance of Scituate Harbor. But Downton is set to retire this fall.

"It's been a joy to live here," she said. "But I'm getting older, and it's time to move on. I'm 77; it's time to retire and let someone younger take over."

The job is steeped in history. The Old Scituate Lighthouse is a well-known landmark that dates to 1810, making it one of the oldest working lighthouses in the United States.

The octagonal tower has sloping walls of brick and granite, and its exterior is painted white. It stands stoically on Cedar Point, marking the harbor entrance by flashing a white light every 15 seconds through the darkness, from dusk until dawn.

Inside the tower, it's cool and dark. Sunlight peeks through a few small windows along the spiral wooden staircase. It takes 34 steps and a small ladder to reach the lantern room and balcony (known as a gallery in lighthouse-speak), which offers sweeping views of the Atlantic.

On the ground level, a doorway at the bottom of the stairs leads to an enclosed hallway connecting the lighthouse to the keeper's cottage. A gray tabby named Smoky, known to lounge on the grass and patrol the area, is the lighthouse cat.

The US government activated Scituate Light in 1811, and Simeon Bates became the first lightkeeper. His two daughters, Abigail and Rebecca, made history one afternoon in 1814, when they spotted a British warship approaching Scituate Harbor. The teenage sisters grabbed a fife and drum, hid behind some cedar trees, and began playing "Yankee Doodle" as loudly as they could. According to the story, the Redcoats figured the local militia was playing the patriotic anthem, waiting for them on the shore. So they turned around and left, and the Bates girls were hailed as heroines, and became known as "The American Army of Two."

Bates served as lightkeeper until 1834. In those days, whale oil and wicks were used to illuminate lighthouses. Every evening, Bates made several trips up and down the stairs to make sure the lamp stayed lit until sunrise.

Scituate Light was deactivated in 1860, after the government built a larger lighthouse on Minot's Ledge. A small tower with a light was also erected at the end of the nearby jetty in 1890, and the lightkeepers who tended that one were housed in Scituate Light's cottage.

In 1916, the Town of Scituate purchased Scituate Light and the keeper's cottage. The Scituate Historical Society has managed the site since 1968.

After more than a century of darkness, Scituate Light was relit in 1994 and continues to serve as a private navigational aid, which means the lighthouse is lit but is not operated by the US Coast Guard. Today, all federally owned lighthouses are automated, and only Boston Light is still staffed by a lightkeeper.

Although Scituate Light is automated, the Scituate Historical Society has continued the tradition of having a lightkeeper on the site. The society rents the cottage to the lightkeeper for $900 per month.

The lantern room atop Scituate Light contains two automated lamps. The main beacon is powered by electricity and runs on a timer, so it automatically turns on at sunset and off at sunrise. The second one runs on solar power and acts as a backup.

Instead of running up and down the stairs of the tower every night, the modern-day keepers of Scituate Light focus more of their attention on everyday maintenance, security, and public outreach.

The antique Cape Cod-style keeper's cottage is the same one Simeon Bates lived in with his wife and nine children. It has suited Downton just fine. She calls the time she has spent at Scituate Light "the happiest days of my life."

The 77-year-old Weymouth native never thought she'd become a lightkeeper; previously she worked as a special education teacher at Weymouth South High School. Her husband, George Downton, was an engineer at Procter & Gamble. In 1986, she and her husband took an early retirement, enrolled in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary school, and became caretakers of Scituate Light.

A memorial plaque to her husband, who died in 2000, reads, "He kept a good light."

As a modern-day lightkeeper of Scituate Light, Downton does a little bit of everything. She leads tours; inspects the lighthouse; dusts furniture; sweeps the floors; and maintains the garden and lawn. She also stops visitors from going to the top of the lighthouse (the lantern room is off limits to the public) and keeps an eye on the historic artifacts in the cottage. They include the original fife that the Bates sisters used to ward off that British warship.

"Scituate Harbor has changed so drastically," said Historical Society member Duncan Bates Todd, great-great-grandchild of Simeon Bates. "But the lighthouse hasn't changed a bit. It's a historical landmark, and part of the person's job here will be to open up the place to the public."

Scituate Light is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and continues to be a popular tourist attraction. The modern-day lightkeepers lead tours for tourists and schoolchildren and answer visitors' questions.

The lighthouse grounds are open year-round, and the keeper is required to open the cottage to the public five times a year.

"All summer people knock on the door, asking if they can use the phone, saying that they lost their keys. July and August it's quite busy. The rest of the year it's quiet and serene here," said Downton.

"Each year it gets busier and busier."

Downton said the job is best suited for two people, who could live there together.

The Scituate Historical Society is accepting applications. It has drafted a list of expectations and requirements for the new lightkeeper. According to Ball, the ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge about lighthouses, be friendly and outgoing, and well-steeped in local maritime history.

"They need to have a working knowledge of the lighthouse and lighthouses in general," he said. "They will be a lightkeeper and an ambassador."

The keeper of Scituate Light "serves almost as an ambassador of the town."

As for Downton, he said, "We hate to see her go."

Applications are available at the Scituate Historical Society offices, 43 Cudworth Road. Scituate Light is open 1-4 p.m. July 13, Aug. 2 and 3 (Heritage Days), Aug. 17, and Oct. 12.

Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.