Idawalley Zoradia Lewis (1842-1911), better known as Ida Lewis, was the second child born to Captain Hosea (1804-1872) and Idawalley Zoradia (Willey) Lewis (d. 1879) on February 25, 1842, in Newport, Rhode Island. Captain Lewis was appointed the first keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse in the Newport harbor in 1854, but after he was disabled by a stroke in 1857, Ida and her mother took over the lighthouse keeper duties until his death in 1872. Ida’s mother was then named lighthouse keeper and remained in the position until her death in 1879, even though Ida continued to do the majority of the work. On January 21, 1879, Ida was officially appointed to the job by the United States Coast Guard. Ida proudly served in this position until her own death in 1911 during which time she was credited with saving eighteen lives, receiving numerous accolade and medals. Ida Lewis died on October 25, 1911, after keeping vigil at the Lime Rock Lighthouse for over fifty years.
In 1924, the Lime Rock Lighthouse was renamed the Ida Lewis Lighthouse and was in active service until 1927. The lighthouse is now the home of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.
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Ida Lewis papers, RLC.Ms.522, Redwood Library and Athenaeum.
This collection consists of a letter from Ida Lewis to Miss Elen [sic] F. Finlay on April 1, 1893, in which Lewis answers Finlay’s questions about her job as lighthouse keeper. Also included is a newspaper clipping from the
This collection is arranged in chronological order.
Gift of Miss Elen F. Finlay.
This collection was initially processed by Aimee Saunders in 2010.