Show lighthouse replica on womans comans grave fulfills last wish SPRUCE HEAD ME fulfilling a deathbed wish made 54 years ago by abble abbie burgess americas first woman lighthouse keeper a band of 0 pilgrims recently gathered at an ancient seaside cemetery here to place a miniature of the light she tended so long and faithfully on her grass grown grave the memorial was in the form of a small aluminum lighthouse faithfully fashioned by capt joseph noden of saugus baugus mass to represent rock light which at night cap be seen from her last resting place blinking 32 miles at sea As a girl of 13 abbie first saw matinicus Matl Mati nicus rock in 1853 her father had been named keeper As the oldest of the children abie abbie helped tend the light while her father added to the family income by lobster fishing near shore years later when a new keeper was named abble abbie remained to teach him the duties she married his son and they set up housekeeping on matinicus Mati nicus rock later while raising a family of four abbie officially was named assistant keeper in time she and her husband moved their brood to white head light near here there her husband died and there abbie too spent her last days in 1892 shortly before her death she wrote a note if ever I 1 have a gravestone I 1 would like it to be in the form of a lighthouse or beacon it was this note found by historian edward rowe snow which led to the pilgrimage which placed the beacon on the lonely grave |