Light Hearted ep 99 – Betty Hindley Hatzikon, lighthouse keeper’s daughter

Like his father before him, young Joseph Hindley went to work in the textile mills of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Looking for a more adventurous life, he spent some time in the Coast Guard. He then entered the Lighthouse Service. He had a long career as a lighthouse keeper that spanned from the late 1920s to 1972, when he retired as the last civilian keeper in the New England region. He served at offshore stations early in his career: Whale Rock (RI), Butler Flats (MA), and Sakonnet Point (RI). 12/29/1967 – Lighthouse keepers (L to R) Osborne E. Hallett, Joseph G. Hindley, Jr. and Harry A. Wilbur are awarded Gallatin Certificates by Captain Frederick J. Hancox, commanding officer of Woods Hole Coast Guard Group. The men were the last three civilian lighthouse keepers in New England. U.S. Coast Guard photo. Joseph Hindley and his daughter Betty. Courtesy of Betty Hindley Hatzikon. In 1950, Hindley and his family moved to Gay Head Light Station at the western end of the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The Hindley family spent six years at Gay Head, leaving when the light was automated in 1956. The keepers’ house was demolished a short time later. The Hindleys moved on to Nobska Point Light in Woods Hole on Cape Cod, where Joseph served the rest of his career. Gay Head Lighthouse, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. Betty Hindley Hatzikon in front of the first-order Fresnel lens from Gay Head Lighthouse, now at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. Courtesy of Betty Hindley Hatzikon. In 1967, while Hindley was at Nobska Point, he was honored with a Gallatin Certificate from the Coast Guard as one of the last three civilian lighthouse keepers in New England. He retired in 1972 as the very last civilian keeper in the New England region. This episode features reminiscences of life at the lights in an interview with Betty Hindley Hatzikon, Joseph Hindley’s daughter. Listen to the podcast by using the player below.