![]() Grisel Hollis became the first Hispanic-American female chief and chief warrant officer in the 1990s. In 1983, Jacqueline Ball and Deborah Winnie became the first Hispanic-American women to graduate from the U.S. She began a tradition that has involved Hispanic-American women in the Coast Guard including serving in the SPARs during World War II. It's been more than 150 years since Maria Andreu became a ground breaker for Hispanic American women. The Civil War brought changes and in 1862 the light was extinguished by local pro-Confederate forces, concerned that the light would aid the Union's navy.Īndreu and her family moved away from the lighthouse but remained in the region. Maria Andreu stood the watch as keeper of the St. Augustine the lighthouse was situated on an 18-mile long island, which wasn't easily accessible at the time. Additionally children who lived on the property needed to be educated, another duty for the keeper or his wife. This meant keepers not only had to maintain the light, but also grow their own food as well as hunt. Supplies for maintenance of the light were sent by the government regularly, but food wasn't. "Civility should be enjoined as a duty to strangers wishing to examine the Lights, and, in case of shipwrecks near, every practical effort required to be made to render reasonable relief, and all due vigilance exercised to detect and expose every breech of the revenue laws in his neighborhood," commanded Levi Woodbury, U.S. ![]() Rendering relief to those in need became second nature to the keepers, as they stood the watch continuously. ![]() The effort to reach out to mariners in need of help became rooted into the service's daily responsibility. Their job also entailed taking care of mariners in distress. Keepers were required to ensure the light was continuously lit throughout the night. The responsibilities and duties of a lighthouse keeper weren't for the faint-hearted. The couple was responsible for a light built in 1700 that had been used by both the Spanish and the British during the periods when their countries owned Florida. Juan Andreu was the first Hispanic-American to serve in the Coast Guard, according to records. Keepers often took the initiative to hire an assistant, and it wasn't unusual for them to have other jobs enabling them to make more money while leaving some of the responsibilities of lighthouse keeping to their wives or children.Īssisting her husband was how Maria Andrew gained her experience. The responsibilities of a lighthouse keeper were so significant that in the early 19th-century only the president of the United States could appoint and dismiss keepers. "Because in such weather they know by experience the value of a light, while on similar occasions the landsman keeper would be apt to consider such weather as the best excuse for remaining snug in bed." "The best keepers are found to be old sailors, who are accustomed to watch at night, who are more likely to turn out in a driving snow storm and find their way to the light-house to trim their lamps," said Isaiah William Penn Lewis, engineer to the U.S. That difficulty and responsibility meant keepers of lighthouses were held in the highest respect by their local community and government. It was a difficult job as many of the lighthouses were in isolated locations. Over time, the lighthouses gradually transformed into an organization specifically for marine traffic. For mariners navigating a relentless and sometimes unforgiving sea in the 19th-century, lighthouses along shorelines were a vital lifeline in maintaining safety at sea. Ultimately many lighthouses were built along the east coast of Florida.Īlong the nation's coasts, keepers helped ensure a looming light on the horizon would be seen by sailors, making them aware of a port or of a hazard to navigation. ![]() Augustine the lighthouse tradition began nearly 450 years ago when Don Pedro Menendez claimed Florida for Spain in 1565. Her yearly salary was $400 in what was then called the Lighthouse Service.Ī lighthouse and lighthouse keeper were essential to the orderly - and safe - continuation of the St. Townspeople rallied in support of her appointment. Maria Andreu, of Minorcan descent, was left with five or six children to raise. 10, 1859, "Monday last … (Joseph Andreu) was engaged in white washing the tower of the Light House" when the scaffolding gave way and he fell 60 feet. ![]() Her appointment came after her husband died on the job. Maria Andreu thus became not only the first Hispanic-American woman to serve in the Coast Guard but also the first to command a federal shore installation, say officials. Augustine Lighthouse after her husband, Juan, died. In 1859 she assumed the watch as the lighthouse keeper at St. Maria Mestre de los Dolores Andreu stands out both in the annals of the U.S. ![]()
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