Idawalley Zoradia Lewis (February 25, 1842 – October 24, 1911) was an American lighthouse keeper noted for her heroism in rescuing people from the seas.

Biography

Early years

Ida Lewis was born in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, the second oldest of four children of Captain Hosea Lewis of the

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. Her father was transferred to the Lighthouse Service and appointed keeper of Lime Rock Light on the small near-island Lime Rock in Newport in 1854, taking his family to live on the rock in 1857. After the family had been at Lime Rock for less than four months, he suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and became disabled. Ida Lewis expanded her domestic duties to include caring for him and a seriously ill sister and also, with her mother's assistance, tending the light: filling the lamp with oil at sundown and again at midnight, trimming the wick, polishing carbon off the reflectors, and extinguishing the light at dawn. Since Lime Rock was almost completely surrounded by water, the only way to reach the mainland was by boat. By age 15, Lewis had become known as the best swimmer in Newport. She rowed her younger siblings to school every weekday and fetched supplies from town as they were needed. She became very skillful at handling her heavy rowboat. Responding to criticism that it was un-ladylike for women to row boats, Lewis said that "None – but a donkey, would consider it 'un-feminine', to save lives." Lewis and her mother tended the Lime Rock Light for her father from 1857 until 1873 when he died. Her mother was then appointed keeper, although Ida continued to do the keeper's work. By 1877 her mother's health was failing, leaving Ida with increased housekeeping and care-giving responsibilities. Her mother eventually died of cancer in 1878. Ida finally received the official appointment as keeper in 1879, largely through the efforts of an admirer, General Ambrose Everett Burnside, a

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

hero who became a Rhode Island governor and United States senator. With a salary of $750 per year, Lewis was for a time the highest-paid lighthouse keeper in the nation. The extra pay was given "in consideration of the remarkable services of Mrs. Wilson in the saving of lives".

Accomplishments

Lewis made her first rescue in 1854, coming to the assistance of four men whose boat had capsized. She was 12 years old. Ida Lewis 001

Her most famous rescue occurred on March 29, 1869. Two soldiers, Sgt. James Adams and Pvt. John McLaughlin, were passing through Newport Harbor toward Fort Adams in a small boat, guided by a 14-year-old boy who claimed to know his way through the harbor. A snowstorm was churning the harbor's waters, and the boat overturned. The two soldiers clung to it while the boy was lost, dying in the icy water. Lewis's mother saw the two in the water and called to Ida, who was suffering from a cold. Ida ran to her boat without taking the time to put on a coat or shoes. With the help of her younger brother, she was able to haul the two men into her boat and bring them to the lighthouse. One of them later gave a gold watch to Lewis. The soldiers at Fort Adams showed their appreciation by collecting $218 for her.(12 April 1869)
Ida Lewis - The Grace Darling of America
''

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

'', p. 7, col. 1 On July 16, 1881, she was awarded the rare Gold Lifesaving Medal from the United States government – the first woman to receive it – for her rescue on February 4, 1881, of two soldiers from Fort Adams who had fallen through the ice while attempting to return to the fort on foot. Because of her many rescues, Lewis became the best-known lighthouse keeper of her day. During her 54 years on Lime Rock she is credited with saving 18 lives, although unofficial reports suggest the number may have been as high as 25. She kept no records of her lifesaving exploits. Lewis's fame spread quickly following the 1869 rescue, as a reporter was sent from the '' New-York Tribune'' to record her deeds. Articles also appeared in '' Harper's Weekly'' and ''Leslie's'' magazine, among others. The Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York sent her a silver medal. A parade was held in her honor in Newport on Independence Day, followed by the presentation of a sleek, mahogany rowboat with red velvet cushions, gold braid around the gunwales, and gold-plated oar-locks. When she was 64, Lewis became a life beneficiary of the Carnegie Hero Fund, receiving a monthly pension of $30. During her lifetime, Lewis was called "the Bravest Woman in America" and her exploits were detailed in the national press. She met President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, General William Tecumseh Sherman, and Admiral George Dewey, in addition to many of the wealthy and prominent people who summered in Newport. Members of the

Women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement – including

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca ...

– came to visit her and used her as an example of the inherent strength of women. At least two pieces of music were named for her: the ''Ida Lewis Waltz'', and the ''Rescue Polka Mazurka''. Ida Lewis hats and scarves were sold.

Later years

Her father amused himself by counting the people who came to the island to see Ida: there were often a hundred a day, and in one summer, there were 9,000. She also received numerous gifts, letters, and even marriage proposals. In 1870, she married Captain William Wilson of Black Rock, Connecticut, but they separated after two years, and she returned to Lime Rock. She spent most of her career alone there. Lewis made her last recorded rescue when she was 63. A friend was rowing out to the lighthouse, stood up in her boat, lost her balance, and fell into the water. Lewis rowed out to her and hauled her aboard. Lewis died of a stroke on October 24, 1911, at the age of 69. The bells of all the vessels in Newport Harbor tolled for her that night, and flags were at half-staff throughout Newport. More than 1,400 people viewed her body at the

Thames Street Methodist Church The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. Among the crowd that gathered to pay its respects were several keepers: Charles Schoeneman, of the

Newport Harbor Light The Newport Harbor Light, also known as the Goat Island Light or Green Light, built in 1842, is located on north end of Goat Island, which is part of the city of Newport, Rhode Island, United States, in Narragansett Bay. The light was added to th ...

; Charles Curtis of the

Rose Island Light The Rose Island Light, built in 1870, is on Rose Island in Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States. It is preserved, maintained and operated by The Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation. One of a group of New England lightho ...

, O. F. Kirby of

Gull Rocks Light The Gull Rocks Light was a lighthouse at the entrance to Newport harbor northwest of Rose Island. A unique A-frame structure, it was supplemented with a skeleton tower in 1928. History The Gull Rocks obstruct the passage north of Rose Island, ...

; and Edward Fogerty of the

Brenton Reef Light The Brenton Reef Light was a Texas tower lighthouse at the entrance to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, United States, south of Beavertail Point. Erected to replace a lightship in 1962, it was decommissioned in 1989 due to its deteriorating conditio ...

ship. The captain and crew of a local life-saving station in Newport were also present. Ida Lewis was buried in the Common Burying Ground, in a prominent location, so her grave can be seen by passersby.

Legacy

In 1924 the Rhode Island legislature officially changed the name of Lime Rock to Ida Lewis Rock. The lighthouse service changed the name of the Lime Rock Lighthouse to the

Ida Lewis Rock Light Ida Lewis Lighthouse, which was formerly the Lime Rock Lighthouse, is in the Newport harbor in Rhode Island. It is named after Ida Lewis, who lived and worked at the lighthouse from 1857 and was the official lighthouse keeper from 1879 until her ...

house – the only such honor ever paid to a keeper in the United States. It is now the clubhouse of the

Ida Lewis Yacht Club Ida or IDA may refer to: Astronomy *Ida Facula, a mountain on Amalthea, a moon of Jupiter *243 Ida, an asteroid *International Docking Adapter, a docking adapter for the International Space Station Computing *Intel Dynamic Acceleration, a techno ...

. The burgee of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club features a lighthouse with 18 stars, representing the 18 people rescued by Ida Lewis. In 1995, the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

named the first of a new class of buoy tenders for Ida Lewis. The USCGC ''Ida Lewis'' (WLM-551), the lead ship of the 175' Keeper class, is stationed at

Middletown, Rhode Island Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown". History Vari ...

. The folk song "Lighthouse Keeper" by Neptune's Car was inspired by the experiences of women lighthouse tenders including Lewis,

Katherine Walker Katherine Walker (''née'' Katharina Görtler; November 25, 1848''Germany, Select Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898'' – February 5, 1931) was a German-American lighthouse keeper. Walker tended the Robbins Reef Light in New York Harbor for more th ...

, and

Abbie Burgess Abbie Burgess Grant (1839–1892) was an American lighthouse keeper known for her bravery in tending the Matinicus Rock Light in Maine during a raging winter storm in 1856. She did so for nearly a month while her father, the head keeper, was away f ...

. Ida Lewis' Gold Lifesaving Medal, along with two other medals awarded to her and other artifacts, are in the collections of the Newport Historical Society. In 2017, a Google Doodle commemorated her 175th birthday. The same day, the United States Coast Guard Northeast division posted a tweet honoring her birthday; it was later re-tweeted by the US Coast Guard main handle. In 2018, Ida Lewis became the first woman to have a road named after her at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

; the road is called Lewis Drive. English folk singer

Reg Meuross Reg Meuross is an English singer and songwriter based in Somerset. Meuross first emerged on the British acoustic music scene in 1986 when he formed The Panic Brothers with comedian Richard Morton. He made an album called ''In The Red'', prod ...

's 2019 album ''RAW'' includes a song called "The Eyes of Ida Lewis". The song tells the story of Ida Lewis in the voice of an imagined suitor whose life she had saved.

Notes

References

External links

Coast Guard bio

Ida Lewis Yacht Club

Scroll to "Ida Lewis Rescue,"
music published in 1869, "Respectfully dedicated ...to Miss Ida Lewis," shown on the cover "in costume as in the rescue of March 26, 1865."
Women in Transportation – scroll to Ida Lewis

New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide

Lifesaving Benevolent Association of New York Records

* ttp://www.rhodeislandlighthousehistory.info/plans_lime_rock_toc.html Lime Rock Lighthouse Plans 1853 and 1856 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Ida 1842 births 1911 deaths People from Newport, Rhode Island American lighthouse keepers Women lighthouse keepers Recipients of the Gold Lifesaving Medal Burials at Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery