Kate Moore

Catherine "Kate" Moore (1795-1900) was an American lighthouse keeper noted for the longevity of her tenure. The daughter of Stephen Moore, keeper of the Fayerweather Island Light in Connecticut since 1817, she gradually took over his duties as he became ill; she was not formally appointed keeper, however, until after his death in 1871. She kept a garden at the station, and tended oyster beds; she also carved and sold duck decoys. Moore kept a library, and had a collection of original paintings at the station, including one by Peter Paul Rubens. She entertained many visitors to the island, at one point numbering over a thousand in one year. During her time at Fayerweather Island she saved 21 lives; she once said that she wished she could have saved double that number.

Moore retired in 1878 and died at the age of 105 in 1900. The Bridgeport Regional Vocational Aquacultural School has named a research vessel in her honor.

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