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The year was 1937 when seventeen year-old Harry Spencer, Jr. accompanied his father, Harry, Sr. on a routine monthly inspection up the 152 steps of Liston Range Rear Light, Delaware. For Harry, Jr., it would be another 64 years before he would make the same trip up to the lantern room of the Delaware River’s most imposing lighthouse - this time to retrace the steps of his beloved father, the legendary keeper, Harry Spencer, Sr.
For Harry Spencer, Jr., the chance to revisit the lighthouse where he was born at in 1920 seemed more like a distant dream since the light is an active aid to navigation and closed to the public. However, Harry’s dream became reality in late-summer 2001 when Chief Michael Baroco of the USCG Aids to Navigation Team, Philadelphia, upon learning of Harry’s connection to the light, was more than willing to arrange this special occasion for Mr. Spencer.
The moment Harry climbed the six concrete stairs leading to the vestibule and approached the entrance to the lighthouse, one could sense history was in the making. When Chief Baroco told Harry, “the light is open - feel free to go in,” the journey back in time began in earnest. Even at 81 years of age, the 152 steps and 5 landings of Liston Range Rear Light proved no match for Harry as he conquered each steel step on his way up to the light’s watchroom without stopping.
Liston Range Rear Light is a towering structure; standing 127 feet tall and exhibiting a brilliant fixed white light from its second order Fresnel lens. The wrought iron structure was relocated to the Liston Range Rear site from the discontinued Port Penn Range Rear site in 1906. The Liston Range Front Light and Liston Range Rear Light work in tandem to help guide mariners up the Delaware River. Their guiding lights can be seen some 20 miles down range after ships pass Ship John Shoal Light in the Delaware Bay and head up the Delaware River, making it the longest range in the United States, and quite possibly the world.
The heightened anticipation for Harry reached its pinnacle when he scaled the last step that led to the watchroom - it was then at that moment he took the time to reflect back to a bygone era when his father stood many a diligent watch in the small confines of the Liston Range Rear Light watchroom. Before ascending up to the lantern room, Harry recounted some of the memories his father passed on to him about the watch area, stating, “Dad would always stand the first watch from sunset to midnight, before the assistant keeper relieved him to stand the second half of the watch from midnight to sunrise.” Harry recalled the keepers having to carry buckets of coal up the light to fuel the small stove that served as their only source of heat. He also remembered his father telling him that the Liston Range Rear Light would sway in high winds and that one night, water literally sloshed out of a bucket that sat next to the stove. Harry shook his head in amazement as he stood reminiscing about his father’s watches and stated, “I remember the watches as awfully boring ordeals, yet my father did not seem bothered at all. The duties of the keeper were accepted by all as such required...there was no alternative.”
Inside the watchroom is a steep ladder that leads to the summit of the lighthouse - the lantern room with its awe-inspiring second order Fresnel lens. Without question the sparkling Fresnel lens is the crown jewel of any lighthouse, with Liston Range Rear Light’s lens no exception. Harry gently allowed his fingers to follow the prisms smooth curvature and marveled at how his father meticulously polished the lens on a regular basis before stating, “I am quite fascinated by the Fresnel lens in this light and how it has the ability to refract and reflect such a brilliant light so far - its simply astounding.” No trip up to the top of any lighthouse would be complete without stepping outside onto the catwalk and taking in the phenomenal view it affords. As Harry stood on the outer walkway, he looked down on the keeper’s house where he was born and pointed out the room he once occupied as a young boy. In another glance, he commented on how the landscape had changed since his family once lived here. Today, Delaware Route 1, a new major highway continues to evolve to the west of the light, while the new homes dot the land to the southeast of the property. Nonetheless, for as much as time has changed the surroundings or the way Liston Range Rear Light is maintained, so much about the light remains the same as it continues to stand as a stoic sentinel for the Delaware River.
After absorbing every moment possible from this special experience, Harry descended back down the spiral staircase, his thoughts racing through each memory along the way. He summed up the day by saying, “To have the opportunity to see the lighthouse again and visualize the many aspects inside the light during the climb made many of my childhood memories come to life. Having the chance to stand in the watchroom again where dad spent so many lonely hours on watch was very special as well.”
So just who was Keeper Harry Spencer, Sr. anyway you might ask - the answer is simply one of the most proficient and time honored keepers of the historic U.S. Lighthouse Service. Keeper Spencer’s lighthouse odyssey began with his appointment as keeper of Port Mahon Lighthouse (DE) on the Delaware Bay in 1907. He remained at Port Mahon until 1908 and subsequently followed that appointment up with four other assignments that included Barnegat Lighthouse (NJ) from 1909 to 1910, Baker Range (DE) from 1911 to 1914, Liston Range Rear Light (DE) from 1915 to 1927 and finally Liston Range Front Light (DE) from 1927 to 1943 where he passed away at the age of 63.
Keeper Spencer’s tour at Liston Range Rear Light was at a point in his career where the U.S. Lighthouse Service began to highly recognize his talents as one of Fourth District’s finest keepers. Harry, Sr. was picked to represent the district at the Sesquicentennial Convention in Philadelphia during 1926, where he spent nearly two months from 6/28/26 to 8/20/26. Keeper Spencer was also the recipient of the U.S. Lighthouse Service Efficiency Star; however, to fully comprehend the work that went into the receiving the Efficiency Star, it is best to understand the award itself. The 1912 report of the Bureau of Lighthouses to Congress stated, in part, “To promote efficiency and friendly rivalry among lighthouse keepers, a system of efficiency stars and pennants has been established. Keepers who have been commended for efficiency at each quarterly inspection during the year are entitled to wear the inspector’s star for the next year, and those who receive the inspector’s star for three successive years will be entitled to wear the Commissioner’s star...” Keeper Spencer was awarded both the Inspector’s Star and Commissioner’s Star while serving at Liston Range Front Light, and proudly flew the triangular U.S. Lighthouse Service pennant beneath the American flag each day as part of the honor.
The amount of dedicated work Harry Spencer, Sr. placed into being the very best of lighthouse keepers was incredible; however, as was the case at many well-kept light stations, family teamwork played a major role in ensuring the quarterly inspections were met with satisfaction. To this end, it’s safe to say Harry, Sr.’s wife Sophia and their five children, Elizabeth, Dorothy, Laura, Harriett and Harry, Jr., played major roles in ensuring Keeper Spencer maintained an impeccable light station.
Harry Spencer, Jr. best describes the unwavering commitment that earned his father so many awards and universal respect from his counterparts with the service when he said, “Dad was extremely dedicated to ensuring not one thing was out of compliance with the regulations of the U.S. Lighthouse Service. He literally devoted his entire life to the duties of being an excellent lighthouse keeper, as well being a wonderful husband and father for his family.” In another statement about his father’s commitment, Harry was quoted as saying, “My father would not settle for anything but the best the light station could be...everything had to be just right. His commitment to the duties of a keeper was recognized by the Fourth Lighthouse District who presented him with many awards over his career - he was quite proud of the awards.”
For Harry Spencer, Jr., growing up with a father who was such a legendary keeper seemed normal, as he didn’t think of it as being anything out of the ordinary. In fact, Harry, Jr. states, “I never thought of our family as being special or different than anyone else who lived around us, my father simply was the lighthouse keeper. We socialized with neighbors and did everything any other family did.” In retrospect, Harry, Jr. understands the unique life his family and him led and is quite proud of his father and having grown up in a lighthouse. As the lighthouse community continues to recount some of the finest light keepers to grace the steps and trim the wicks of our country’s lighthouses, one name most assuredly belongs in that hallowed roll-call - Harry Spencer, Sr., quite possibly the most decorated light keeper of the Delaware River and Bay. However, the writer must add that if Keeper Spencer was anything like his son, he was an even finer person than lighthouse keeper - and in the end, that is maybe the finest honor anyone can ever receive.
This story appeared in the
December 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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