Barbara (Estacholy) Mabrity (1782–1867) was an American

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

. Barbara Mabrity was born in Florida, her father Francesco (Staccioli/Stacoli) Estacholy arrived from Italy as part of the 1768 Turnbull Venture to Florida. Barbara (Estacholy)Mabrity and her husband, Michael, were assigned to be the keepers of Key West Light in 1826. Michael died of yellow fever in 1832, at which point Barbara was formally appointed to take his place. She maintained the light through hurricanes which blew through the key in 1835, 1841, and 1842. On October 10, 1846 another heavy storm hit the island, causing several people, including Mabrity's six children, to take refuge in the

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

. However, the tower began to crumble, and the keeper only had time to grab one of her children and escape before it fell, killing those who remained inside. Mabrity continued to serve as keeper before being fired in 1864 for making statements against the Union during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

; she died three years later. The

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

named a

coastal buoy tender The Keeper class of coastal buoy tenders consists of fourteen ships built for and operated by the United States Coast Guard. The ships were launched between 1995 and 1999 and all remain in active service. Their primary mission is to maintain th ...

, USCGC ''Barbara Mabrity'', based in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

in her honor.

References

External links

*http://www.uscg.mil/datasheet/175wlm.htm
Cutter Coat of Arms
1782 births 1867 deaths People from Key West, Florida United States Lighthouse Service personnel Women lighthouse keepers American lighthouse keepers Female United States Coast Guard personnel {{USCG-bio-stub