Lighthouse Keepers of Mathews County
November 14 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mathews County Historical Society, in partnership with the Mathews Memorial Library, will host a lecture by historian Benjamin H. Trask on “Lighthouse Keepers of Mathews County” on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at the library on Main Street in Mathews.
Chesapeake Bay lighthouse keepers, for almost two centuries, maintained the beacons that guided vessels through the treacherous waters in and around Hampton Roads and north up the Bay. Men, women, immigrants and formerly enslaved men can be counted among those who served to protect maritime commerce and, at times, rescue those in peril. Stories of these Mathews men and women will be the highlight of the evening’s presentation.
Benn Trask, noted historian, educator, Marine Corps veteran, librarian and museum curator is the author of numerous books including academic works on the Virginia Civil War regimental histories series and lighthouses of southeastern Virginia. Trask holds Bachelor and Master degrees from Virginia Tech and a Masters in Library Science from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has twenty years of teaching experience, primarily as a middle school history teacher and worked at The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News as librarian and curator.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, visit mathewshistory.org.
