Coast Guard Wife Speaks of Life at Cuckolds
By Sue Clark on Sep 10, 2007 in Lighthouse Keeper Jobs 
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The Boothbay (Maine) Register had a nice story about the restoration effort at the Cuckolds Island Lighthouse recently, with the highlight of the story coming from Nancy Conley, former Coast Guard wife who served at the station in 1965 and 1966. The event was a trip out to the island to view the progress being made on rebuilding the house, which was demolished in the late 1970s.
Maine Senator Susan Collins was on hand to greet the visitors before they left for the island from the Carousel Marina in Boothbay Harbor. Part of the purpose of the trip was to be on hand as the Coast Guard installed a new lens from Sweden in the tower.
From the story:
“My husband and I and our two- year-old son were stationed out there in 1965 and 1966. We lived in the two-family dwelling attached to the light. My husband was a lieutenant first class boatswain’s mate, and the other fellow living in the other half of the house was a third class engineer. He and his wife had a six-month-old baby.
“It was all rock out there on the island; the kids played on a patio outside the doorway. The Coast Guard would take us out to the mooring and we would take a pea pod into the boat slip. In between the long ledge that we called little Cuckolds and the larger island, we would hook up to a boat pull or winch which would pull us up.
“I was in my twenties when we lived out there and the buildings were intact then. There was a boat house with a walkway to the patio where you entered the house. The kitchen was very, very large, [located] off of what was the living room, which had a winding staircase to the upstairs with its two bedrooms and one bath. Off of the living room was the laundry room which both dwellings shared. Off from the laundry room was the engine room where the water cistern was. Off from the engine room was the entrance to the lighthouse.
“I manned the light once in awhile. I had to know how to man the light if no one was there. Being Coast Guardsmen’s wives, we didn’t have too many duties, but we did have to bring up boats into the boathouse with the winch. Generally a guy would always be there.
“If we fueled up in the night, lots of times it would be too rough out and we would then be dropped off at Burnt Island for the night. I experienced every season out there; lots of extreme weather. There was a large sea wall where storms would hit. One time a wave came over the wall and broke one of the windows.
“It was the Coast Guard’s duty to maintain the lighthouse; my husband would paint or fix things there and I would help too. What else were you going to do out there?” Conley said.
Nancy did however find time for other things as she would write many letters to her mother. Her mother, in turn, typed each letter and put them together including a drawing of the lighthouse done by her husband. A collection to remember her island lighthouse years, Nancy has saved these and hopes to print them in the future.
When asked if she is looking forward to a time when she can re-visit the site of her old home, she said emphatically, “Oh yes, I know how to climb those rocks even in the slipperiest weather.”
For more information on the Cuckolds, check out www.cuckoldslight.org. TheLighthouse DIgest also has a great story written by Kelly Farrin entitled Life on Cuckolds.
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