In observance of National Lighthouse Day, Aug. 7, Mathews Memorial Library, in partnership with Mathews County Historical Society, will host a lecture by historian Benjamin H. Trask on “Fannie M. Salter, the Foremost Lighthouse Keeper from Mathews County” on Thursday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m. at the library on Main Street in Mathews.

From 1820 to 1971, more than 100 residents of Mathews County served as lighthouse keepers. Noteworthy among this group was Fannie M. Salter, who received her appointment directly from President Calvin Coolidge and served 22 years as the principal keeper at Turkey Point Lighthouse, which stands at the confluence of the North East and Elk rivers in Maryland. Trask will discuss her career and connection to the scores of light keepers from Mathews County. National Lighthouse Day commemorates the date in 1789 when Congress passed the Act for the Establishment and Support of Lighthouses and was signed into law by George Washington. The legislation established federa...