Reflections by Abbie Burgess Grant Still Endure
I never cease to marvel at how the past has a way of rhyming with the present – even if the coupling is not always readily apparent. In fact, it can take the passage of untold years before a fascinating correlation is discovered, but when the moment crystalizes, the parallels are simply soul-stirring.
The historical account of Maine heroine Abbie Burgess Grant is one such example. Her amazing story, which continues to inspire young and old alike, epitomizes the very meaning of courage and dedication to duty. We draw upon the notions of Abbie’s selflessness and bravery in making points of comparison that transcend her service to the lights and the bounds of time. Rightfully so!
Yet there is another aspect of Abbie Burgess Grant that astonishingly rhymes with history’s unfolding – her dreams.
In the April 5, 1890 edition of New York’s Journal of Commerce, writer Augusta Moore included, verbatim, a letter penned by Abbie Burgess Grant. At the time, Abbie was serving in the last year of her illustrious career as assistant keeper at Whitehead Light. Her husband, Isaac Grant, was the head keeper.
Toward the latter part of the letter, Abbie reflected on her early years at Matinicus Rock with her father, Samuel Burgess…
“In all these years I always put the lamps in order in the morning, and I lit them at sunset. Those old lamps – as they were when my father lived on Matinicus Rock – are so thoroughly impressed on my memory that even now I often dream of them.
“There were fourteen lamps and fourteen reflectors. When I dream of them it always seems as though I had been away a long while, and I am trying to get back in time to light the lamps. Then I am halfway between Matinicus and Whitehead, and am hurrying toward the rock to light the lamps there in time to be at Whitehead to light the lamps there before sunset.
“Sometimes I walk on the water; sometimes I am in a boat, and sometimes I seem going in the air – I must always see the lights burning in both places before I wake. I always go through the same scenes in cleaning the lamps and lighting them, and I feel a great deal more worried in my dreams than I do when I am awake.”
When I first read Abbie’s words about her recurring dream, they made quite an impression on me. Like countless others, I am familiar with the accounts that hail her profound sense of duty and indomitable spirit. However, through this letter, we learn more about Abbie as a person.
Abbie’s dreams revealed the uncommon depth of passion she had for the lighthouses at Matinicus Rock and Whitehead Island – and for the steadfast service their guiding lamps required. Such dreams impart the understanding that tending to the lights was not simply a job to Abbie. In fact, one can conclude that it was more than a calling as well. To Abbie Burgess Grant, keeping a good light was interwoven into the very fabric of her spirit.
So where does history rhyme with this account?
Well, the passage of time was considerable before coming to light. When the United States Coast Guard launched a 175-foot Keeper-class coastal buoy tender bearing her name in 1997 – the USCGC ABBIE BURGESS (WLM-553), in a peculiar way, Abbie’s dreams were enlivened once more.
The cutter’s primary mission is to maintain 366 aids to navigation from Boothbay Harbor, Maine, to the Canadian border. However, being homeported in Rockland, Maine, the “home” waters of the USCGC ABBIE BURGESS are Penobscot Bay – the same beloved waters that Abbie Burgess Grant once called home.
Further, the USCGC ABBIE BURGESS periodically steams by far-flung Matinicus Rock at the outer reaches of Penobscot Bay, and along Muscle Ridge Channel where Whitehead Light stands sentinel. When these transits are made at night, the crew of the buoy tender always cast an eye toward any aids to navigation in the vicinity to verify they are watching properly. This includes Abbie’s lighthouses at Matinicus Rock and Whitehead.
As Abbie Burgess Grant once recounted of her dreams, “…sometimes I am in a boat.” And, “I must always see the lights burning in both places before I wake.” On the occasions when Abbie’s name-sake passes by her lights and confirms they are winking and blinking, dreams of long ago shimmer with delight.
Before I conclude, there is one more unlikely coupling to this chronicle. The letter containing this mention of Abbie’s dreams was published on April 5, 1890 in the Journal of Commerce. The U.S. Coast Guard launched the USCGC ABBIE BURGESS on April 5, 1997. Exactly one hundred and seven years later to the day!
What are the chances?
Somewhere, Abbie Burgess Grant is no doubt smiling. And yes, Abbie, the lights at Matinicus Rock and Whitehead continue to shine bright. The U.S. Coast Guard is keeping with tradition – and emulating your dedication to service. Rest assured – the watch goes on!
