Mary & Ella Smith (1874-1882)
In the history of the caretakers of the Point Fermin Lighthouse, perhaps the most interesting and peculiar story is that of the two Smith sisters, who were the lighthouse’s original keepers when it was first lit on December 15, 1874.
Mary Smith, the older sister, was in her 30s and understood the significance of her being a lighthouse keeper at the West Coast’s newest light. In 1874, having a woman in the primary role was highly unusual. Wives would assist their husbands, which was often the case.
But Mary and her younger sister, Ella, came experienced to the job. When their father, George Knight Smith, retired from operating the Ediz Hook Lighthouse in Port Angeles, Wash., Mary took over his primary duties, with Ella as her assistant.
San Pedro was a fledgling community when the sisters arrived at Point Fermin in 1874. The lighthouse stood alone with the surrounding land undeveloped. Getting any foodstuffs required taking the horse and wagon over to Wilmington.
FIRST LADIES: According to the PFLHS, this is the only known image of the Smith sisters. This is a very early stereograph of the lighthouse, circa 1875, shortly after it was built. Dr. James Brust, a San Pedro native, bought the photo at an antique show in the late 1990s and donated the use of the photo to the PFLHS in 2009. (photo: courtesy Dr. James Brust / Point Fermin Lighthouse Society)
The sisters were also expected to fish and raise vegetables in their garden to supplement their food supply. Maintaining an adequate water supply in the cisterns was always challenging, given the lack of regular rain. And, since the Smith sisters were the first keepers at the new lighthouse, they would be the unlucky ones to discover any flaws in the engineering.
According to Henrietta E. Mosley’s book Point Fermin Lighthouse Families: 1874-1927, “Point Fermin’s revolving apparatus was quirky. Mary’s daily log entries show numerous attempts by the U.S. Lighthouse Service lampist to regulate the device, but it never worked well. In 1884, after the Smiths had departed, the entire pedestal and clockwork assembly would be changed out.”
In January 1882, Ella Smith returned to Washington state to be with her family. The U.S. Lighthouse Board hired Ella’s replacement while Mary remained the lead keeper.
James Herald, who arrived with his family, was a Civil War veteran and an amputee. Employment laws at the time gave preference to disabled war veterans, provided they could perform their jobs effectively. How Herald managed to assist Mary with just one leg tugs at the imagination.
His cantankerous personality was also well-matched by his wife’s sour mood. The Heralds set out to harass Mary Smith and slander her reputation in order to have her removed.
A close-up of the Smith sisters. (photo: courtesy Dr. James Brust / Point Fermin Lighthouse Society)
For the next three months, Mary struggled with the erratic couple. Smith wrote to Cmdr. George W. Coffin of the 12th Lighthouse District, “Dear Sir – What can you make of Mr. & Mrs. Herald’s repeatedly telling me that I should be murdered before the 6th of April, are they insane?” Later she observed, “Mr. H. looks haggard & worn – says he is frightened and must leave this house within three days – He’d go tonight could he find a house to shelter him – seems terribly in earnest, so does his wife at times – then laughs & ridicules the idea – Again will come up & in a most mysterious manner say ‘don’t sleep in your bed tonight …’” (Mary L. Smith to Cmdr. George W. Coffin, March 30, 1882; Henrietta E. Mosley’s Point Fermin Lighthouse Families)
Cmdr. Coffin ultimately decided to fire both Smith and Herald. Several articles about this period state that Mary Smith left the job because she was lonely. But the reality was much more complicated. And, after more than a decade of lighthouse service (in Washington and California), her desire to continue her work as a capable keeper was ruined by an overly zealous war veteran and his plotting wife. It was an unfortunate ending to Smith’s career.
George Nichols Shaw (1882-1904)
When Mary Smith’s replacement arrived, he brought an air of hopeful change. Captain George N. Shaw was known to be very outgoing with a “salty congeniality,” according to Mosley’s book.
George Nichols Shaw. (photo: United States Lighthouse Society Archives)
The timing of Shaw’s arrival serendipitously coincided with the growth of San Pedro. The Southern Pacific Railroad extended its line from Wilmington to Timm’s Point, allowing for more ship traffic.
Captain Shaw was also a Civil War veteran but with all his limbs intact. He was assisted by his young bride, Carrie (he was 50, she was 22), and they welcomed a daughter, Verna, in 1884. The Shaws invited all of Wilmington and San Pedro to the lighthouse to celebrate Verna’s eighth birthday.
The initial years there were happy, but the marriage didn’t last. Verna was sent to the Bay Area for school and to be close to her maternal grandparents. Carrie eventually joined her. Capt. Shaw was left alone to manage the lighthouse property and complete his term. He did this while attempting to divert any attention away from his divorce, which carried a stigma at the time.
Irby Engels (1904-1916)
Irby Engels. (photo: United States Lighthouse Society Archives)
When Irby Engels arrived in 1904, he brought his wife Elizabeth and their young daughter Angelica. A key event during Engels’ time was the arrival of President Teddy Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet, a flotilla of 16 warships touring the Pacific on a goodwill mission. This majestic show of might brought many residents to the cliffs.
Inside the lighthouse, they now had phone service and indoor plumbing. With the influx of visitors came more risks to the lighthouse equipment.
According to Mosely’s book, Engels “says he is compelled to guard carefully against women with diamond rings, as they are always likely to rub them on the glass plate prisms of the big light in an effort to cut their initials.” Evidently, this early graffiti was a real problem, enough to be mentioned in the official lighthouse instructional guide.
Will & Martha Austin (1917-1925)
William Austin with daughters Juanita (left) and Thelma. Thelma would take over as the last resident keeper of the lighthouse under the U.S. Lighthouse Service. (photo: courtesy Martha Austin McKinzie, Point Fermin Lighthouse Society)
Will and Martha Austin were the grandparents of Martha Austin McKinzie, the current president of the Point Fermin Lighthouse Society.
The couple arrived at Point Fermin after serving at Point Arena and Point Conception. William Austin was a former sea captain and cowpuncher, and his wife, Martha Avila Bunce, was a descendant of the prominent Pico and Avila land-grant families.
Thelma Austin with the Olguin boys (John is in the middle) in the mid-1920s. (photo: the Olguin family)
Theirs was a great example of a lighthouse family, and, in their case, with eventually eight children, they had a small workforce. When it came to trash disposal, Cecilia Rasmussen of the Los Angeles Times wrote in 2002, “The children disposed of kitchen garbage by tying a rope to one of the younger boys, who clutched an armload of trash, then lowering himself about 100 feet below the cliff, where he left the trash to be engulfed by the sea.” The article continues, “As a joke, the boy once untied himself and retied the rope to a bush, then watched as his siblings tugged vainly on the rope trying to pull him up.”
Martha Austin died in 1925. Bereft, her husband died a few months later. Their daughters Thelma and Juanita reasoned that “… we had a sacred duty to perform: to promulgate the heroic work which our parents had started.” Thelma was 25 and Juanita was 21 when they took over the lighthouse operations.
Martha Austin. (photo: courtesy Martha Austin McKinzie, PFLHS)
“They were like the Thelma and Louise of their time,” says Martha Austin McKinzie.
The Austin sisters were the keepers until 1927 when the City of Los Angeles took over stewardship of the lighthouse.
WWII II & the City of L.A. (1927-1974)
Oscar I. Johnson, an L.A. City employee, became the last caretaker to turn on the light before the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
The lighthouse went through several significant changes during the WWII years. After the Pearl Harbor attack, the U.S. government issued coastal blackouts, which suspended the use of the light.
The lighthouse was never lit again.
The exterior was also painted green for camouflage, and a Coast Guard building was built in front of the lighthouse.
The lens was removed, and a “chicken coop” apparatus replaced the lantern room.
After the war, the lighthouse returned to the care of the City of L.A. in 1946, with Glen Sullivan taking over as caretaker from 1946 to 1973.
Julian Jimenez (1979-2002)
The last lighthouse keeper was Julian Jimenez, who worked through the City of L.A.’s Department of Recreation and Parks. Jimenez and his wife, Lisa, lived in the lighthouse from 1979 to 2002.
Julian and Lisa Jimenez in 2008. (photo: John Mattera Photography)
Jimenez also fulfilled other park duties in different areas of the city. During his tenure, he is widely credited with keeping the lighthouse free of graffiti and vandalism.
According to PFLH documents, Julian “not only looked after the lighthouse property, but was responsible for rescuing injured seal lions, pulling suicide victims off the cliffs and befriending all who came to his door as well as protecting park visitors, resources and facilities.”
Jimenez was a very active member of the San Pedro community. He was instrumental in revitalizing the lighthouse and the Improved Order of Red Men Lodge (San Pedro Wigwam). He was also responsible for the Fourth of July fireworks every year at Cabrillo Beach.
Julian passed away in 2016, while Lisa’s passing followed in 2023.
“As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of this community treasure, I hope others will join me in remembering the last keeper of the lighthouse, the late Julian Jimenez and his wife Lisa. Their love and care for the lighthouse will not be forgotten,” says L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn. spt