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Chapter 1: A Day in the Life of a Keeper.

My first duty to you as keeper, is to describe what a lighthouse is and explain the different parts.

What is a lighthouse? Supposedly there is no standard definition for a lighthouse! So lets see how Webster’s Dictionary defines a lighthouse:

"A tower or other lofty structure with a powerful light at the top, erected at some place important or dangerous to navigation to serve as a guide or warning to ships at night."

Webster was right, as a keeper it was my responsibility to climb the tower, light and maintain the light from sunset to sunrise. The light warned ships of the many dangerous off-shore rocks, and helped them navigate.

photoThis is a picture of my lighthouse. It is the shape of a typical lighthouse that most of us have seen in books or visited. My lighthouse is over 90 feet tall, white and made of many bricks.

Click on the lighthouse and learn some "Lighthouse Lingo". Read each lighthouse term carefully before trying to match them. Once you have read through them, match the number description with it's partner letter. Good luck!

When your done, check to see if you matched all the parts of the lighthouse correctly!

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