Lighthouse Keeper Grave Markers

About the Program

The Lighthouse Keeper Grave Marker Program began in Maine and was founded by Tim Harrison of Lighthouse Digest. The goal of the program is to honor the keepers (both civilian and U.S. Coast Guard) who diligently kept the lights burning. The Mayport Lighthouse Association (MLA), an Affiliate of the United States Lighthouse Society (USLHS), is one of many organizations around the country which has decided to join this effort and honor those who served at the St. Johns River Lighthouse, the St. Johns Lighthouse, or the St. Johns Lightship. This program also includes lightship crewmen as lightships were floating lighthouses.

When a Grave Marker and Ceremony Application is received from a family member, the keeper’s service is verified, normally by checking MLA’s and USLHS’s records of keepers who served at a lighthouse/lightship at the mouth of the St. Johns River. Then we look at the location of the cemetery where the keeper is buried. If it is in a county covered by our volunteers, then one of them will contact the cemetery to determine if grave markers are allowed, and if so, ask if there are any restrictions. Once approval is granted by the cemetery, then our volunteers will arrange for the marker to be installed by the cemetery staff or volunteers. We take measures to help prevent easy theft of the markers. The family may request a ceremony and invite friends and family to attend. We currently only have enough volunteers for ceremonies in Northeast Florida.

The counties in NE Florida are Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns.

Any family member who wishes to nominate a past keeper or crewman for this honor may fill out a Grave Marker and Ceremony Application and submit it to the Association. If approved, the grave marker is installed at no cost to the family, and the ceremony is paid for by the Association Board. This program is currently funded by an annual budget allocation of $500, and the Board has set a limit per keeper such that this amount will currently fund three grave marker installations and ceremonies per year.

For more information or to volunteer, please contact programs@mayportlighthouseassociation.org

To complete your application, please fill out the digital form below and press submit.

Alternatively, you can download the PDF Grave Marker and Ceremony Application and email it to programs@mayportlighthouseassociation.

or mail it to:

Mayport Lighthouse Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 7148
Jacksonville, FL 32228