Current Status
The Point Lonsdale Lighthouse is possibly the only manned lighthouse left in Australia.
According to the Canadian Lightkeepers Association, there are 37 staffed lighthouses in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, though the Canadian Coast Guard has plans to automate these installations. Machias Seal Island, in New Brunswick, has a lighthouse manned by the Canadian Coast Guard. It is kept manned for sovereignty purposes due to the the disputed status of the island with the US.
The last manned lighthouse in Finland was deserted in 1987.
All French lighthouses are automated, though a few are still manned.
The last lighthouse keeper in Iceland was terminated in 2010.
Baily Lighthouse was the last Irish lighthouse to be unmanned, in 1997.
As of 2011, there were 62 manned lighthouses in Italy
In 2006 Meshima Lighthouse became the last lighthouse in Japan to become automated.
As of 2011, there are two manned lighthouses in the Netherlands, one at Schiermonnikoog and the other at Terschelling.
All lighthouses in New Zealand have been automated since 1990.
The last Norwegian lighthouse keeper moved out of Runde Lighthouse in 2002.
The last manned lighthouse in the United Kingdom, the North Foreland Lighthouse, was automated in 1998.
The last civilian keeper in the United States, Frank Schubert, died in 2003. The last officially manned lighthouse, Boston Light, was manned by the Coast Guard until 1998. It now has volunteer "keepers" whose primary role is to serve as interpretive tour guides for visitors.
Read more about this topic: Lighthouse Keeper
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