Sally Snowman and her husband Jay Thomson on the occasion of Sally's retirement on December 15, 2023. Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.



At the end of this year, Sally Snowman will retire after 20 years as keeper of Boston Light in Massachusetts, America’s oldest light station. As a civilian employee of the Coast Guard, she oversaw tours and managed the Boston Light Augmentation Program, under which members of the Coast Guard Auxiliary perform various functions at Boston Light. She also has represented Boston Light in numerous interviews and TV shows. She is the last lighthouse keeper in the United States still employed by the federal government, a legacy that goes back 234 years.



Boston Light, photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.



The wedding of Sally Snowman and Jay Thomson at Boston Light in October 1994



In 2018, Sally was the recipient of a “Keeper of the Light” award from the American Lighthouse Foundation for "her sustained dedication and outstanding achievement at historic Boston Light Station – and for perpetuating our great nation’s time-honored lightkeeping heritage" Sally’s husband, Jay Thomson, who is a civil engineer, also took part in this interview.