Description
From their inception and through the early years of the 20th century, long before automation, lighthouses were manned by keepers, often with their families in residence. In the case of the Petrie family, in 1922, their number included a new arrival, Martha. Over the years, Martha, or Mattie as she was nicknamed, went with her parents to several lighthouse postings around the British Isles. Growing up in the unusual environment that constitutes a lighthouse station, where going out to play can be a major hazard, Mattie witnessed much of which most children only dream.
