Keeper 1879-1906

Keeper 1879-1906. James Davenport. Family , James and Madeline Davenport raised a lighthouse family, spending 28 years at McGulpin. , James worked on schooners until he married Madeline in April of 1870. They moved to Mackinaw City and he acquired a job as 1st assistant keeper at Waugoshance Shoal Lighthouse at a salary of $400 per year. Offshore lighthouses only accommodated men so Madeline and their young family remained in Mackinaw City. After three years he was promoted to keeper at Little Sable Light, a mainland light which accommodated the entire family. In 1879 James swapped jobs with the keeper at McGulpin Point Light to be closer to their extended family. They bought a $100 lot in Mackinaw City across the street from the school, an ideal location for a large family of school children. During the winter months James worked as a carpenter and cabinet maker building many of the older homes in town including his own, constructed from wood taken from shipwrecks in the Straits. , , Buying Clothes , James had to order his clothing through the lighthouse service. He was paid $540 per year. What percent of his annual salary was required to buy this one set of work clothes? What percent of your annual salary bought the clothing you are wearing? How big was James? . This historical marker was erected by McGulpin Point Discovery Trail. It is in Mackinaw City in Emmet County Michigan