The classic lighthouse setup in a story or film includes a lighthouse keeper in extreme isolation. There's an enduring image of lighthouse keepers living completely alone on a godforsaken island or spit, cut off from the world and left to their own devices. If there's more than one person living in the lighthouse, the second party is usually someone ominous and unpleasant.
The truth is somewhat different. First of all, most lighthouses are automated these days, and don't require full-time residential keepers. The Chicago Tribune explains that all functioning lighthouses in the United States have been automated for decades. The only manned lighthouse in the U.S. is Boston Light, the oldest continually used lighthouse in the U.S., which is still staffed by special Congressional order.
Many lighthouses have been converted into museums or hotels, and therefore still require a keeper or manager. But even in these cases, they rarely live in the lighthouse full-time, or at all. The Connexion reports that even at a lighthouse that is staffed year-round, the lighthouse keepers live there in shifts. At the Phare de Cordouan — the oldest lighthouse in France — five lighthouse keepers share the duties, and there are often two on duty at the same time. Some couples choose to become lighthouse keepers together, as described by CNN.
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