International Women’s Day Spotlight: Ida Lewis
Ida Lewis was born Idawalley Zorada Lewis-Wilson on February 24, 1842 in Newport, Rhode Island, and would become a renowned figure of heroism in her work as a lighthouse keeper at Lime Rock Light off of Newport.
Her father was appointed keeper of Lime Rock Light in 1854, and moved his family there in 1857. But four months after this, her father was disabled due to a stroke, so Ida and her mother kept the lighthouse. As Lime Rock was surrounded by water, Ida became an excellent swimmer and could deftly maneuver a rowboat by a young age.
She made her first rescue as age 12, but her most famous rescue was on March 29, 1869. Two soldiers and a young boy were trying to navigate the harbor toward Fort Adams when their boat capsized. Unfortunately the young boy was lost, but the two men clung to their boat in the icy water. Ida dragged them into her rowboat with the help of her younger brother, saving their lives.
She is credited with 18 rescues over the course of her 54 year long career at Lime Rock Light, but other reports suggest it could be higher. She was covered often in the press, and received numerous honors and awards, including the Gold Lifesaving Medal.
Lewis made her last recorded rescue when she was 63. A friend was rowing out to the lighthouse, stood up in her boat, lost her balance, and fell into the water. Lewis rowed out to her and hauled her aboard.
In 1879 she was officially appointed the keeper at Lime Rock Light, and she spent most of her life there. When she died in 1911, the bells of all vessels in Newport harbor rang for her, and over 1,400 people attended her funeral. Lime Rock was officially renamed Ida Lewis Rock in 1924.