Light Hearted ep 309 – East Brother Light Station and the history of Richmond, CA, with Desiree Heveroh

02/23/25 • 63 min

Desiree Heveroh at East Brother Light Station in Richmond, California

Desiree Heveroh describes herself a steward and keeper of the history of the city of Richmond, California, located in the San Francisco Bay Area’s East Bay region. She was a longtime board member of the East Brother Light Station, which is situated on an island in the strait that separates San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. East Brother is open to the public as a B&B inn, and Desiree actually lived in the lighthouse for 14 months during the COVID pandemic. She’s also the shipkeeper for the historic SS Red Oak Victory Ship in Richmond.

Desiree has a new book out, co-written with Victoria Stuhr. The book is simply titled Richmond. It’s one of Arcadia Publishing’s “Past and Present” series, which offers a special view of American life by placing historical images side-by-side with contemporary photographs. Jen Lewis, fundraising and outreach manager at the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse in northern California, co-hosts this episode.

Desiree Heveroh at East Brother Light Station in Richmond, California

Previous Episode

Light Hearted Lite #15 – Shona Riddell, author of “Guiding Lights,” and the USLHS’s upcoming virtual event

Pencarrow Lighthouse (1859) was the first permanent lighthouse in New Zealand. Mary Jane Bennett – the first official lighthouse keeper in New Zealand, and the only woman to ever hold the role – is profiled in “Guiding Lights.”

This is another episode of Light Hearted Lite, the series where we revisit interviews from the past six years of Light Hearted. First is a chat about an upcoming virtual conference the U.S. Lighthouse Society will be hosting in March. The conference will celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 and will feature a broad spectrum of presenters. Joining us for this discussion are Henry Gonzalez, president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, and Kathy Fleming, vice president.

Shona Riddell

Author Shona Riddell was interviewed in episode 82 back in September 2020. Shona lives in Wellington, New Zealand, and her 2020 book, Guiding Lights: The Extraordinary Lives of Lighthouse Women, shares the stories of lighthouse women from around the world and through the centuries, including heroic female keepers, isolated families, and dedicated caretakers. This is an edited version of the 2020 conversation.

Next Episode

Light Hearted Lite #16 – Fred Mikkelsen, Coast Guard keeper at Conimicut, RI

Fred Mikkelsen

This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 43 in January 2020. Conimicut Lighthouse is a cast-iron caisson structure built in 1883 to mark a dangerous shoal at the mouth of the Providence River. 18-year-old Coast Guardsman Frederick Mikkelsen was assigned to the station in 1958. One of his most memorable experiences in his three years at the lighthouse was a 1960 hurricane.

Shortly after Fred Mikkelsen left, Conimicut became one of the last lighthouses in the nation to be converted to electricity. The light was automated and the resident keepers were reassigned in 1963. The lighthouse is owned today by the City of Warwick, RI, and it has recently been restored.

Conimicut Lighthouse, photo by Jeremy D’Entremont