During this period Ida Lewis was known to have saved countless lives from drowning.
She was first brought to Lime Rock in 1854, when her father was made the lighthouse keeper there.
For a time, Lewis was the highest-paid lighthouse keeper in the nation.
The soldier nearly lost his grip when Ida grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into her boat.
The Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York sent her a silver medal.
Ida made her last recorded rescue when she was 63.
Lewis rowed out to her and hauled her aboard.
Thousands of people came to meet her on the island.
In one summer, Idas father counted nine thousand.
She also received numerous gifts, letters, and even marriage proposals.
Ida Lewis died in 1911 after suffering a stroke.
She was buried in the Common Burying Ground.
In 1924 the Rhode Island legislature officially changed the name of Lime Rock to Ida Lewis Rock.
Three years later, the lighthouse was automated, and finally in 1963, the lighthouse was deactivated.
Photo:Kenneth C. Zirkel/Wikimedia Commons
