Michigan’s Lighthouse Matriarch: Elizabeth Whitney Williams with Dianna Stampfler

Michigan’s Lighthouse Matriarch:  Elizabeth Whitney Williams

Join an in-depth look at the illuminating life of Elizabeth (Whitney) VanRiper Williams – Michigan’s most noted female lighthouse keeper.

Born in 1844 on Mackinac Island, Elizabeth led a colorful life in northern Michigan including time on St. Helena Island, Manistique, Traverse City and Beaver Island – during the years when self-proclaimed King James Jesse Strang reigned.

A teenage bride, she and her husband – Clement VanRiper – moved into the St. James Harbor Light at Whiskey Point (one of two lighthouses on Beaver Island) in 1869 and thus began her 44 year career as a tender of now historic beacons.

When Clement died in a shipwreck rescue attempt, Elizabeth was appointed head keeper of her beloved light. She later remarried (Daniel Williams) and ultimately relocated to the new Little Traverse Lighthouse at Harbor Point in Harbor Springs, retiring in 1913. She and Daniel lived another 26 years in nearby Charlevoix, both passing away in January 1938 (within 24 hours of each other).

Dianna Stampfler has been researching Michigan’s lighthouses for nearly 30 years, specifically inspired by the stories of the heroic and passionate keepers who dedicated their lives to keeping the beacons burning. In 2019, she published her first book – Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouse, followed by Death and Lighthouses on the Great Lakes in 2022. Dianna is a member of the Historical Society of Michigan, Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and Michigan Maritime Museum, among other noted organizations. She founded her company, Promote Michigan, in 2004 and sits on the board of the West Michigan Tourist Association (where she worked when she first discovered her love of lighthouses).