Rock Island Lighthouse Keeper Eugene W. Butler served from October 1, 1901 to 6 June 1912. During that period, he maintained a logbook in which visitors to the station inscribed their name, hometown and date of visit. Entries run continuously from August 6, 1902 to April 13, 1911; hundreds visited, and recorded their names in their own handwriting, making the register not only a valuable record of activity at the lighthouse, but also a treasure to genealogists and local historians.

        Butler's register is currently owned by his granddaughter, Nancy Butler Trozze of Binghamton, New York, who generously loaned it to the Rock Island Lighthouse Historical & Memorial Association in February 2009 to be digitized.

        This website includes images of every inscribed page of Butler's register. Click on a thumbnail image below to view a full-size image of the corresponding page; you may start at the beginning or choose any page. Thumbnails are in page number order.

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