Lighthouse at Cape Florida

About the Book

Zachary arrives at Hurricane Harbor, Cape Florida, on March 15, 1836. A month ago, on his 15th birthday, he'd left his North Carolina home (or the embers that were left of it) and started out to find Uncle Ethan.

No one seems to have heard of Ethan Grant.  McEllery, the shopkeeper, hires Zack as a Temporary Helper at the Cape Florida Lighthouse. Zack thinks there would be little work at a lighthouse, so he plans to hunt for Uncle

Ethan in his spare time. McEllery reveals that Zack has signed a five-year indenture paper instead of a crew list.

Zack's immediate boss, John W.B. Thompson, is described by McEllery as "a good young man, thoug...you'll get on with him, if you do your work."

He's more interested in Mrs. DuBose and her daughter, Mary Isabel, a red-haired girl about his age, who makes him laugh for the first time since the fire.

Mary Isabel's grandfather, Keeper DuBose, is on his first vacation since the lighthouse was built 10 years ago.  In his absence, Zack meets Temporary

Keeper Cooley, a very sick man who is being cared for by McEllery and Henry, the aged black man who is the Caretaker at the lighthouse.  Zack visits

Cooley, who seems delirious and talks about the "wreckers, the Seminoles, and the pirates" as a very present threat.

A beautiful Spanish lady, Carmelita, becomes an inhabitant of his daydreams. In contrast, he is constantly in conflict with Mary Isabel.

Zack debelops a trust and communication with Henry in their work at the lighthouse and is able to draw from Henry's wisdom to come to grips with his own inner conflicts amid the terrifying events at Cape Florida lighthouse.

Zack finds himself at the crux of the conflict between the U.S. Government, the Seminole Indians, the Wreckers, and the settlers of the Florida Territory.

About the Author

Ferne Hallman White was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in Western Canada, and lived in the prairie town of Guernsey for her first five years. After the tragic death of her father, the family moved to Elkhart, Indiana. LIGHTHOUSE is a first novel, prior writings having been in newspapers and periodicals. She and her minister husband have 4 grown children. She holds and Associate Degree from Indiana University.