Ginger Nichols will talk about her experience as keeper of the Destruction Island Lighthouse in the 1960s at the First Friday Lecture sponsored by the Jefferson County Historical Society on Oct. 1.

Nichols lived on the 30-acre island, which is four miles from the mouth of the Hoh River between Cape Flattery and Grays Harbor, from 1961-1964. While living there, she was flown to Port Angeles to give birth to a daughter and returned two weeks later.

In "Life at the Destruction Island Lighthouse," Nichols will tell of the challenges of raising a family on the isolated tabletop island, which rises roughly 80 feet from the Pacific Ocean. Construction of the Destruction Island Lighthouse began in 1888. The Coast Guard assumed responsibility for it in 1939 and automated it in 1968. The beacon was switched off permanently in April 2008.

The program begins at 7 p.m. in the historical Port Townsend City Council Chamber, 540 Water St. Admission is by donation, which supports Historical Society programs countywide.