Idawalley Zoradia Lewis was born in Newport, Rhode Island on February 25, 1842. In 1857 she moved into Lime Rock Lighthouse in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island with her family. Her father was the lighthouse keeper for a few years. Her dad had a stroke and her mom was had to do his job. Ida learned quickly how to manage the light.

Ida was the best swimmer in Newport and she rowed her brothers to and from school on the mainland every day. Ida was strong, courageous, and a skilled rower.

Ida was officially credited with saving 18 lives but she did not keep any records and some people believe it could have been as many as 35 lives. Her first rescue happened when she was only 16 as she saved the lives of four young boys who accidentally capsized their boat.

Her most famous rescue happened in 1869. Ida was sick with a cold when she heard men calling for help. She ran to her boat without a coat or shoes. It was two soldiers and a 14 year old boy. She managed to pull the two men on board the boat with her brother’s help. Sadly, the boy was lost at sea. For her heroism, she was awarded a gold Congressional Medal for lifesaving.

Her picture appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, a popular magazine of the day. Ida Lewis hats and scarves were sold in stores, Susan B. Anthony, the famous suffragette wrote about her in her journal, and there were even songs written about her. In 1869 President Ulysses S. Grant came to visit her.

When her mother died of cancer in 1879, Ida was named lighthouse keeper. Her salary was said to be $750 a year, making her the highest paid lighthouse keeper in the nation. Ida was still rescuing people as late as 1906 and possibly in 1909 when she would have been in her late sixties. Idawalley Lewis died on October 24, 1911. In 1924, the state legislature voted to change the name of Lime Rock to Ida Lewis Rock.