you are confusing a light house with a harbour light - suspect living in mid USA doesn't help here. The lighthouses as I said were run by the Northern commissioners of lights (see Manxnotebook) and required trained staff who in course of promotion moved from one virtaully standard light to another - non-drinking Calvinist Scots were your typical lighthouse keeper as for some jobs (eg Chickens rock off the Calf) you could be stuck there for weeks.

Harbour lights were run by the harbour itself (under the harbour master). Oil lamps were messy things and you need a clear light to guide ships into harbour - it wasn't a high status job.