Lighthouses Of Maryland And Virginia

Interest in the history and preservation of lighthouses has never been stronger. Lighthouses of the Mid-Atlantic Coast details the history of lighthouses and much more, and shows why these structures continue to fascinate us. Discover what life for lighthouse keepers was really like. Learn about the history of U.S. colonial lighthouses and the role lighthouses have played in several wars. Meet the brave, nefarious, and colorful characters who served as lighthouse keepers and government overseers. Learn about lighthouse technology and architecture and find out how these treasures are being preserved.

In Colonial times, as the Chesapeake Bay and larger rivers became vital shipping channels, the need arose to mark Maryland's dangerous shoals and waterways. Lighthouses sprang up throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, including wood-framed cottages placed upon screw pile foundations that stood offshore in the unforgiving waters. Most of these unique structures did not survive, lost tragically to ice that also occasionally claimed the lives of the keepers who faithfully tended them and rescued mariners in trouble. With the advent of electricity and GPS, many beacons succumbed to vandalism and neglect, leaving a fraction remaining.

Sailing on the Chesapeake Bay's myriad inlets in summer, it is hard to imagine that come January icebreakers might be plowing the waters you cruised in July. When portions of the Great Shellfish Bay are iced up the flow of commerce is impeded. At the turn of the 19th century, with the center of the new nation's government established in its arms, a frozen Bay meant that the United States' emergence to a status on par with the foremost nations of the world might be painfully slow. Throughout the 20th century years of extreme cold continued to halt navigation and fishing. James Foster chronicles the disasters, large and small, which come with the coldest of winters.

Lighthouses of the Southern States is the classic guide to the most significant lighthouses in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Through stirring historic accounts and stunning color and archival photographs, the stories of more than thirty-five lighthouses come alive in vivid detail. Each light––from Bodie Island Light on the Outer Banks to the Cape Florida Light outside Miami––tells its own engrossing tale of survival. Discover the rich history behind these majestic sentinels, and learn more about visiting them.

This text features a sequence of 32 photographic essays, documenting in 170 haunting images each of the lighthouses still standing along the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay. For each lighthouse there is a photograph of the structure in its setting, a view looking out from the lighthouse, and a close-up of some singular detail of the building. The text discusses how and why the lighthouses were built, important events in their history, and in some cases the lives of their keepers. The sequence of lighthouses follows an imaginary journey around the Bay, starting at Cape Henry, site of the oldest existing light.