An addition to the Images of America series commemorates the true heroes who served to warn, protect, and rescue those who went to sea off the Oregon coast, beginning with the first Oregon lighthouse built at the Umpqua River in 1857 to the establishment of the Life-Saving Service and today's Coast Guard. Original.

Since the earliest days of European exploration, mariners have heard tales and relayed their own stories of North Carolina's perilous shoreline. With bold capes jutting into the ocean, sandy shoals extending miles offshore, fickle weather, and treacherous currents, it is no wonder that the coastline of the Old North State came to be known as the "The Graveyard of the Atlantic." The inherent dangers of traveling North Carolina's coast long ago gave rise to a fascinating and world-renowned strand of lighthouses and lifesaving stations from Currituck to Cape Fear. For more than two centuries, these bright beacons of safety have guided ships into busy harbors, signaled dangerous navigational obstacles, and warmed the hearts of homesick travelers. Their unique shapes and stoic beauty, as well as the adventures and lore that surround them, have elevated North Carolina's lighthouses to a legendary level far beyond their practical purposes. Indeed, they have become symbols of a brave and triumphant way of life. As the use of satellite navigation increases, many of the lighthouses along the coast are being phased out of operation. Not surprisingly, a new wave of travelers have begun making pilgrimages, whether by land or sea, to visit these famous landmarks. Tourists from all over the world now make the journey to lighthouses at Currituck Beach, Bodie Island, Cape Hatteras, and others. North Carolina Lighthouses and Lifesaving Stations presents to readers the tales behind the lighthouses, illuminating their past in both word and image.

Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Maine and New Hampshire Coast is a unique tribute to the men and women who protected mariners as they traveled along New England’s rocky coastline. With thousands of vessels plying the dangerous waters, the chance of a shipping disaster was always great. Hundreds of shipwrecks did indeed occur off the coast with startling losses. Through descriptive text and a variety of vintage images from private as well as museum collections, we get a rare glimpse into the lives of the dedicated government men and women. Author James Claflin combines an extensively researched text with this exquisite collection of previously unpublished images to tell the story of an area heavily dependent on its coastal commerce. The task of lighting and protecting the coasts was taken on by the U.S. Light-House Establishment and the U.S. Life-Saving Service, later merged to become the U.S. Coast Guard. Within these pages, see the Boon Island Lighthouse keeper, his family alongside, as he proudly poses in his uniform; life savers at Hunniwells Beach station as they pull through a blinding snowstorm to rescue the crew of a stranded schooner; and the way of life on an offshore lightship. Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Maine and New Hampshire Coast is a visual journey into our nation’s maritime history.

Lighthouse authority Elinor De Wire presents the Southern beacons from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Pensacola, Florida and salutes the courageous men and women who have tended them. Lighthouses of the South looks back at a bygone era of great storms, shipwrecks, and rescues; perilous fog and natural disasters; and the sequestered lives of lighthouse keepers at remote outposts along the sea.In Lighthouses of the South, readers will learn the history of such popular lighthouses as Cape Florida, Tybee Island, Cape Hatteras, Ocracoke, and Cape Henry. De Wire's lively stories are accented by Daniel Dempster's outstanding four-color photographs of lighthouses, interiors, and lenses. It also includes a bibliography and an appendix that lists all lighthouses of the Southeast Coast.

Of the over four dozen lighthouses that once marked the jagged shoreline of North Carolina, only nine still stand, watching over 300 miles of coast. These beacons are cherished monuments of North Carolina history. In addition to warning ships to safer waters, they now draw thousands of visitors each year. With this book, cofounders of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society Cheryl Shelton-Roberts and Bruce Roberts provide a well-researched, human-centered, and beautifully illustrated history of these towering structures. The authors offer stories—including the misadventures of Civil War spies and the threat of looming German U-boats off the North Carolina coast—that provide important context and meaning to the history of North Carolina's lighthouses. From Cape Fear to Currituck Beach, every still-standing lighthouse is lovingly described alongside their architects, builders, and keepers and the sailors who depended on the lighthouses to keep them from harm.

The Outer Banks have long been of interest to geologists, historians, linguists, sportsmen, and beachcombers. This long series of low, narrow, sandy islands stretches along the North Carolina coast for more than 175 miles. Here on Roanoke Island in the 1580s, the first English colony in the New World was established. It vanished soon after, becoming the famous "lost colony." At Ocracoke, in 1718, the pirate Blackbeard was killed; at Hatteras Inlet and Roanoke Island important Civil War battles were fought; at Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills the Wright brothers experimented with gliders and in 1903 made their epic flight. The Graveyard of the Atlantic, scene of countless shipwrecks, lies all along the ever-shifting shores of the Banks. This is the fascinating story of the Banks and the Bankers; of whalers, stockmen, lifesavers, wreckers, boatmen, and fishermen; of the constantly changing inlets famous for channel bass fishing; and of the once thriving Diamond City that disappeared completely in a three-year period.