In a charming blend of history and human interest, this book paints a colorful portrait of the lives of a vanished breed—the lighthouse keepers—from the year 1716, when the first lighthouse was established in America, to the early 1980s when automation replaced the last human “guardian of the light." A wealth of material from the archives of the 19th and 20th centuries—primarily letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts—provides vivid stories about lighthouse keeping in this country: the daily work; coping with fog, storms and other catastrophes; legends and ghosts; women's and families' roles; lighthouse children and pets; the natural world around lighthouses; and the diverse characters of those who held the job. Lighthouse keeping was a unique occupation, now obsolete, and this book is a fitting tribute to these tough, usually solitary, and dedicated heroes who kept the lights burning every night, without fail.

"Stories of wreck and rescue, death and sacrifice, all thread their way through the pages of this remarkable tribute to the 'wickies' of a bygone era. The book speaks of the courage of the old time keepers and their families, not just in rescuing shipwreck victims but also in the tenacity of their daily lives ... Narratives include : The thrilling story of the steamer "George W. Perkins" and it's close encounter with the Lansing Shoal Light during the height of the infamous 1940 Armistice Day storm ; Superior Shoal and the lighthouse that wasn't ; The death of six brave Coast Guardsmen at Oswego, New York in 1942 ; Poverty Island Light and the mysterious treasure ..."--Back cover.

Bob Trapani, executive director for the American Lighthouse Foundation and co-founder of the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation, recounts the stories of twenty-seven beacons from the lost Cape Henlopen Light Station, completed in 1767, to the Marcus Hook Range Rear Light Station, constructed in 1920. He not only discusses their construction and the changes they have undergone over the years, but also tells dramatic tales of their keepers, who braved storms, isolation and poor conditions so that the lights would stay burning for those at sea.

From the East Coast to the West Coast, the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico and Hawaiian Islands, this handsome book helps explain the lure of lighthouses in the United States. Among the most recognized structures of the maritime world, these lonely sentinels by the sea have long been the subject of paintings and photographs. Today they continue to capture public imagination as Americans flock to their sites for visits and volunteer to help preserve these endangered structures. This book covers all aspects of the subject, not only lighthouses and lightships but buoys, buoy tenders, fog signals, and their keepers. The work is as rich in historical information as it is in rarely seen photographs, and fourteen maps guide readers to the exact locations of the lighthouses. Readers are also treated to stories of shipwrecks and rescues, including the extraordinary story of Ida Lewis, head keeper of the light at Lime Rock, Rhode Island, who rescued eighteen people from the sea.