Saving Straitsmouth Island: A History


Book Description

Just off the coast of Rockport, Straitsmouth Island has enjoyed a noteworthy history that belies the island's small size. From the Pawtucket Indians who summered there more than one thousand years ago to its discovery by famous explorers Samuel de Champlain and Captain John Smith in the seventeenth century, it has seen fishermen, shipwrecks and piracy. From 1835 to 1935, three lighthouses were built, all with fascinating stories of the keepers and their families. Thanks to tireless restoration efforts by the Thacher Island Association and Massachusetts Audubon Society, the island was opened to the public for the first time in 180 years. Local historian Paul St. Germain details the rich history of this unique New England treasure and the efforts to preserve both its structures and natural beauty.




Saving Straitsmouth Island


Book Description

Just off the coast of Rockport, Straitsmouth Island has enjoyed a noteworthy history that belies the island's small size. From the Pawtucket Indians who summered there more than one thousand years ago to its discovery by famous explorers Samuel de Champlain and Captain John Smith in the seventeenth century, it has seen fishermen, shipwrecks and piracy. From 1835 to 1935, three lighthouses were built, all with fascinating stories of the keepers and their families. Thanks to tireless restoration efforts by the Thacher Island Association and Massachusetts Audubon Society, the island was opened to the public for the first time in 180 years. Local historian Paul St. Germain details the rich history of this unique New England treasure and the efforts to preserve both its structures and natural beauty.




Twin Lights of Thacher Island, Cape Ann


Book Description

Thacher Island was named for Anthony Thacher who, in 1635, lost his four children and other family members in a shipwreck during the most severe storm to ever hit the Massachusetts coast. Only Anthony and his wife Elizabeth survived. The lighthouses have played an important role in several wars, including the Revolutionary War and World Wars I and II, when the navy established a radio compass station to protect the coast from enemy submarines. A ship bearing a U.S. president almost wrecked on Thacher Island, and the island was used as a witness protection site for a Mafia criminal. Twin Lights of Thacher Island, Cape Ann captures the history, adventures, and intimate stories from over 200 years of lighthouse keepers living on the island, including how the two towers were built and how scientific discoveries were applied to improve the lights over the years.




The Field Guide to Lighthouses of the New England Coast


Book Description

Icons of the American shoreline, the lighthouses of the Atlantic coast stand in eloquent witness to the nations rich seafaring history. A guide to the longest-standing sentinels of all, those of New England, this engaging illustrated handbook takes you on a fascinating, fact-filled tour of the historic lighthouses of Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Written by one of the nations most respected lighthouse historians, this pocket field guide is as informative as it is easy-to-use. You will find historical and architectural details, anecdotes about deadly storms, hauntings, and life as a lightkeeper, and directions to more than 150 lighthouses from Cape Neddick in Maine to Boston Light, Americas first true lighthouse. Here are the towers of limestone, granite, and iron gracing shipwrecking islands aptly called "The Miseries" and "The Graves," as well as the beacons once fueled by whale oil and kerosene still standing at colorfully named points such as Burnt Coat Harbor and Deer Island Thorofare. With eye-catching color photographs, vintage postcards, and historical black and white images, this field guide is the ideal companion for travelers, tourists, and history buffs alike, as they explore the lighthouses of New England.




Rockport, a Town of the Sea


Book Description










American Lighthouses


Book Description

A celebration of the great American lighthouses, their keepers, their histories, and their ongoing stories For more than two centuries, lighthouses have helped sailors find their way through treacherous waters, guiding them home or taking them safely through passages on their way to adventure. These historic towers and houses form a sparkling chain of lights along our coasts, a reminder of the past echoing with adventure and mystery, a lure for travelers looking for a glimpse into a romantic past. Completely revised and updated, American Lighthouses offers more than just a tour of 450 beautiful and historic navigational beacons dotting the coasts and lakes of the United States. This fully illustrated, one-of-a-kind handbook details their history and architecture and provides full information on visiting or viewing them. Included are many endangered lights, threatened by erosion or lack of funding, as well as “ghost lights,” which are no longer standing.