Name: US Life-Saving Service
Brand: Sandra Thurlow
SKU: 9781467124188
Price: 24.99 USD
Availability: InStock

US Life-Saving Service

9781467124188

$24.99

Ten houses of refuge, unique to Florida's east coast, were constructed by the US Life-Saving Service between 1876 and 1886. When ships traveling along the almost uninhabited coast were grounded or wrecked on reefs, survivors often made it to land but had no way to reach civilization. House of refuge keepers and their families provided food and shelter to victims of shipwrecks. The keepers' lives were monotonous but punctuated with the excitement of an occasional shipwreck. The US Life-Saving Service provided the framework on which the east coast of Florida developed. With the establishment of the US Coast Guard in 1915, the Life-Saving Service houses of refuge became Coast Guard stations.

USCG Air Station and Group Astoria

9780738589206

$24.99

US Coast Guard Air Station and Group Astoria was established on August 14, 1964, at Tongue Point in Astoria. It is currently located at the Warrenton-Astoria Regional Airport in Warrenton, Oregon. The group includes Air Station Astoria, the Aids to Navigation Team, Station Grays Harbor at Westport, Washington, Station Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco, Washington, and Station Tillamook Bay at Garibaldi, Oregon. They also supply support for the USCG cutter Alert (WMEC-630), USCG cutter Steadfast (WMEC-623), USCG cutter Fir (WLB-213), the National Motor Lifeboat School, the Electronic Support Detachment at Astoria, the Advanced Rescue Swimmer School, the Marine Safety Detachment, and the Advanced Helicopter Rescue School. In August 2011, the unit became USCG Sector Columbia River.

North Point Milwaukee Lighthouse

9780738582641

$24.99

The North Point Milwaukee Lighthouse, neatly nestled in beautifully landscaped Lake Park on Milwaukee's east side, is a local maritime jewel. Incorporated as part of legendary landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted's grand design for this scenic urban park, North Point rests far atop a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan, making it one of the highest light stations on the Great Lakes. Three distinctly different lighthouses have been located here, each with its own unique story. Notable keepers include Georgia Stebbins, who came to North Point as a sickly young woman and was transformed by fresh air and hard work into a feisty, dedicated lightkeeper and served with distinction for over 30 years. Abandoned and boarded up for many years, North Point has been resurrected from near ruin. Today, the North Point Lighthouse Friends see to it that this historic sentinel is preserved for future generations.

Missions of Central California

9780738596808

$24.99

After the discovery of Alta California, the Spanish Crown charged the first Franciscan friars to enter into the New World through Lower Baja, with a succession of conquistadors, explorers, and soldiers, on a trail called El Camino Real or "The Royal Road." The settlement began in 1769 at Mission San Diego de Alcalá, a new port and military presidio with buildings of mud, brushwood, and tule grass. Fr. Junípero Serra, the legendary mission presidente and founding father of nine missions, traveled along a worn path lined today by symbolic bell markers leading to many remarkable, modern cities. After 1772, settlements were spread to California's central coast region, filling with native neophytes who became the residents and builders of all mission settlements. The Spanish missions had brought dramatic changes to California's landscape and forged the underpinnings of its earliest history, founded serendipitously with the American Revolution and birth of the United States.

Morris-Jumel Mansion

9781467123433

$24.99

Morris-Jumel Mansion is an engaging look at the history of
Manhattan's oldest residence. Built by Roger Morris in 1765 as a summer estate, it has truly been a witness to history throughout the last 250 years. Located in the upper Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights, the mansion sits on a large hill, with sweeping views of both the East and Hudson Rivers. George Washington strategically located his headquarters here during the fall of 1776, but the Jumels, who made the house their home from 1810 to 1895, left the most indelible mark. In 1904, the residence became a museum, thanks to the Daughters of the American Revolution, who saved the house and allowed it to grow with the changing neighborhood. Today, this landmark is a symbol of both the long history of the city and the contemporary face of its now diverse neighborhood.

Building the Natchez Trace Parkway

9780738591537

$24.99

This pictorial history of Natchez Trace illustrates the people, places, and events that have shaped the area's cultural and natural history.

The Natchez Trace is one of the oldest trails in North America. In 1801, President Jefferson ordered the Army to build a road along the trail to provide a route for moving troops and delivering mail. Jefferson dispatched soldiers down the road in 1803 to protect the Louisiana Purchase, and Andrew Jackson and his troops followed it to battle the British in the War of 1812. As an 1800-era link between Nashville, Tennessee, and Natchez, Mississippi, the road served as a pathway for settling much of what we now know as the South. Twentieth-century writers such as Eudora Welty later embellished its lore of heroes, bandits, and spies, inspiring Southern leaders to revive the Natchez Trace.

Eagle's Nest

9781467123327

$24.99

Designed and constructed by the eminent New York City architectural firm of Warren & Wetmore, Eagle's Nest estate is the easternmost Gold Coast mansion on Long Island's affluent North Shore. From 1910 to 1944, the palatial Spanish Revival estate was the summer home of William K. Vanderbilt II, great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Eagle's Nest hosted the most exclusive guests and intimate gatherings of Vanderbilt family members and close friends. Included among them were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, golfer Sam Snead, and the Tiffanys. Vanderbilt embarked on many of his legendary world voyages from this locale, along with a 50-person crew and a few fortunate invited passengers. During his travels, he collected natural history specimens and ethnographic artifacts from every corner of the earth. With the help of scientists and museum professionals, Vanderbilt created exhibits at Eagle's Nest to showcase his collections. "Willie K.," as he was known, bequeathed his estate and museum to the public, fulfilling his intended mission.

St. George Reef Lighthouse

9781467133173

$24.99

Situated at the end of a reef six miles offshore of Crescent City, California, stands St. George Reef Lighthouse. Constructed after the wreck of the coastal steamer Brother Jonathan in 1865, the beacon warned mariners of the dreaded "Dragon Rocks" of St. George Reef for nearly a century. This book chronicles the loss of the Jonathan, decades of efforts to make the light a reality, the 10-year construction period, manning of the station by keepers of the US Lighthouse Service and Coast Guard, and the struggles and accomplishments of dedicated volunteers to restore what many lighthouse historians refer to as "America's greatest lighthouse."

Fort Dix

9780738509099

$24.99

Chronicling the history of life central New Jersey's Fort Dix army camp from 1917 to the present day.

Located in central New Jersey, Fort Dix has been training soldiers since its founding in 1917. More than three million men and women have passed through its gates since it was built as one of the original 16 army camps to train and mobilize soldiers for World War I. The fort, once known as Camp Dix, has experienced many changes over the years.

This unprecedented photographic history traces the evolution from a wooden cantonment to the installation of brick and fiber optics, from a horse-dominated transportation system to a motor vehicle system, and from training recruits to serving Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers. Along the way, Fort Dix depicts the influence of the 78th Division, the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Women's Army Corps, Desert Storm, and the humanitarian work of resettling the Kosovo refugees.

Camp Grant

9780738532196

$24.99

"Good old Camp Grant, right close to home." Those words, true at the time they were written during World War II, applied to Camp Grant from the beginning. Tracks were laid in what was a farm field in northwest Illinois, and within the span of 90 days a small city was built. During its use as a post, thousands of soldiers were trained at what became Camp Grant. Local businesses showed loyal support for the troops and those working at the station hospital did their best for the returning wounded.

The story of Camp Grant cannot be told simply through the forming of the camp, the training that took place, or the camp's eventual demise. Each part is a story unto itself, retold through the memories and photographs from the World War I troops, Illinois National Guardsmen, World War II draftees, medical personnel, and German POWs that passed through. Those photographs are gathered together here, narrating and preserving the story of Camp Grant.

Weatherford

9781467130110

$24.99

Weatherford was settled in the 1850s, when the pioneers and Indians came for its rich soil and water sources. The mark of fame for Weatherford is the Goodnight-Loving Trail, which was driven by two cattle drivers, Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving. Charles Goodnight, who was killed in an Indian attack, is buried in Weatherford, and a historical marker is placed at his grave in the historic Greenwood Cemetery. Cotton and watermelon were the popular industries, and watermelon festivals still bring crowds to the Courthouse Square. Over 150 images highlight Weatherford's historic town square buildings, the courthouse, homes, and cemeteries. Take a journey back into the 1800s with this photographic walking tour from the Courthouse Square to far and away. These images will bring back to life how Weatherford was built, how it survived, and the pioneers who kept its rich history alive.

Lighthouses and Life Saving at Oswego

9781467128513

$24.99

The oldest freshwater port in the United States is nestled firmly into the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario at Oswego, New York. Since 1822, four lighthouses have guided the mariner's safe passage to shore, and just as those lighthouses stood watch, so did the men and women who manned them. Members of the US Life-Saving Service, Revenue Cutter Service, and Coast Guard followed and remained vigilant in the face of danger, always ready to assist those in distress on the inland sea. Lighthouses and Life Saving at Oswego allows readers to step back in time and explore the iconic landmarks and exemplary individuals that afforded Oswego its commercial prominence for nearly two centuries.

Sloss Furnaces

9780738566238

$24.99

Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark is currently the only 20th-century blast furnace in the nation being preserved and interpreted as an industrial museum. Since reopening in 1983, Sloss Furnaces has become an international model for similar preservation efforts and presents a remarkable perspective of the era when America grew to world industrial dominance. At the same time, Sloss is an important reminder of the dreams and struggles of the people who worked in the industries that made Birmingham the "Magic City." Today Sloss is not only dedicated to preservation and education but serves as a center for community and civic events. Site tours and public presentations provide insight into Sloss's industrial heritage as well as a rare glimpse of an early Birmingham that has all but disappeared.

Fort Bridger

9781467131452

$24.99

The history of Fort Bridger represents a microcosm of the development of the American West. Situated in an area initially inhabited by the Shoshone people, Fort Bridger was established during a transitional phase between the fur-trade era and the period of western migration. The fort became one of the most important supply points along the nation's western trail network. Later, the post served as a bastion of civilization as one of a number of western military posts. Soldiers at the fort protected not only the lives and property of its local citizenry but also the emerging transportation and communication advancements of a nation. Following the Army's departure, a small settlement emerged at Fort Bridger, using buildings and materials from the old military garrison. Today, the fort and town remain active, in part as a respite for travelers just as it had been more than 150 years ago.

McClellan Air Force Base

9780738547626

$24.99

McClellan Air Force Base has been a part of California's military and aviation history since the mid-1930s. Originally named Pacific Air Depot in 1935, the base's name was changed to the Sacramento Air Depot in 1938, and it became a repair facility for such fighter planes as the P-38 and P-39. During World War II, the base saw significant use in outfitting and supplying munitions for various fighters, including the B-17. Many armed-services personnel departed from McClellan for the Pacific theater, including in part Jimmy Doolittle's famed detail of B-25s, which attacked Tokyo in 1942. After the war, the base stored many types of aircraft, including the B-29 bomber series, and in 1948, changed its name to McClellan Air Force Base, continuing its mission of overhauling and retrofitting planes throughout the cold war.

Taconic Pathways through Beekman, Union Vale, LaGrange, Washington, and Stanford

9780738504759

$24.99

For motorists traveling in Dutchess County on the Taconic State Parkway, the dominant impression is the beauty of a seemingly unchanged natural landscape. Nestled under the shadow of the Taconic (Berkshire) Mountains to the east with views west to the Catskills, the parkway follows a ridge halfway between the towns and cities on the Hudson River and those in the Harlem Valley bordering New England. The parkway, as envisioned by a commission appointed in 1925 and initially chaired by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was built "to open up a very beautiful section at present inaccessible" and "to provide a new through road from New York City." Roosevelt later claimed the road as his "invention." Taconic Pathways shows in part what has happened to the parkway and to five remote towns that it opened to accelerated growth and considerable change. In the beginning, the parkway was a leisurely recreational
experience that offered breathtaking views, many of which were previously reserved for circling hawks or the fortunate locals who knew the back trails to the heights; today, the parkway has become a route for commuting residents. Before the parkway was built, Beekman, Union Vale, LaGrange, Washington, and Stanford were dotted with farms and hamlets; with the
parkway came the rise of suburban living and an accelerated decline of the family farm.

Taconic Pathways through Beekman, Union Vale, LaGrange, Washington, and Stanford

Lighthouses and Life Saving Along the Connecticut and Rhode Island Coast

9780738505121

$24.99

Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Connecticut and Rhode Island Coast is the third in a series of titles offering a unique tribute to the men and women who protected the mariners as they traveled along New England's rocky coastline. Thousands of vessels faced the dangers of the rugged sea which caused hundreds of shipwrecks off the coast with devastating losses. Author James Claflin combines a thoroughly descriptive text with this diverse collection of over two hundred vintage images, from private as well as museum collections, to create an illustrated history of an area strongly reliant on its coastal trade. The U.S. Light-House Establishment and the U.S. Life-Saving Service, which later merged to become the U.S. Coast Guard, assumed the responsibility of lighting and protecting the coasts. Inside, you will see the lighthouse keeper at Bullock's Point Light as he surveys the damage from the Hurricane of 1938, witness the life savers at Block Island's Sandy Point Station where first word of the wreck of the steamer Larchmont was received, and experience life on an offshore lightship. The book guides you through the days of the life savers-the work they performed, their rescues, and the evolution of their architecture through the years.

Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast

9780738548876

$24.99

The Oregon Coast has been the site of shipwrecks even before Lewis and Clark's arrival in 1805. Even as the population grew, the federal government let the Oregon Coast go unguarded by lighthouses and lifesavers for decades. Economic and political pressures finally forced the government to build the first Oregon lighthouse in 1857 at the Umpqua River. The LifeSaving Service followed in 1878 with a station at the mouth of Coos Bay. Eventually, most of the harbor entrances and headlands were protected by both the Lighthouse Service and the LifeSaving Service, the precursor to today's Coast Guard. Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast commemorates the true heroes who served to warn, protect, and rescue those who went to sea.

Lighthouses and Lifesaving on the Oregon Coast

Fort Leavenworth

9780738560823

$24.99

On March 17, 1827, Col. Henry Leavenworth received orders from Washington. Along with four companies of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, he departed from the Jefferson Barracks at St. Louis, traveled up the Missouri River, and selected a site for a permanent settlement. Cantonment Leavenworth was established on May 8, 1827, and renamed Fort Leavenworth on February 8, 1832. Since then, it has grown and met the demands of the U.S. Army. From the protection of pioneers along the Santa Fe Trail to peacekeeping missions among the Native Americans, the fort's role in the nation's expansion westward is second to none. Fort Leavenworth has continually reinvented itself to meet the challenges facing the nation. From training units during the Civil War to army education during Operation Enduring Freedom, the fort's many schools have stood true to their motto: Ad bellum pace parati (prepared in peace for war).

Seattle's Historic Hotels

9780738580029

$24.99

Mary Ann Conklin, also known as "Madame Damnable," ran Seattle's first hotel, the Felker House, which burned to the ground in the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. The Rainier Hotel was erected quickly following the Great Seattle Fire but razed around 1910. The Denny Hotel, an architectural masterpiece later known as the Washington Hotel, was built in 1890 but torn down in 1907 during the massive regrade that flattened Denny Hill. Upon opening in 1909, the Sorrento Hotel was declared a "credit to Seattle" by the Seattle Times. The Olympic Hotel was the place for Seattle's high society throughout the 1920s. The Hotel Kalmar was a workingman's hotel built in 1881 and was razed for the Seattle tollway. The Lincoln Hotel was destroyed by a tragic fire in 1920, along with its rooftop gardens. The famous and grand Seattle Hotel in Pioneer Square was replaced by a "sinking ship" parking garage, thus sparking preservationists to band together to establish Pioneer Square as a historic district.

Topsfield Fair

9780738512075

$24.99

The Topsfield Fair is the oldest agricultural fair in America. In 1818, men of Essex County formed the Essex Agricultural Society in Topsfield, Massachusetts, with Col. Timothy Pickering of Salem, a Revolutionary War hero, agriculturist, and elder statesman as president. The mission was to promote and share new and progressive methods of agriculture and to show cattle at an annual outing. For nearly a century, the fair was moved to various towns within the county until 1910, when it settled into its permanent home in Topsfield. For nearly two hundred years, the Topsfield Fair has attracted millions of people to witness a spectacular fall event rooted in agriculture but also filled with thrills and family entertainment. Many forms of horse, dog, motorcycle, and automobile racing over the years have garnered gate receipts to pay for premiums and permanent display buildings for the agricultural exhibitions. Exhibits range from home and farm products to horses, poultry, oxen, cattle, sheep, swine, goats, rabbits, bees, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and trees. Vaudeville, water follies, pageants, rodeos, thrilling acts and rides, singing stars, horse hitches, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the commercial and food establishments have always added to the atmosphere of the fair.

Black Hills National Forest

9780738583709

$24.99

Once vital to fire prevention and detection, most of the Black Hills National Forest historic lookout towers now serve primarily as hiking destinations. The first crude lookout structures were built at Custer Peak and Harney Peak in 1911. Since that time, more than 20 towers have been constructed in the area. The first lookout towers were built of wood, most replaced by steel or stone. The Civilian Conservation Corps was instrumental in constructing fire towers during the 1930s and 1940s. One of the most famous and architecturally and aesthetically valued towers is the Harney Peak Fire Lookout--situated on the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. Harney Peak is among a number of Black Hills towers listed on the National Historic Lookout Register. Over 200 vintage images tell the story of not only the historic fire towers but those who manned them. Perched atop high peaks in remote locations, fire lookout personnel spent countless hours scanning the forest, pinpointing dangers, often experiencing the powerful wrath of lightning strong enough to jolt them off their lightning stools.

Maryland's Lighthouses

9780738553450

$24.99

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.

Adirondack Hotels and Inns

9780738557694

$24.99

The Adirondack region evolved over years from vast, impassable wilderness to a land of logging camps, tanneries, sawmills, and small settlements. By the end of the 19th century, the area grew again, becoming a tourist destination famed for its great hotels, quaint inns, cottages, and rustic cabins. The hotels and inns spread throughout the Adirondacks, beginning after the Civil War and continuing during the Gilded Age between World Wars I and II. The region drew the rich and famous, as well as workers and families escaping the polluted cities. This volume contains 200 vintage images of those famed accommodations that catered to years of Adirondack visitors. Most of the buildings seen in this book no longer exist, having been destroyed by fires, the wrecking ball, or simply forgotten over time. Adirondack Hotels and Inns provides a timeless look at the vacation retreats of the past.

Madura's Danceland

9780738584263

$24.99

Danceland! For hundreds of thousands of couples from all around the Calumet region of Northwest Indiana and Chicago's East Side, the name alone conjures up memories of dancing and romancing to thousands of live big bands.

Opening night in October 1929 drew over 2,000 people to the beautiful ballroom with the famous maplewood dance floor. It continued to thrive with live music four nights a week and 12 months a year throughout the Big Band Era, despite the Great Depression and World War II, and into the rock 'n roll era, until it burned to the ground on Sunday morning, July 23, 1967. Almost everyone's marriage in the region began with a dance at Madura's Danceland. In the 38 years Danceland was open, it had only two owners and managers, Michael (Mike) Madura Sr. and Michael (Mick) J. Madura Jr., father and son. It remained a family business for all those years, with three generations of the Madura family having worked there in many capacities.

The National Road in Pennsylvania

9780738511665

$24.99

The history of America is written over every mile of the National Road in Pennsylvania. The original National Road can be traced to Native American trails. George Washington, Gen. Edward Braddock, and James Burd converted portions of Native American trails into a roadway suitable for military purposes and westward expansion. Then came the National Road, built in the early 1800s to accommodate increased traffic traveling westward on the existing road. It was the first federally built road in the United States. Alternately called the National Pike and the Cumberland Road, the National Road was overlaid by segments of U.S. Route 40 in the 1920s. Today, the National Road is designated as a National Scenic Byway as well as an All-American Road. From Addison to West Alexander, The National Road in Pennsylvania contains images of important historic sites and towns on the ninety-mile stretch of highway. The defeat of Col. George Washington's troops at Fort Necessity spawned the French and Indian War. One of the most famous instigators of the Whiskey Rebellion, David Bradford, built his home alongside the National Road. The first cast-iron bridge in America was built on the National Road in Brownsville. The road is flanked by toll houses, coal mines, historic taverns, and automobile camps. One will find images of an S-bridge, mile markers, and memorials relating to the history of the area.

The Mid-South Fair: Celebrating 150 Years

9780738542782

$24.99

Established in 1856 by the Shelby County Agricultural Society, the Mid-South Fair celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2006. Memphis, known as the cotton capital of the South, depended on agriculture for much of the 19th century, and the fair offered farmers and the general public a venue to learn of new products and to compete with others from the region. Through the Civil War, yellow fever epidemics, and two world wars, the fair has prevailed to become one of the largest in the nation. It has been a part of many lives and formed many memories of rides and rodeos, cotton candy and pronto pups, and that first big drop on the roller coaster. The Mid-South Fair: Celebrating 150 Years brings back those memories through words and photographs, taking the reader back to a time when excitement was only a ride away on an old wooden roller coaster.

The Mid-South Fair: Celebrating 150 Years

Route 15

9780738510484

$24.99

Hartford is an old New England river city separated from its eastern neighbors by the Connecticut River. With the opening of the Merritt Parkway in 1940 and construction of the Wilbur Cross Parkway inviting traffic from Boston and New York, the Connecticut legislature realized a new river bridge at Hartford would be a must for local and through traffic. This became a reality in 1942, when the Charter Oak Bridge was opened to traffic. By 1948, the system of roads and highways numbered Route 15 was completed, with Hartford as its focal point. The character of the three Connecticut parkways, the Berlin Turnpike, the Hartford Bypass, and the Charter Oak Bridge is described in Route 15: The Road to Hartford.

Highway historian and retired highway engineer Larry Larned, author of Traveling the Merritt Parkway, has appeared in television and radio interviews speaking about Route 15 and the nation's early roads. Route 15: The Road to Hartford presents images from his forty years of collecting and documenting Connecticut roadside culture, architecture, and engineering. His detailed account of the road to Hartford includes personal recollections of traveling Route 15 as a youngster and studying the details along the way-the tollbooths, the bow-tied gas station attendants, the families on picnics at rest stops.

Fort Robinson

9780738551180

$24.99

Established in northwestern Nebraska in 1874, Fort Robinson served as a military post for nearly 75 years, playing a critical role in the settlement of the West. From here, soldiers marched out to participate in the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877. The famous Oglala leader Crazy Horse was killed at the post. In 1878, Dull Knife's band of Northern Cheyenne attempted to escape the post, resulting in more than 64 deaths. Troops from Fort Robinson were also sent to the Pine Ridge Agency during the Ghost Dance fervor in 1890, the last of the armed conflicts with the Lakota. The arrival of the railroad at Fort Robinson initiated a new role for the post in the 20th century. Between 1885 and 1907, Fort Robinson was home to the 9th and 10th Cavalry, the famous buffalo soldiers. In 1919, Fort Robinson became a remount depot where horses and mules were purchased and conditioned for issue to the army. During World War II, Fort Robinson included a German POW internment camp and the site of the army's largest war dog reception and training center. The fort closed in 1948 and was made a state park in 1972.

Lighthouses and Life Saving Along Cape Cod

9781467122139

$24.99

For centuries, heroic men and women have guarded the treacherous yet beloved Cape Cod coastlines. From Provincetown to Chatham, Sandwich to Cuttyhunk, and many towns in between, residents have relied on the Atlantic for employment and nourishment. But Cape Cod has always been plagued with a shifting coastline that consistently defies mariners' efforts to pass through Massachusetts waters. In 1792, as shipping increased, mariners petitioned for a sorely needed lighthouse. It was not until 1797 that the first lighthouse on Cape Cod was built at the Highlands in North Truro. More lights and rescue stations would follow as the seas claimed their toll. Many lightship stations were also established from Chatham through Nantucket Sound to mark the constantly changing sandbars submerged offshore--more than in any other spot along the US coastline. Today, as sea levels change and sands continue to shift, some of these historic stations have been lost or moved, while still others are preserved only in such photographs as these.

Lighthouses and Life Saving Along Cape Cod

Cana Island Lighthouse

9780738541013

$24.99

The Cana Island Lighthouse is one of the most picturesque of any lighthouses still operating on the Great Lakes today. The beautiful peninsula of Door County has a long and bountiful tradition of maritime history, including its many lighthouses. Cana Island has illuminated the coastline on the Lake Michigan side of Door County for over 100 years. Cana Island's story involves bricks and mortar, engineering marvels, and, most noteworthy, people. The dedication of Cana's keepers and their families over the years was remarkable. Countless mariners relied on them. Lighthouse life could be challenging, at times tedious, but also extremely rewarding. Most visitors will agree that Cana Island is indeed an extraordinary place.

Cape St. George Lighthouse and Apalachicola Bay

9781467124973

$24.99

The beacon of the historic Cape St. George Lighthouse still guides mariners into Apalachicola Bay. Founded in 1831, the town of Apalachicola took its name from Creek Indians, to whom it signified a land of friendly people. Sheltered from the Gulf of Mexico by a string of barrier islands, the port flourished as the only site in Florida on a river that is navigable for over 300 miles to the fall line at Columbus, Georgia, Apalachicola's sister city. Generations of lighthouse keepers were bound to St. George Island and its great bay by an intense sense of duty to sustain seagoing commerce and a love for a place where they could raise their families in freedom. When the foundation washed away in 2005 after a very active hurricane season and a final surge from Hurricane Wilma, residents took action to salvage and rebuild the historic lighthouse. Visitors may still climb the lighthouse tower, surrounded by bricks that were first laid in 1852.

Cape St. George Lighthouse and Apalachicola Bay

Fort Pulaski

9781467113731

$24.99

Forts are a lasting tribute to the prominence of the US military, and Fort Pulaski stands among these magnificent fortresses. Overlooking the mouth of the Savannah River and the Atlantic Ocean, Fort Pulaski is named in honor of Gen. Casimir Pulaski, Revolutionary War hero and father of the US Cavalry, which endured some of the most damaging artillery combat in early American warfare. In addition to its unfortunate notoriety for serving as the first fort where a rifled cannon was successfully tested in combat against masonry forts, it played a part in other significant events, including a baseball game during the Civil War where one of the first photographs of the sport was taken with the newly invented camera. Ultimately, the fort was considered important enough to be preserved and designated a national monument.

Resorts of Lake County

9780738547985

$24.99

Beginning in the 1860s, the first vestiges of the resorts of Lake County appeared around the sparkling pools of the region's many hot springs and upon the shores of Clear Lake. Lured by the supposed medicinal qualities of the water, people flocked to rustic campgrounds and cabins to "take the cure" for their ailments, drink, and bathe, staying for long periods each summer. Within a few years, ambitious
entrepreneurs bottled the springs' mineral waters and built more luxurious accommodations and amenities. Although the claims of curative waters lost sway over time, resorts equipped with extensive
recreational facilities, dance floors, live music, bountiful food, hunting, fishing, and children's entertainment continued to draw visitors in droves. Families filled the resorts in summers, and by the 1940s, large group and society meetings as well as conventions began to utilize the resorts on spring and fall weekends. Though few original resorts remain, today, in 2007, the region's business directory lists 51 Lake County resorts.

Along the Route 100 Corridor

9780738536330

$24.99

The tiny villages along what is now known as the Route 100 Corridor are Bally, Eshbach, Bechtelsville, New Berlinville, Boyertown, and Washington Township, which consists of Schultzville, Barto, and Forgedale. In the late 1800s, the area's prosperous industry attracted such figures as Thomas Edison. The rich history of the area also includes the worst fire in U.S. history, the first Mennonite house of worship, one of the first Catholic missions in the thirteen original colonies, and a young missionary woman who traveled to India and perished on the Titanic. Through vintage photographs and descriptive captions, Along the Route 100 Corridor is a trip down these historic dirt roads with the early settlers.