Lighthouses and Life Saving Along the Massachusetts Coast

by James W. Claflin

Book Overview

Author James Claflin combines an extensively researched text with this exquisite collection of many previously unpublished images to tell the story of a state dependent upon its coastal commerce.

Lighthouses and Life Saving along the Massachusetts Coast is a unique tribute to the men and women who protected mariners from shipping disasters. With a variety of vintage images from private as well as museum collections, this rare glimpse...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738537454
• ISBN13: 9780738537450
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 7.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Must for Massachusetts Lighthouse Buffs

LIGHTHOUSES AND LIFE SAVING ALONG THE MASSACHUSETTS COAST is part of the IMAGES OF AMERICA series. The content of the book consists mainly of pictures of the lighthouses and life saving stations as well as the people who staffed them. The book takes a person back to bygone days and shows the heroic people who dedicate their lives to navigational safety. The photographs show how lighthouse keeping was often a family affair. The book contains many rare historical photos of lighthouses that are still standing as well as some that no longer exist such as Egg Rock Light in Swampscott. There are also photographs of lighthouses in their original locations such as the Three Sisters in Eastham and the Twin Lights at Chatham.As helpful as the book will be for lighthouse lovers, perhaps the best feature of the book is the inclusion of photos and bylines regarding the life saving stations. The photos not only show the predecessors of today's Coast Guard in action, we see the actual faces of these heroic people. The photos can remind us of how difficult life at sea can be, and the risks the staff at life saving stations took trying to rescue troubled vessels.