In just a few yearsm these historic structures deteriorate beyond repair. Lost with them is the treasured maritime history of our country, the witness of countless lives saved, and the beauty of their architecture. The coasts and Great Lakes are lined at night by a fantastic collection of coded, flashing lights. By day, the structures stand out on the horizon, some wooden, some brick, others iron or granite. And in the mist they have resounded with bells and foghorns.
Navigators know well the signals of each particular light.
The first American lighthouse was built in Boston Harbor in 1716. Hundreds more followed, facing major challenges in construction on rocky, wave-swept ledges and shifting sands. Each lighthouse has its own story filled with folklore and legends of shipwrecks, drownings, heroic rescues, romance, and even ghosts. Neglect, vandalism, erosion . . . The Lighthouse Preservation Society is working to restore these landmarks and to create lighthouse parks, museums, and other public reuses of the lights.