Bachand, Robert G. Northeast Lights: Lighthouses and Lightships, Rhode
Island to
Cape May, New Jersey . Norwalk, CT: Sea Sports Publications,
1989.
Cipra, David. Lighthouses, Lightships, and the Gulf of Mexico .
Alexandria, VA:
Cypress Communications, 1997.
DeWire, Elinore. Guardians of the Lights: The Men and Women of the U.S.
Lighthouse Service . Sarasota: FL, 1995.
Flint, Willard. Lightships of the United States Government: Reference
Notes .
Washington: Coast Guard Historian's Office, 1989.
Hague, Douglas B. and Christie, Rosemary. Lighthouses: Their Architecture,
History,
and Archaeology . Llandysul, Dyfed, Wales: Gomer Press, 1975.
(reprinted
several times)
Holland, Francis Ross. America's Lighthouses: Their Illustrated History
Since 1716 .
Brattleboro, VT: Stephen Greene Press, 1972. (reprinted several times)
Jones, Stephen. Harbor of Refuge . New York: W.W. Norton, 1981.
Kochel, Kenneth. America's Atlantic Coast Lighthouses: A Traveler's
Guide .
Clearwater, FL: Kenneth Kochel Publishing, 1998. (several earlier editions)
National Trust for Historic Preservation. Lighthouse Bibliography
. Boston: National
Trust for Historic Preservation.
Noble, Dennis. Lighthouses & Keepers: The U.S. Lighthouse Service
and Its Legacy .
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1997.
Roberts, Bruce and Jones, Ray. New England Lighthouses: Bay of Fundy
to Long
Island Sound (1996); Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses: Hudson
River to Chesapeake Bay
(1996); Southeastern Lighthouses: Outer Banks to Cape Florida (1998);
Gulf
Coast Lighthouses: Florida Keys to the Rio Grande (1998);
California
Lighthouses: Point St. George to the Gulf of Santa Catalina
(1997); Pacific
Northwest Lighthouses: Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and British
Columbia
(1997); Western Great Lakes Lighthouses: Michigan and Superior
(1996);
Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses: Ontario, Erie, and Huron (1996).
Old
Saybrook, CT: Globe Pequot Press. (there are various earlier editions of
these
books)
Small, Connie. The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife . Orono, ME: University
of Maine
Press, 1986.
Shanks, Ralph C. Lighthouses and Lifeboats on the Redwood Coast
. San Anselmo,
CA: Costaño Books, 1978.
Shanks, Ralph C. Guardians of the Golden Gate: Lighthouses and Lifeboat
Stations
of San Francisco Bay . Petaluma, CA: Costaño Books, 1990.
United States Department of the Interior. 1994 Inventory of Historic
Light Stations .
Washington: Government Printing Office, 1994.
Primary Sources
The Association covers the Great Lakes area. It collects history
about the region's lighthouses, disseminates information, and is active in
preservation. It also publishes a magazine, The Beacon, which
is available to members.
Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association
c/o Henry Ford Estate
4901 Evergreen Rd.
Dearborn, MI 48128
The Library of Congress has a large collection of documents and books on
lighthouses and other aids to navigation. A researcher can obtain almost
any book that has been printed in the United States.
The Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave. SE
Washington, D.C. 20540
The National Archives is the largest repository of primary source materials
in the country. It has numerous photographs, logs, architectural diagrams,
correspondence, and other research materials. Most of the Coast Guard and
Lighthouse Service related items are in Record Group 26. Anyone planning
to go to the Archives should have a good idea of what he/she is looking for
in order to reduce the amount of time searching. There are also several Regional
Records Servcies Facilities.
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Over 900 U.S. and foreign lighthouse related books and documents. Over 175
scrapbooks of articles and pictures of lighthouses. There are also numerous
photographs, drawings, and other related materials. In addition, the Center
has audio and visual research materials including photographs and slides.
Photocopies of books and other items can be made for a charge to cover the
costs of producing them.
Nautical Research Centre
335 Vallejo St.
Petaluma, CA 94952
Annual Reports of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, 1872-1935 (not inclusive).
These reports are organized by districts and give concise information about
the lighthouses in each district. Not every lighthouse is listed every year.
The reports also have maps, photographs, engravings, and large, folding drawings.
There are also Light Lists from the early 1900s to the present.
Files with photographs of U.S. lighthouses and lightships, documents, and
other information.
Library with numerous secondary sources relating to lighthouses. There is
also a large collection of primary sources including Lighthouse Service and
Coast Guard manuals and documents.
U.S. Coast Guard
Historian's Office (G-CP-4)
2100 2nd Street, SW
Washington, DC 20593
Large library with primary and secondary sources with information on lighthouses
and other aids to navigation.
Small manuscript collection that includes photographs, sketches, and postcards
of lighthouses as well as a few photographs of lighthouse keepers. The collection
also includes some records of government officials regarding employment,
contracts, and equipment.
Lighthouse Service Annual Reports from 1872-1935 (not inclusive) and Light
Lists.
U.S. Coast Guard Museum
Waesche Hall
15 Mohegan Avenue
New London, CT 06320
Most Annual Reports for the Lighthouse Service from 1852 to 1939
and a large selection of other sources including Coast Pilots, Light Lists,
and related documents. There are also several Life-Saving Service related
items.
Several filing cabinets with documents about every lighthouse and lightship
in the United States. There are also files for foreign lighthouses and related
topics. Microfilm records of lighthouse-related documents including records
for every lighthouse keeper, letters from the late 18th and early 19th century,
contracts, and architectural plans.
Thousands of black and white and color photographs of lighthouses, lightships,
and buoy tenders. The collection also includes numerous prints and several
architectural plans.
United States Lighthouse Society
244 Kearny St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
The Keeper's Log
(the quarterly publication of the United States Lighthouse Society; the Society
also sells lighthouse books)
United States Lighthouse Society
244 Kearny St. phone: 415-362-7255
San Francisco, CA 94108 e-mail:
USLtHseSo@aol.com
Lighthouse Digest
(a monthly publication; also has an excellent bookstore)
Lighthouse Digest phone: 1-800-668-7737
P.O. Box 1690 e-mail: Lhdigest@lhdigest.com
Wells, ME 04090
web site: http://www.lhdigest.com
Shore Village Museum Newsletter
(a semi-annual newsletter put out by Ken Black of the Shore Village Museum
in Rockland, ME; also has an excellent bookstore)
Shore Village Museum phone: 207-594-0311
104 Limerock St. fax: 207-594-9481
Rockland, ME 04841 e-mail: knb@ime.net
web site:
http://www.tiac.net/users/buster/shorevillage
"The Canadian Coast Guard"
"Library of Congress"
"Lighthouses Over the World"
"Lighthouse Society of
Great Britain"
"National Archives and Records
Administration"
"National Lightship Trust"
The United States Coast Guard
"The World Wide Web Virtual
Library: The World's Lighthouses, Lightships & Lifesaving
Stations"