North Carolina Lighthouses: A Tribute of History and Hope

by Cheryl Shelton-Roberts, Bruce Roberts, Ray Jones (Introduction)

From Google Books, "For more than 200 years, North Carolina's stoic lighthouses have defined the state's lacy yet lethal coastline as residents have worked to outsmart the impetuous shoals of the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Celebrating these revered symbols of warning and welcome, North Carolina's leading lighthouse experts, Bruce and Cheryl Shelton Roberts, explore how and why North Carolinians have bravely defended themselves from shifting winds and waves. Their years of extensive research have produced groundbreaking information and insights into the complex world of coastal North Carolina."

223 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coffee-table book with gorgeous photographs of the title subjects and their surroundings. The text is just enough to serve as an introduction to the history and surroundings of these monuments to human ingenuity and endurance on the thin sandy edge of the continent, without taking attention away from the visual images that dominate.

In the last 15 years, we have spend two weeks on vacation on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and hope to make it three in March 2009 (and many more now that we live in North Carolina). For the vast majority of us who lead landlocked lives, Eastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks are a revelation more water than land, and a stark reminder of the determinacy of God and nature in why, where, and how we live.

I have seen four of these lighthouses up close (Cape Lookout, Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island, and Currituck,), and climbed Currituck. They are beautiful pieces of art and engineering, and this book captures their essence on paper as well as anyone could.