by Cathy Taylor
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 uniques 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.
Cathy Taylor, a lifelong lighthouse enthusiast, founded Historical Place Preservation to promote the convervation of lighthouses and their rich histories. A new era began with the National Historic Lighthouse Preservaton Act of 2000 (NHLPA), which transfers lighthouse structures into public and private ownership. This volume chronicles the history of Maryland beacons: destroyed, decayed, and those lucky enough to receive new life through the NHLPS program. softcover, 128 pages

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