Ocracoke Lighthouse and the Old Salts

Book excerpt: OCRACOKE ISLAND, tucked away on North Carolina's Outer Banks, is one of the true gems of America's coastlines.In Ocracoke Lighthouse and The Old Salts, award-winning historian Ellen Fulcher Cloud shares the story of both the iconic lighthouse and the men who worked Ocracoke's waters for generations. Her unparalleled research, little-known stories and own family tradition make this a must-read for any lover of the Outer Banks. First published 25 years ago as Ocracoke Lighthouse, Part 1 shares the story of the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina and the second oldest on the East Coast. Cloud unearths original details of the 1823 construction, as well as maintenance and logbook records kept by the keepers of the lighthouse. Then she tells her personal story and that of a few other public-spirited friends who engaged in the rollicking "Great Window Heist" to keep the historic lighthouse from being unalterably damaged by government officials.Part 2, first published as Old Salt, introduces the men of the sea ¿men who made their living working the water and risked their lives every day in doing so. From 1715, when pilots first were assigned to Ocracoke, until the 1960s, almost every man on the island ¿went down to the sea.¿ Cloud lets us know these seafaring men, pilots, fishermen and shrimpers, men of war, ship builders, surfmen of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, and even her own father.LONG ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to find, the two books comprising Ocracoke Lighthouse and The Old Salts are presented in an enhanced edition with more pages and photographs, additional material, computer-enhanced photo resolution and a keepsake hardcover binding.