Larry Saint and Karla Smith are co-authors of Screwpiles: The Forgotten Lighthouses. Published as a fundraiser for Suffolk River Heritage, the book is the result of years of extensive research, interviews, and writing about the lighthouses of the Chesapeake Bay, James River, and North Carolina Sounds.

The James River lighthouses played an important role in our country’s history, first exhibiting their lights in 1855 in response to increasing steamship traffic. At the time, their design was unique, using a newly invented screwpile foundation that supported a cottage-style residence and cupola to house the light. The lightkeepers were dedicated men and women, living in often harsh conditions as they maintained their light. On duty around the clock, they seldom had the opportunity to be home. Hear fascinating stories of the people and places that made the James River lighthouses so important during the golden age of steamship travel, and how changing technology and declining river commerce forced their demise starting in the 1930s.