Historic Nantucket: Surfside Life Saving Station

By James W. Claflin

Historic Nantucket: Surfside Life-Saving Station is one of a continuing series of booklets that tell the story of historic lighthouses, lightships and life-saving stations along the New England Coast . The Nantucket coastline has long been one of the most dangerous areas along the New England coast. Over the years four life-saving stations and eight Massachusetts Humane Society stations stood guard over the island’s shores, standing ready to combat the seas in an effort to rescue shipwrecked mariners in their time of need. With thousands of vessels plying the dangerous waters, the chance of a shipping disaster was always great. Hundreds of shipwrecks did indeed occur off the coast with startling losses. Using descriptive text and a variety of vintage images from private as well as museum collections, we get a rare glimpse into the history of the area and the lives of these dedicated government men and women. Author James Claflin combines an extensively researched text with his exquisite collection of vintage photographs, many previously unpublished, to tell the story of this important piece of history.