Screwpiles: The Forgotten Lighthouses

John Sheally and Phyllis Speidell After 25-plus years working together at The Virginian-Pilot covering news and features, Phyllis Speidell and John Sheally combine their energy and skills in a diversity of projects—in print, video, and online. They produce books and videos for private clients and nonprofit foundations, create commercial and promotional projects for government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits, and publish a variety of features in national and regional magazines. All that said, what they really enjoy is a good story with a challenge. When Saint invited them to join the screwpiles project, they were “in” instantly and developed the scope of this book to include screwpile lighthouses in not only the James River area but also south into North Carolina and north into Maryland. Their initial work entailed dozens of interviews and road trips to Maryland, North Carolina, and along coastal Virginia. They talked with librarians, historians, builders, artists, and anyone who might have recollections to share. Then they captured those stories in words and photos. Research done, they tackled the formidable task of editing the team’s text, images, and graphics to design an informative history of screwpiles presented in a lively, readable, and visually appealing book. This is that book, a blend of archival research and real-life experiences, and one the entire team hopes will preserve the history of the screwpiles. As a continuing part of the screwpile lighthouse project, Suffolk River Heritage plans to compile an online archive where additional materials about the screwpiles will be available to anyone with an interest. The online archive will also allow the foundation to add additional research information as it is collected.

Madison Phillips (left) explains the restoration of the screwpile lighthouse at Edenton

View of brown metal roof and cold stove stack

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