Most people will ponder an intriguing question for a brief period before occupying their mind with something else. For local author William C. Grayson, though, what began as a simple curiosity expanded into answers to thousands of questions, assuring amazement for generations to come.
Coastal Point • RYAN SAXTON:
William C. Grayson signs copies of his book.
With a second home in South Bethany, Grayson and his wife would frequent the shore in the summertime and on weekends, each time passing the towers that many have come to recognize as part of the familiar terrain along the beaches of Cape Henlopen, Dewey Beach and Fenwick Island. However, very few seemed to know exactly for what reason they were assembled and what purposes they served.
“I had always driven up and down the coast,” Grayson said. “I had wondered what on earth they were, and nobody had any answers.”
In an effort to find the answers to his inquiries, he went to the Cape Henlopen State Park office. Grayson had learned there that a book had been written about the towers, but he was told it was full of errors.
“That was all I needed to hear,” he said.
So he set off to compose an accurate account of Delaware’s artillery shoreline.
“I’m a pretty careful scholar, and I wanted to answer these questions — not just for me, but for others, too.”
As a result, in 2005, he put the finishing touches on his second published book, “Delaware’s Ghost Towers: The Coast Artillery’s Forgotten Last Stand During the Darkest Days of World War II,” a recounting of the events that took place along the state’s coastline more than half a century ago.
Grayson discovered that all of the Coast Artillery assets in the state of Delaware belong to Fort Miles, which located at Cape Henlopen. During World War II, the unit based there was the 21st Coast Artillery regiment, most of which were Delaware National Guard.
Today, the Fort Miles Historical Association is dedicated to restoring and preserving the area. Some 12-inch guns, used in World War II, are on display at Cape Henlopen’s gun park. Soon, a 16-inch gun will be brought over for display. It is the largest bunker weaponry used in the war.
This definitive history shines light on members of the U.S. Coast Guard and Army who stood their ground as the first line of defense against a potential sea strike in the second world war.
During his year and a half of research, Grayson worked closely with the Coast Defense Study Group (CDSG), an organization dedicated to preserving and sharing accounts of the country’s coastal defense. And the CDSG reviewed Grayson’s finished piece to ensure accuracy.
“I didn’t want to repeat errors from previous authors,” he said, “and I’m confident that everything [I wrote] is 100 percent correct. I think there are a lot of stories around here to be told, and, when I can, I’d like to be the only one to tell them.”
Grayson made an appearance at Bethany Beach Books for signing of “Delaware’s Ghost Towers” this past Sunday. And copies of “Delaware’s Ghost Towers: The Coast Artillery’s Forgotten Last Stand During the Darkest Days of World War II” are now available at most local bookstores, including Bethany Beach Books, Atlantic Books in Bethany and Fenwick Island, and Rehoboth’s Browseabout Books.
Stories of ages past have always inspired this active author.
After serving in the Air Force, and spending the better part of a decade at Chicksands Royal Air Force Station in Bedfordshire, England, Grayson grew fascinated with that area’s past and the building’s 1,000 year history. He wrote articles that captured the accounts of the station and surrounding area, before someone advised him to collect them together in a book.
When Grayson retired from the Air Force in 1976, though, his enthrallment with history only expanded. Soon after finishing up “Delaware’s Ghost Towers,” he began work on his latest project, a book titled, “At Least I Know I’m Free,” wherein he explores a hypothetical twist in the days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
“I consider myself a history buff,” he admitted. “It’s incredible all the things that are out there that most people don’t have any idea about.”
With his time in the armed forces, Grayson said he doesn’t really consider himself from anywhere in particular, and, with his intellectual curiosity, that’s a plus.
“I’m from everywhere,” he said with a laugh. “There’s always something to learn wherever I go.”