Outer Banks Lighthouses Shine Light on Local History

By Aaron Tuell
Nov. 07, 2019

OUTER BANKS, N.C. – Along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, five distinctive lighthouses mark the coastline: Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island, Ocracoke and Currituck Beach Light and Roanoke Island Marshes Light. Each one has its own look, story and place in maritime history.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Among the five, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the most widely recognized. It is the nation’s tallest brick beacon at 208 feet high, welcomes 200,000 visitors annually, and is visible from 20 miles out to sea. For more than 100 years, the light has helped warn mariners away from Diamond Shoals, the shallow sandbars reaching some 14 miles into the ocean near Cape Hatteras in the area known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a first-order lighthouse, meaning it uses the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes.

The lighthouse now standing at Cape Hatteras is the second of three beacons constructed on Hatteras Island. The first was erected in 1804 and later destroyed by Union forces during the Civil War. The current lighthouse, completed in 1870 as its replacement, was eventually left by the federal government and deteriorated. In 1936, a third temporary structure was built several miles north in Buxton. That light served until 1950, when a 1,000-watt double rotating lamp was placed in the present Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, where it continues to shine.

Known for its black-and-white, barber-shop-striped pattern, the lighthouse recently reopened after renovations and after being moved 2,900 feet inland to protect it from the advancing shoreline. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse belongs to America’s first national seashore, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, established in 1953. Nearby framed structures that once housed the light keepers now operate as a visitor center and maritime museum. A gift shop and bookstore are also located on the grounds.

Admission to the lighthouse is $7 for adults and $3.50 for seniors 62 or older and children 12 and younger. The lighthouse is open daily from Good Friday through Columbus Day, while the visitor center and museum are open free to the public every day except Christmas. In summer, the center offers a range of historical and environmental programs. For information on tours, call the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Visitors Center at (252) 995-4474.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

Traveling south along the barrier island chain, visitors reach the fishing village of Ocracoke, N.C. by ferry. There stands Ocracoke Lighthouse, a whitewashed cement tower built in 1868 and the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. Though electricity powers it today, the lighthouse originally burned whale oil. It was not Ocracoke Island’s first light; a 54-foot wooden tower was constructed in 1798, but that earlier beacon became ineffective after the channel shifted.

Ocracoke has the coast’s longest history among the lighthouses, but it is the Outer Banks’ shortest in height. The tower stands 75 feet tall, and its fourth-order Fresnal lens reaches 14 miles at sea. What it does not have in size, it carries in lore. Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard the Pirate, kept a camp at Ocracoke Inlet not far from the lighthouse. Local stories say Blackbeard was beheaded in a duel during the 1700s, and some residents believe he still haunts the island.

The Ocracoke Lighthouse and keeper’s quarters are used by the Coast Guard for observation and are not open to the public. Visitors may still see the tower and walk the surrounding grounds. For details, call the National Park Service at (252) 473- 2111.

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Farther north, Bodie Island Lighthouse stands 150 feet above the island’s marsh and nature walk. Built in 1872, it is white with two 22-foot horizontal black stripes. Its first-order, 160,000-candlepower beacon shines 19 miles out to sea from Bodie, pronounced body, Island.

Like Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the Bodie Island light is tied to North Carolina’s Civil War history. In 1862, Confederate troops destroyed the earlier lighthouse so Union forces could not use it as an observatory. After the war ended, the present lighthouse was constructed.

Across the three lighthouses that have stood on Bodie Island, several unusual events have become part of the site’s story. One of the first light keepers of the current Bodie Island Lighthouse reported that a flock of geese once struck the lantern, broke the glass and damaged the original lens. The lens was repaired, and a wire screen was added to prevent a repeat incident. The first Bodie Island Lighthouse, built in 1837, was so poorly built that it started leaning and was eventually abandoned.

The Bodie Island Lighthouse is not open for climbing, but the keeper’s quarters have been restored as a visitor’s center. For more information, contact the Bodie Island Visitor Center at (252) 441-5711.

Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse

The Outer Banks newest lighthouse, The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse on Roanoke Island features exhibits focused on Roanoke Island’s maritime heritage, including the history of the Marshes Lighthouse and the people who kept it. The original screw-pile lighthouse stood in the Croatan Sound at a location west of Roanoke Island. It was built in 1857 and decommissioned by the US Coast Guard in 1955.

For more information on maritime museum exhibits, programming and events, call (252) 475- 1500, ext. 241.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

Currituck Beach Lighthouse lights the northernmost island of the Outer Banks. Its exterior was left as unpainted red brick to set it apart from other regional lighthouses and to show the many bricks that make up the structure. From Corolla, N.C., the 158 feet beacon uses a first-order Fresnel lens visible for 18 miles at sea.

Currituck was constructed in 1875 to mark the remaining dark spot between Bodie Island and Cape Henry in Virginia. In 1876, a Victorian-style home was finished to serve as the light keeper’s quarters.

Now one of the most beloved landmarks in the Outer Banks, Currituck Beach Lighthouse once endured years of neglect and vandalism. By the 1970s, the lighthouse keepers' house had lost its windows and doors, its porches had deteriorated, and vines covered the north side of the house. Much of the lighthouse’s interior millwork had also been vandalized. To help preserve the historic site, Outer Banks Conservationists Inc., a non-profit conservation group, signed a lease with the State of North Carolina in 1980 and began restoration in phases.

Today, the lighthouse and grounds have been restored and are open to visitors. For a nominal fee, guests may climb the 124 steps to the top observation deck from March 24th through the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information about the lighthouse or Outer Banks Conservationists membership, call (252) 453-8152. Admission is $7 for adults, and children under 7 may enter free with an adult.

Author

Aaron Tuell conceives and contributes to award-winning projects in public relations, social media and travel customer outreach. His experience includes work with national media outlets, celebrity projects, social media strategy and oversight, commercial broadcast and web video production, marketing photography, publicity and promotion, and working with and as news media.

Manager of Public Relations
Outer Banks Visitors Bureau
252-473-2138 office
877-629-4386 toll free
tuell@outerbanks.org