The Outer Banks NC Seafaring Legacy and Maritime History

By Nancy Hamilton on Jul. 14, 2022

For anyone drawn to maritime history—or simply curious to learn more—the Outer Banks offers a remarkable storehouse of stories. The barrier islands’ shifting sands mirror the changing fortunes of mariners who faced the sometimes turbulent waters surrounding them. This stretch of the North Carolina coast became known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic because of the many ships claimed by the ocean. Its stories can be encountered at lighthouses, life saving stations, and maritime museums stretching from Currituck to Ocracoke and beyond.

Outer Banks Lighthouses

Cape Hatteras (1870), the tallest U.S. brick lighthouse and perhaps the region’s most recognizable attraction, is an essential stop for understanding this maritime past. Its conical tower, decorated with a black and white swirl, rises nearly 200 feet, or 269 steps for climbers reaching the light. The structure was built to caution mariners navigating the dangerous Diamond Shoals off Hatteras. Beside it in Buxton are the Hatteras Island Visitor Center and Museum of the Sea. Lighthouse enthusiasts can also see that, when erosion prompted the lighthouse’s move in 1999, the oil house, two cisterns, and double keepers’ quarters were relocated as well. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is currently closed to climbing the tower for the remainder of 2022 due to restoration work.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse — photo by ©Nancy Hamilton

North along the coast in Nags Head, pine woods and marshland surround the black-and-white horizontally striped brick tower of Bodie Island Lighthouse (1872). The lighthouse stands 156-feet tall and contains 214 steps. At the summit, climbers can see the original First Order Fresnel lens. Appointments are required for tower climbs. Bodie was built to help mariners travel the coastal waterways between Cape Hatteras and Currituck Beach.

Bodie Island Lighthouse — photo by ©Nancy Hamilton

The Currituck or Ocracoke Lighthouses make worthwhile day trips from the Outer Banks. In Corolla, the 162-feet, unpainted red brick Currituck Beach Lighthouse (1875) is the northern-most lighthouse just outside of Dare County's Outer Banks. Its construction supported the safety of sailors journeying along the coast between Nags Head and Cape Henry in Virginia. Those who climb its 220 steps can stop at the base and the first two landings to see exhibits before continuing toward the First Order Fresnel lens. The grounds also contain a Lighthouse Keepers’ House, the Little Keepers’ House—museum shop, and the Currituck Maritime Museum.

Currituck Lighthouse — photo by ©Nancy Hamilton

At the southern end of the Outer Banks, Ocracoke Island is home to Ocracoke Lighthouse (1823), the oldest operating lighthouse of North Carolina and second oldest in the U.S. Unlike the other lighthouses described here, it can only be reached by taking a ferry from Hatteras Village. The whitewashed brick tower was built to guide vessels through Ocracoke Inlet and into Pamlico Sound, and it is 75 feet tall. Of the four main Outer Banks lighthouses, it is the only one that visitors cannot climb.

In Manteo, the picturesque Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse (1877, replica 2004) is a two-story building positioned at the end of a pier in Shallowbag Bay by Roanoke Sound. This screw-pile lighthouse is white with a red roof and contains a Fresnel lens along with historical exhibits. Nearby, the Roanoke Island Maritime Museum displays an 1883 Shad boat and other marine treasures.

Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse — photo by ©Nancy Hamilton

Life Saving Stations

Lighthouses and their keepers are not the only ones to preserve the area’s maritime stories. The Life Saving Stations and the guardians who staffed them—predecessors of the U.S. Coast Guard—also played a central role. Many Life Saving Stations began operating along the coast in the 1870s. Their singular mission was to save lives at sea, and Hatteras once contained 10 of the 29 stations. Over the years, fire and storms destroyed some, while others became private homes or businesses; a few were combined into U.S. Coast Guard Stations. Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station remains an outstanding example open to visitors.

Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station — photo by ©Nancy Hamilton

Chicamacomico (1874), located in Rodanthe, was the first life-saving station in North Carolina and represents the kind of station once found throughout the coast. A keeper and a crew known as surfmen staffed each station, generally numbering 6-8 people. These rescuers were regarded as soldiers of the surf and storm. At Chicamacomico, a crew still presents its Beach Apparatus Drill for the public. Their demanding preparation helped the Chicmacomico team earn recognition as the most highly awarded maritime rescue in U.S. history after rescuing 42 crew members from the British Oil Tanker MIRLO.

On Aug. 6, 1918, the MIRLO was going down after a German U-boat torpedoed it seven miles off the Hatteras coast during World War I. Captain John Allen Midgett directed the Chicmacomico team as it sent its surfboat through 18 to 20 foot breakers into water filled with gas, oil, debris, and flames to reach the MIRLO crew. That rescue was one among many carried out along this portion of the Atlantic coast.

Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station — photo by ©Nancy Hamilton

The station was decommissioned in 1954, and restoration of the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station Historic Site & Museum started in 1983. Visitors today can see some of the buildings, displays, artifacts, exhibits, and equipment used during the operation of this U.S. Life-Saving Service Station to save thousands of lives. Since restoration work continues and operating hours frequently change, check the status of these historic attractions on websites or by calling before visiting.

Remember When Visiting a Lighthouse or Historic Site

These architectural landmarks predate modern standards, so take care with your footing.

• Consider the climbing abilities of everyone in your group, including any fear of heights, before going up a lighthouse tower.
• Choose comfortable, non-slip shoes.
• Keep both hands free while climbing.
• Secure anything that could come loose.
• Climb at your own pace.
• Let other climbers pass on landings rather than on narrow, winding stairs.
• Check for high winds, heavy rains, and thunderstorms, since the tower many be closed.
• Have fun.

Summer and early fall are especially good seasons for visiting the lighthouses, with plenty of tours and special events available. Aug. 7 is also National Lighthouse Day. We’ll see you at the top.

About the Author

Nancy Hamilton has belonged to the Society of American Travel Writers since 1994. She is an award-winning freelance writer/photographer and the author of 100 Things To Do In Fort Myers and Sanibel Before You Die.