Outer Banks Lighthouses

Bodie Island Lighthouse
(252) 441-5711
Cape Hatteras National Seashore - South Nags Head . Closed to the public.
The Bodie Island Light, encircled by two black and three white bands,stands 150 feet high. Equipped with a first-order Fresnel lens, it flashes its 160,000 candlepower beacon 19 miles over the ocean. Originally built in 1847, the lighthouse was rebuilt with improvements in 1859. In 1862 Confederate troops blew up the structure to prevent its use by the Union forces which occupied the Outer Banks. On October 1, 1872, the present tower was put into operation and is the third lighthouse built on the site at a cost of $140,000. According to a lightkeeper on duty at the time, shortly after this light was activated, a flock of wild geese flew into the lantern, breaking the glass and causing severe damage to the lens. It was quickly repaired, and a wire screen was placed around the light to prevent further mishap. The name Bodie was originally spelled Body and is still pronounced "body" (as in "a body of water").

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
(252) 995-4474
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, standing at 208 feet, is the tallest in the United States. The lighthouse is painted in black and white spirals, with a red base. Its light can be seen for 20 miles, warning ships of the submerged sand bars where so many ships have foundered. The present lighthouse is the second of three that have been situated on the cape. The first was authorized by Congress in 1794 and completed ten years later, shining a weak beam out over the ocean. Shells from Union ships damaged the light in 1861, and retreating Confederate soldiers took the original lamp from this first lighthouse. The lamp was never found. The present structure, the second tower, was erected in 1869-1870 by the U.S. Lighthouse Board. The Lighthouse Board became the Lighthouse Service, which is now part of the U.S. Coast Guard. A first-order Fresnel lens magnified a small oil wick flame at the tower's top, which was lit for the first time on December 16, 1870. Vandals damaged the lens in the present structure when the Federal Government abandoned it in 1935. A third temporary structure was built of steel in 1936 and placed about two miles northeast in Buxton. The light from the temporary tower was moved to the present lighthouse on July 23, 1950, which put it back into operation. When reactivated, it was replaced by a rotating beacon--a double affair with 1000-watt lamps in each beacon--visible for 20 miles. However, it has been reported as being seen 51 miles at sea and 115 miles in the air.

Currituck Beach Lighthouse
(252) 453-4939
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse stands 158 feet above the dunes, with a first order fresnel lens flashing its first beacon on December 1, 1875. Located in Corolla, NC, its was built to fill the last remaining "dark spot" of the NC coast between Bodie Island to the south and Cape Henry, VA to the north. Many ships foundered in the 80-mile darkness between the two lighthouses, but this lighthouse, with its beam visible for 18 miles, solved the problem. To distinguish it from other regional lighthouses, it was left unpainted in natural red brick..

Ocracoke Lighthouse
Located in the fishing village of Ocracoke on the island of Ocracoke, this is the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina and is equipped with a fourth-order Fresnel lens. The present structure is the third. In 1798, a 54-foot wooden tower was built on the Ocracoke Inlet entrance where Edward Teach, otherwise known as "Blackbeard the Pirate," lived at one time. The channel shifted, rendering the lighthouse ineffective. It was replaced by a light vessel in the inlet in 1820, but by 1822 this structure was also rendered useless by shifting sands, and Congress authorized the money to build the present tower which stands 75 feet tall. The lighthouse was cemented and whitewashed in 1868, giving it the appearance it has today. Originally fueled by whale oil, it is now lit by automatic electric power and shines 14 miles out to sea.

The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
(252) 475-1500
The Outer Banks' newest lighthouse is also its smallest. Instead of a brick beacon towering over a barrier-island beach, this lighthouse is more akin to a lightkeeper's house perched over the water. The original 1877 screwpile lighthouse that aided mariners in Croatan Sound was a cottage built over the water, with the lighthouse serving as both beacon and residence. The reconstructed lighthouse was opened in 2004 by the Town of Manteo, in cooperation with the NC Maritime Museum and Roanoke Island Festival Park. The lighthouse contains exhibits highlighting Roanoke Island's maritime history and information on the lighthouse and its keepers.