3. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Buxton Moving farther south through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, you’ll come to Buxton, home of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. As the nation’s tallest and most recognizable lighthouse, it’s commonly referred to as “America’s Lighthouse” and was completed in 1870. This was actually the second Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The first, lit in October of 1803, proved to be too short and 60 feet were added to the top. A new lighthouse was lit on December 16, 1870, and received the famous black and white stripe daymark pattern in 1873. There are 269 steps from the ground to the lens room of the lighthouse. The Fresnel lens installed in the 1870 lighthouse was powered by kerosene and could be seen approximately 16 miles from the shore. The keeper had to manually rewind the clockwork apparatus each day. The Fresnel lens usually took 12 hours for a complete cycle. Today, electricity provides rotating power, and a photocell turns the light on and off. In 1999, after years of study and debate, the Cape Hatteras Light Station was moved 2,900 feet to its present location. It was moved 2,900 feet in 23 days and now lies 1,500 feet from the seashore, its original distance from the sea. 4. Ocracoke Lighthouse, Ocracoke To reach the oldest still-operating lighthouse in North Carolina, take a free ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke Island. The whitewashed lighthouse is the nation’s second oldest still-active facility. The village is steeped in history, only accessible by water or air and was once a safe haven for the infamous pirate Blackbeard. During the Revolutionary War, supplies for General Washington’s Continental army were guided
Oak Island Lighthouse, credit Jill Lang
continues to flash today at 20-second intervals, serving as a navigational aid. The beacon, which can be seen for 18 nautical miles, comes on at dusk and ceases at dawn. 2. Bodie Island Lighthouse, Nags Head Continuing southbound on NC Highway 12 through Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, you’ll reach Cape Hatteras National Seashore. At the entrance of this protected area is Bodie Island Lighthouse (pronounced “body”). Today’s structure is the third lighthouse to stand on this site, and you can take the 214-step trip to the top. Poor planning and the Civil War laid waste to the first two. After the 54-foot tower was completed in 1847 it soon began to lean like a similar tower in Pisa and within 2 years the lighthouse was abandoned. That same year, an 80-foot lighthouse was completed, but was blown up by Confederate troops, fearing it would be used by Union forces. The area remained without a lighthouse until 1872 when the present lighthouse first exhibited its light, magnified by a powerful first- order Fresnel lens, on October 1. Though not as well- known as its neighbors, it remains an important part of local history and a favorite spot for visitors.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
COASTAL GUARDIANS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SUMMER 2025 | 30
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