With all the things to see and do on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, one thing should definitely be on every visitor’s to-do list. Rather there are four things that need to be seen.
headlights
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Ocracoke Lighthouse
The Roanoke Bayou Lighthouse
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Bodie Lighthouse (pronounced ‘body’) is located just south of Nags Head. The lighthouse you see today is the third one in the immediate vicinity. The first was built across the inlet on what is known as “Pea Island” in 1847. It was abandoned in 1859 due to crumbling foundations. The same year the second lighthouse was built, also on Pea Island. It had a shorter life: it was blown up in 1861 by Confederate troops to prevent it from falling into the hands of advancing Union troops. The one you can visit today is the third lighthouse and was built in 1872. Using some of the leftover building materials from the recently completed Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, it stands 150 feet tall and can be seen 19 miles out to sea.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is also known as the Lighthouse of America. It is the tallest lighthouse in the country at 208 feet. It was built to warn ships of the dangers of the “diamond shoals,” which extend nearly twenty miles into the Atlantic Ocean. The first lighthouse to be built on this very spot was built of sandstone and stood 90 feet tall. When the Confederates left this island, they took the Fresnel lens with them to prevent the lens from falling into the hands of more Union troops. In 1999, due to erosion, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved half a mile inland to save it from the Atlantic. The lighthouse was cut from its original base and raised hydraulically on steel beams. It then traveled along the train tracks to its current position, a process that took 23 days. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is now as far from the ocean as it was when it was originally built in 1870.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Currituck Beach Lighthouse was the last of the Outer Banks lighthouses to be built. Ships were discovering that there was a “dark spot” between the lighthouse on Bodie Island to the south and Cape Henry VA to the north. This lighthouse filled the void. Completed in 1875, its lamp was first lit on December 1 of that year. It is the only lighthouse left unpainted and you can see the amazing brick work that was used to build this structure.
Ocracoke Lighthouse
The Ocracoke Lighthouse is the oldest working lighthouse in North Carolina, but it’s not the original. The first on this spot was built in 1798 and was a 54-foot-tall tower. Using a fixed beam lighting method, its sole purpose was to mark the beginning of Ocracoke’s entrance. However, the island’s sands soon changed, rendering the original lighthouse obsolete. It was replaced by a “light ship” in 1820. When quicksand rendered this light ship useless, Congress authorized funds to build the current structure. It stands 75 feet tall and its light can be seen 14 miles away. There is a free 40-minute ferry ride to see the lighthouse, and the ferry ride makes the extra distance well worth it.
The Roanoke Bayou Lighthouse
The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse on Roanoke Island was modeled after an 1877 “screw” lighthouse that stood at this location. While there were once many such lighthouses along North Carolina’s rivers and shorelines, fewer than a dozen are now standing. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is easily accessible along the Manteo Boardwalk and contains exhibits highlighting the maritime history of the Roanoke Islands.
