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Currituck Beach Lighthouse North Carolina Lighthouses Restoration

Currituck Beach Lighthouse is distinct among its fellows along the Outer Banks both in history and appearance. The other four lighthouses are painted in striking black and white—in vertical, horizontal, and checkered patterns—while Currituck Beach Lighthouse shows off the natural brick used in its construction. And while the others suffered early damage and drama with everything from pirates to Civil War skirmishes to encroaching waters, Currituck Beach lighthouse had an uneventful beginning and a slow decline.

Nearly 100 years after the first lighthouse was constructed along North Carolina’s shores, there remained a forty-mile stretch of “dark” coast between Bodie Island and Cape Henry, Virginia, where ships still fell prey to the dangerous waters of the Outer Banks. Although Congress had approved plans for a lighthouse and allocated the necessary funds, the outbreak of the Civil War put a stop to any construction.Click to view enlarged image In their 1872 Annual Report, the Light-House Establishment again stressed the need to illuminate this part of the coast. “The land along the coast in this vicinity is low and in many places without trees, so even in day-time there is danger of vessels getting into unsafe proximity to the coast before coming aware of it . . . in the absence of powerful sea-coast lights sufficiently near each other to give warning of approach to danger, many vessels laden with valuable lives and cargoes are in danger of being lost.”

Congress responded with several appropriations totaling $178,000, and in 1873 Dexter Stetston, who had previously overseen the construction of towers at Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island, began work on the 162-foot tower. A foundation of stone and timber piling was laid seven feet below ground, and well over a million bricks were used for the tower. On December 1, 1875, the last brick lighthouse to be built on the Outer Banks was illuminated for the first time.

The first-order Fresnel lens was originally fueled by a mineral oil lamp consisting of five concentric wicks that were visible for 18 nautical miles. Two keepers and their families shared a Victorian “stick style” duplex constructed from pre-fabricated materials sent by barge and constructed on-site. A smaller keeper’s house was moved to the site in 1920 to accommodate a third lighthouse keeper, but in 1939 the light was automated when the U.S. Coast Guard absorbed the U.S. Lighthouse Service, and the keepers were no longer needed. After World War II, the lighthouse’s usefulness declined, the property was abandoned, and by the 1970’s the tower and the keeper’s house had fallen into disrepair. Vandals had stripped the keeper’s house of its wainscoting and destroyed the mahogany balustrades. Broken doors and windows left the house open to the elements, and soon the porches had fallen in, the floors were ruined, and tangled vines crept in and out.

A group of concerned citizens formed the Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC), Inc., and in 1980 they leased the property—excluding the lighthouse—from the State of North Carolina. Thanks to their efforts, the original keeper’s house is now on the National Registry of Historic Places and renovations continue to renew the property’s former beauty. Over a million dollars has gone into restoring and maintaining the lighthouse. In 1999 the ironwork was restored and reproductions of the original wooden windows replaced the rather unfortunate Plexiglas panels serving as temporary shields.

The Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 made roughly 300 lighthouses, including the Currituck Light, available to federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit corporations, and community development organizations. Both OBC and the County of Currituck Board of Supervisors filed applications for ownership of the Currituck Lighthouse in February 2003. The National Park Service Review Committee rated the two applications in March 2003, and recommended that OBC be awarded the lighthouse. Currituck County immediately appealed the decision and, backed by the support of Congressman Walter Jones, the dispute soon escalated into what has been called the “Fight for the Light”. In the end, the deed to the lighthouse was signed over to OBC, justly rewarding the organization for its years of restorative work.

Today, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse is one of three lighthouses in North Carolina open to the public. Shady brick walkways link the lighthouse keeper’s houses with several outbuildings, including a gift shop. Visitors can climb the 214 steps up the circular staircase to the lighthouse gallery, and romantically-inclined lighthouse enthusiasts can even schedule weddings on the grounds of the compound. From Good Friday until after Thanksgiving, visitors can travel back to the time before radars and airplanes, back to the time when lighthouses provided life-saving navigational assistance. And every night, from dusk to dawn, the 20-second flash cycle of Currituck Beach Lighthouse illuminates the sky.

Defeat hits hard for Lighthouses Sunshine Coast Daily The result put Caloundra's finals hopes in the balance, with Caboolture now a chance of slipping into the top four at the Lighthouses' expense. ... Teams gear up for the finals runNoosa News all 2 news articles »

Point Lynas lighthouse for sale at £1.5m BBC News Point Lynas lighthouse near Amlwch, on Anglesey, has been put up for sale by owners Robin and Iona Beckmann who have spent 10 years restoring it. ... Lighthouse for sale, £1.5mWalesOnline all 3 news articles »

Docents run historic site for a week Chicago Tribune That's more than Mark and Marti Strehlow and the other Rock Island lighthouse docents earn. But now that lighthouses in America are automated, ... and more »

Lighthouse lovers fundraiser tour Aug. 23-24 Grand Haven Tribune AP Breaking News Video The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association will be offering lighthouse lovers a two-day lighthouse excursion on northern Lake ...

WTAQ

Federal govt. looks to unload 3 Mich. lighthouses Chicago Tribune The federal government wants to unload three Michigan lighthouses that it no longer needs, and is looking for local communities, museums or nonprofit groups ... South Haven lighthouse on pier is no longer needed, US Coast Guard saysKalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com South Haven lighthouse up for saleWWMT Tours draw crowds to lighthouseJournal Times Herald Palladium (subscription) -Interlochen Public Radio -WTAQ all 51 news articles »

» Saving pieces of the past Umpqua Post Elliott and county park staff say the state once led a PR campaign and events each year to raise awareness for Oregon lighthouses. ...

Shine for Lighthouse? Wall Street Journal The three lighthouses in question are being offered for sale by the federal government, which is seeking owners willing to take the money-burning ... Government giving away lighthousesWashington Post (blog) Awesome Auction Opportunity of the Day: These Three Lighthouses!Curbed (blog) all 4 news articles »

New Lighthouse Project Plan Unveiled Westbury Times Lighthouses are commonly viewed as the marker for seamen to find the coast during storms, add a bit of personality to an island and to serve as a beacon of ... and more »

Divers inspect ailing Del. lighthouse Delmarva Daily Times The damage was so bad the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation ceased running summer tours at Harbor of Refuge, and the organization is looking at ... and more »

Door County, Wis., is home to lighthouses, cherries and more St. Louis Post-Dispatch Views of the 1869 Cana Island Lighthouse, one of the most visited sites in Door County. The catwalk at the top of the tower affords spectacular views of the ...

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   Links 

Currituck Beach Lighthouse North Carolina Lighthouses Restoration

Currituck Beach Lighthouse is distinct among its fellows along the Outer Banks both in history and appearance. The other four lighthouses are painted in striking black and white—in vertical, horizontal, and checkered patterns—while Currituck Beach Lighthouse shows off the natural brick used in its construction. And while the others suffered early damage and drama with everything from pirates to Civil War skirmishes to encroaching waters, Currituck Beach lighthouse had an uneventful beginning and a slow decline.

Nearly 100 years after the first lighthouse was constructed along North Carolina’s shores, there remained a forty-mile stretch of “dark” coast between Bodie Island and Cape Henry, Virginia, where ships still fell prey to the dangerous waters of the Outer Banks. Although Congress had approved plans for a lighthouse and allocated the necessary funds, the outbreak of the Civil War put a stop to any construction.Click to view enlarged image In their 1872 Annual Report, the Light-House Establishment again stressed the need to illuminate this part of the coast. “The land along the coast in this vicinity is low and in many places without trees, so even in day-time there is danger of vessels getting into unsafe proximity to the coast before coming aware of it . . . in the absence of powerful sea-coast lights sufficiently near each other to give warning of approach to danger, many vessels laden with valuable lives and cargoes are in danger of being lost.”

Congress responded with several appropriations totaling $178,000, and in 1873 Dexter Stetston, who had previously overseen the construction of towers at Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island, began work on the 162-foot tower. A foundation of stone and timber piling was laid seven feet below ground, and well over a million bricks were used for the tower. On December 1, 1875, the last brick lighthouse to be built on the Outer Banks was illuminated for the first time.

The first-order Fresnel lens was originally fueled by a mineral oil lamp consisting of five concentric wicks that were visible for 18 nautical miles. Two keepers and their families shared a Victorian “stick style” duplex constructed from pre-fabricated materials sent by barge and constructed on-site. A smaller keeper’s house was moved to the site in 1920 to accommodate a third lighthouse keeper, but in 1939 the light was automated when the U.S. Coast Guard absorbed the U.S. Lighthouse Service, and the keepers were no longer needed. After World War II, the lighthouse’s usefulness declined, the property was abandoned, and by the 1970’s the tower and the keeper’s house had fallen into disrepair. Vandals had stripped the keeper’s house of its wainscoting and destroyed the mahogany balustrades. Broken doors and windows left the house open to the elements, and soon the porches had fallen in, the floors were ruined, and tangled vines crept in and out.

A group of concerned citizens formed the Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC), Inc., and in 1980 they leased the property—excluding the lighthouse—from the State of North Carolina. Thanks to their efforts, the original keeper’s house is now on the National Registry of Historic Places and renovations continue to renew the property’s former beauty. Over a million dollars has gone into restoring and maintaining the lighthouse. In 1999 the ironwork was restored and reproductions of the original wooden windows replaced the rather unfortunate Plexiglas panels serving as temporary shields.

The Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 made roughly 300 lighthouses, including the Currituck Light, available to federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit corporations, and community development organizations. Both OBC and the County of Currituck Board of Supervisors filed applications for ownership of the Currituck Lighthouse in February 2003. The National Park Service Review Committee rated the two applications in March 2003, and recommended that OBC be awarded the lighthouse. Currituck County immediately appealed the decision and, backed by the support of Congressman Walter Jones, the dispute soon escalated into what has been called the “Fight for the Light”. In the end, the deed to the lighthouse was signed over to OBC, justly rewarding the organization for its years of restorative work.

Today, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse is one of three lighthouses in North Carolina open to the public. Shady brick walkways link the lighthouse keeper’s houses with several outbuildings, including a gift shop. Visitors can climb the 214 steps up the circular staircase to the lighthouse gallery, and romantically-inclined lighthouse enthusiasts can even schedule weddings on the grounds of the compound. From Good Friday until after Thanksgiving, visitors can travel back to the time before radars and airplanes, back to the time when lighthouses provided life-saving navigational assistance. And every night, from dusk to dawn, the 20-second flash cycle of Currituck Beach Lighthouse illuminates the sky.

Rock Island lighthouse volunteers experience 1800s life Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Brothers Liam (left) and Max Strehlow raise the flag at the Pottawatomie Lighthouse at Rock Island State Park. Every summer volunteers can live in the ... and more »

Meet Isle of Man's lighthouse family Isle of Man Today A NEW book will be a beacon of hope for anyone interested in the Island's lighthouses. Lighthouses of the Isle of Man and North West ... and more »

Divers inspect ailing Del. lighthouse Delmarva Daily Times The damage was so bad the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation ceased running summer tours at Harbor of Refuge, and the organization is looking at ... and more »

WTAQ

Federal govt. looks to unload 3 Mich. lighthouses Chicago Tribune The federal government wants to unload three Michigan lighthouses that it no longer needs, and is looking for local communities, museums or nonprofit groups ... South Haven lighthouse on pier is no longer needed, US Coast Guard saysKalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com South Haven lighthouse up for saleWWMT South Haven has its eyes on lighthouseHerald Palladium (subscription) Journal Times -Interlochen Public Radio -WTAQ all 51 news articles »

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Peninsula in Lake Michigan makes lovely summer retreat Pittsburgh Post Gazette One of the many lighthouses erected along Door Country's perimeter to guide passing vessels in Lake Michigan. ... and more »

History events Times Herald-Record Slide and lecture presentation featuring Kevin Woyce, author of "Hudson River Lighthouses and History." Books will be available for purchase and signing. ...

Door County, Wis., is home to lighthouses, cherries and more St. Louis Post-Dispatch Views of the 1869 Cana Island Lighthouse, one of the most visited sites in Door County. The catwalk at the top of the tower affords spectacular views of the ...

Shine for Lighthouse? Wall Street Journal The three lighthouses in question are being offered for sale by the federal government, which is seeking owners willing to take the money-burning ... Government giving away lighthousesWashington Post (blog) Awesome Auction Opportunity of the Day: These Three Lighthouses!Curbed (blog) all 4 news articles »

Lighthouse closing in August for month Boca Beacon As the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse closes for the month of August for maintenance, the Barrier Island Parks Society has announced what their latest ...

The last keeper of the Harbor Refuge Lighthouse now helps conduct boat tours ... Press of Atlantic City Rigazio was the last keeper of the lighthouse, which sits at the mouth of the Delaware Bay. Angelo Rigazio wasn't there when the men built the base of the ...

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 Sailing Lessons Carolina   Bald Head Island NC Lighthouse  Cape Hatteras Lighthouse  Oak Island Lighthouse  Bodie Island Lighthouse  North Carolina Lighthouses  Cape Lookout Lighthouse  Ocracoke Lighthouse  Roanoke River Lighthouse  Cape Fear Lighthouse  Currituck Beach Lighthouse  Prices Creek Lighthouse  sailing alantic