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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.

Historic Greenwich lighthouse shines again Greenwich Time The lighthouse and the 9/11 on Great Captains Island off the Greenwich coast, as seen in 2009. Situated on the eastern point of the island 1 1/2 miles off the Greenwich coast, the 51-foot granite and cast iron tower now features a 4-second flashing ...

Lighthouse keeper had his share of bad times Southgate News Herald But, as the word suggests, many lighthouses had a residence attached to the tower that sheltered a keeper and his family. Like the rest of us, they had to navigate a course through life's good and bad times. The history of one Detroit River lighthouse ...

Future of Ontario lighthouses in jeopardy Wire Service Canada (press release) If a petition under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act is not received on or before May 29, 2011 Ontario lighthouses owned by the Government of Canada could be sold to the highest bidder or simply left to rot and fall down.

A Lighthouse with a Twist, Trumbull Style Patch.com Raymond Swindon, a residential designer and a sculptor from Trumbull, created a lighthouse model that took fourth place in the Maritime Aquarium's 10th annual design contest. He won $300. "I wanted to create the appearance that the lighthouse was being ...

WXYZ

Be A Great Lakes Lighthouse Keeper! WXYZ WXYZ - If you're ever had thoughts of living the dream of a more romantic era as a lighthouse keeper, perhaps your dreams can come true. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is looking for people who want to work a couple of weeks as the ... You can be a Victorian-era lighthouse keeperWNEM Saginaw all 2 news articles »

Hark, Mariners! Here are Five Lighthouses For Sale in the U.S. Curbed National (blog) People generally love living by the water, and pay for the privilege, but for the truly aquatically obsessed, there's no better trophy than owning that most livable of navigational aids, the lighthouse. Whether its on the ocean or a lake, a lighthouse ...

Great ocean views at Cape Disappointment The Seattle Times By Brian J. Cantwell Waves crash against the rocks below the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. The Schasse family of Lacey takes the trail back from North Head Lighthouse toward the lightkeeper's quarters. Leading the way is Teague, 6, then Ty, 4, ... and more »

Hope for lighthouse stripes as firm offers to carry out work Eastbourne Today THE CAMPAIGN to save the Beachy Head Lighthouse stripes has been given a boost with the news a local firm has offered to repaint the iconic red and white stripes. Sussex Blast Cleaning, based in Hailsham, says it will put in a tender to carry out the ...

The Hindu

Alappuzha lighthouse to celebrate 150 Year The Hindu The Alappuzha lighthouse, one of the oldest lighthouses on the south-west coast of the country, is preparing to celebrate its 150 year in an impressive way. Easily one of the most recognized and known landmarks of the coastal tourist town of Alappuzha ...

Heritage Newspapers

Newtown Duo Wins Lighthouse Contest Patch.com Two Newtown women will receive $1500 after being crowned winners of model lighthouse contest in Norwalk. By Hoa Nguyen Two Newtown women were named winners of a 10th annual model lighthouse contest after their creation garnered the most votes at the ... MILAN: Local residents share fascination with lighthousesHeritage Newspapers Deadline looming to save our lighthousesThe Guardian Charlottetown all 3 news articles »

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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 

   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.

Ardena School excels with student leadership program Tri-Town News BY JAMES McEVOY HOWELL — Just as lighthouses are used to assist navigation, theArdena School administration is hoping the school can serve as a beacon for student enrichment and success. Principal Deborah Pennell said she hopes the school becomes a ... and more »

WXYZ

You can be a Victorian-era lighthouse keeper WNEM Saginaw Entertainment News from AP By Craig McMorris, TV5 Anchor/Reporter - bio | email Those who have longed to experience the slow pace and the romance of the Victorian era can try their hand at being the lighthouse keeper at one of Michigan's state parks ... Be A Great Lakes Lighthouse Keeper!WXYZ all 2 news articles »

Hope for lighthouse stripes as firm offers to carry out work Eastbourne Today THE CAMPAIGN to save the Beachy Head Lighthouse stripes has been given a boost with the news a local firm has offered to repaint the iconic red and white stripes. Sussex Blast Cleaning, based in Hailsham, says it will put in a tender to carry out the ...

Great ocean views at Cape Disappointment The Seattle Times By Brian J. Cantwell Waves crash against the rocks below the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. The Schasse family of Lacey takes the trail back from North Head Lighthouse toward the lightkeeper's quarters. Leading the way is Teague, 6, then Ty, 4, ... and more »

Port Townsend artist fashions poster for Sequim Lavender Farm Faire Peninsula Daily He's known for his lighthouses.” “The creativity and technique that went into this painting is very special, as all of the members of the association are represented in some way within the art,” Nagel said. Details will be announced in April, ... and more »

Heritage Newspapers

MILAN: Local residents share fascination with lighthouses Heritage Newspapers By Joyce Ervin Hannah Ochoa, granddaughter of Rene and Tim Gibelyou, is photographed near some of the lighthouses featured at her grandparents' place of business, The Lighthouse Coffee Co. Ochoa said she likes the lighthouses, just not so much as does ... Newtown Duo Wins Lighthouse ContestPatch.com Deadline looming to save our lighthousesThe Guardian Charlottetown all 3 news articles »

The Hindu

Alappuzha lighthouse to celebrate 150 Year The Hindu The Alappuzha lighthouse, one of the oldest lighthouses on the south-west coast of the country, is preparing to celebrate its 150 year in an impressive way. Easily one of the most recognized and known landmarks of the coastal tourist town of Alappuzha ...

Martin County Community Calendar, Updated Jan. 31 TCPalm 13: Lighthouses Along the Gulfstream: Past, Present & Future, Annie Potts, director of Bahamas Lighthouse Preservation Society. Feb. 27: Underwater Moments — Bringing the Underwater World into Focus, JD & Valerie Gaynor. Mar. and more »

Advocates for sea turtles seek to darken historic Hillsboro Lighthouse Sun-Sentinel By Robert Nolin, Sun Sentinel For 105 years, the venerable lighthouse has stood vigil at Hillsboro Inlet, guiding mariners through a rocky and dangerous passage. "A lot of these little boats going out, they don't have GPS," said Jimmy Pasvantis, ... and more »

Listing of the week: Towering over Maine in your own lighthouse msnbc.com By Erika Riggs, Zillow Long before GPS and smartphones, sailors depended on the blinking light of a far-off lighthouse to guide them. Although ships no longer rely on lighthouses, there's still something alluring about a lighthouse, sitting alone as a ...

Common Misspellings include agian, agin, agina allthough altho, althought, altough amoung, amung adn, anbd anual appeareance, appearence, apperance, apprearance applicaitons availaible, availble, availiable, availible, avalable, avaliable, avilable awared bakc, bcak bedore, befoer, befor beggining, beggining, begining, beginnig beng betwen, bewteen inbetween, vetween balck bu caost comming comming comittee, commitee. committe conserned congreso consttruction, constuction, contruction coorperations, corperations decison, descision delevopment, developement, develpment, devolopement eahc eearly effords eveyr everthing familes, fimilies febuary, febuary, febyuary, febyuary fedral, fedral feat, fet, fete firt, firts formant, fomed, fromed fourty fomr, frome gropu gaurd hstory housr emmediately, imediately, immediatley, immediatly, immidately, immidiately includng, incuding, inlcuding inot it's layed lastr, lsat lefted lief maked maintinaing milion, millon minerial naturual neccesary, neccessary, neccessary, necesary, nessecary ened noeth, noth nowe organiztion orginal, origional orginally, origanaly, originall, originaly, originially, originnally, origionally, orignally, orignially nother, otehr poverful, poweful powerfull provded proximty pubic recomended, reccomended, reccommended rougly schedual sevice severeal sose stpo sufferred sufficently wupport temprary taht, tath, thast, thgat, thta, thyat hten, tghe, ther, thge, tjhe ther, theri, thier, thier their, ther htey, tehy, tyhe thrid htis, thsi, tihs threee tiem, timne, tiome twpo untill unsed valuble, valueable vacinity, vincinity wiew visable vistors wass, weas, ws vell waht, whta wehn, whn hwile widows owrk, wokr, wrok worls eyars, eyasr, yeasr, yeras, yersa
 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