Ocracoke Lighthouse

Ocracoke Lighthouse and sheds

The Lighthouse Keeper's Home & Lighthouse

Jenne and I visited the lighthouse several times during our week long stay on Ocracoke Island, as I was waiting for light and cloud conditions that I liked for photography of the structure. Several of my photos of the Silver Lake Harbor have the famous lighthouse in the background.

A capsule history of the lighthouse.
Operational: Yes
Body of Water: Atlantic Ocean, Pamlico Sound
Color: Whitewash
Design: Plain
Height: 75 feet
Signal Visible: 14 miles

The Ocracoke Lighthouse is the oldest active lighthouse in North Carolina. The present structure is the third and the current 75-foot-tall Ocracoke Lighthouse, located in the fishing village of Ocrocoke on Ocracoke Island, replaced the first Ocracoke Lighthouse which was a 55-foot-high, wooden structure built in 1798 at the Ocracoke Inlet entrance where Edward Teach, otherwise known as "Blackbeard the Pirate," lived at one time. The original lighthouse was struck by lightning in 1818 and burned down. It was replaced by a light vessel in the inlet in 1820, but by 1822 this vessel was rendered useless by shifting sands, and Congress authorized the money to build the present tower, which was built by Noah Porter for $11,359.35. The 1823 lighthouse was controlled by both Northern and Southern troops during the Civil War. Confederate troops removed the lens from the lamp in the early years of the war, while Union troops replaced it in 1863. The fuel used to light the lanterns behind the lens was, first, whale oil, then kerosene, and finally electricity. The light now functions like a street lamp; it turns on at night and off in the morning. In 1868, the tower was cemented and covered with its first coat of whitewash. The whitewash was made of one-half bushel of unslaked lime with boiling water, a peck of salt, one-half pound of powdered Spanish whiting (fish), three pounds of ground rice put in boiling water, and a pound of glue. The brilliant whitewash, the nearby white picket fence, and the small shed originally used for storing the whale oil are familiar features of the Ocracoke Lighthouse.

More information can be found here.