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Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Cape Lookout Lighthouse

The Cape Lookout Lighthouse is located on the southern part of the Outer Banks. It is on Harkers Island in North Carolina. The island has a gorgeous crystal coast that is perfect for visitors and locals to visit. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1950 and measures a height of 163 feet. It can be seen from 19 miles on land and up to 12 miles at sea. The main attraction to the region is to climb the Cape Lookout lighthouse.

The lighthouse has a checkered day mark. It is the only lighthouse in the United States of America to have such a mark. This allows the lighthouse to be different from similar lighthouses by showing the direction in the daytime. Other lighthouses that are similar to this are:

  • Bodie Island Lighthouse: This is almost identical to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. It has horizontal stripes.
  • Currituck Beach Lighthouse: Its walls are made of unpainted red brick.
  • Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Has spiral stripes

The First Lighthouse

Cape Lookout Lighthouse is the second lighthouse to be erected at its location. The construction of the first one was finished in 1812. The budget for its construction cost a total of $20,000 and was authorized by Congress in 1804. There were only three other lighthouses existing in North Carolina at the time.

The first lighthouse went up 96 feet. It has brick walls and wooden shingles. The shingles were painted with horizontal stripes of red and white. 

The lighthouse, however, became inadequate when it could not light the Lookout Shoals. The waters of Lookout Shoals were treacherous and needed adequate lighting. The region was given the nickname “Horrible Headland” due to this. The first lighthouse was too short to do the job.

The New Lighthouse

Construction of the second lighthouse was finished by 1859. It cost $45,000 to build, a budget that was approved by Congress in 1857. The lighthouse was lit on November first, two years later. There was a first-order Fresnel lens that the lighthouse used to shine a brighter light.

When North Carolina joined the Confederacy in 1861, all lenses were removed from lighthouses. Navigational beacons were also removed. This was done to prevent navigation along the coast by Union forces. In 1862, Beaufort and Morehead City were captured by Union troops. At the end of 1862, they installed a third-order Fresnel lens in the Cape Lookout lighthouse.

In 1864, Commander L.C Harland led a small group of Confederate troops into the lighthouse. The plan was to blow it up. The group managed to sneak past Union lines and planted a bomb at the lighthouse. The explosion did not damage the lighthouse. Fortunately, it was able to destroy the iron stairs and oil supply to the lighthouse.

Lighthouse Repairs

Iron was unavailable during the war. The stairs were replaced using wood. In 1865, the Fresnel lenses from all North Carolina lighthouses were recovered. They were found in Raleigh and transported back to manufacturers. The original manufacturers took a look at them and repaired what was broken.

In 1867, when the war was over, iron was once again available. The temporary wooden stairs were replaced with iron after the war. The original first-order Fresnel lens was reinstalled.

The lighthouse was painted in 1873. The paint was done in a distinct black and white pattern. It resembled a diagonal checkerboard or diamond pattern. 

Visiting

You can visit the Cape Lookout national seashore when you are in the southern parts of the Outer Banks. Access is gained via ferry and there are no direct roads. Usually, you can get to climb the cape lookout lighthouse.

The lighthouse is part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. In the summer, the station’s Visitor Center and Keepers' Quarters Museum remain open. Tower climbs were suspended in February 2008 without exception until July 15th 2010. From then, the lighthouse opened for climbing permanently. The tower has a total of 207 steps to the top. The Keepers Quarters Museum near the base of the lighthouse is open for visitation.

The lighthouse was closed again on March 26, 2021. No climbing is done up the tower due to a couple of safety concerns. A pre-season safety inspection was conducted in January. It was to raise several concerns regarding;

  • Flooring
  • Rails
  • Separations between the iron stairs and masonry
  • Cracks in the iron landing plates
  • Separation from the iron stairs and central support 

“ That was amazing! I love all the history displayed here. It's really well maintained and there are lots of placards with info and cool facts. There's an audio tour you can do by calling in and it'll have posts with numbers for prompts. It's definitely worth a stop. There are boardwalks for a lot of the pathways and beach access to the sound and the ocean. They have opened up the old keeper's quarters and turned it into a museum (free entry) with information about the lighthouse and some history of the barrier islands”- Caleb Smith, a Local Guide via Google Reviews

Dates and Hours of Operation

The Cape Lookout tower operates at specific seasons and times. The season for operations is between mid-May and mid-September. You can climb the Cape Lookout tower between Wednesday and Sunday. It remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Tickets

You require tickets to access the lighthouse. Ticket prices do not include ferry charges. The ticket prices as of the time of this article (12/2021) are:

  1. Regular Admission: $10
  2. Children: They need to be 12 years and under. They also need to measure at least 44 inches tall to access the tower. Children are charged $5
  3. Senior Pass: This is for people who are 62 years old and above. They are charged $5
  4. Access Pass: This is given to visitors with permanent disabilities. They are charged $5

Special Note: Cape Lookout Lighthouse is currently undergoing a huge renovation process. The renovation is ongoing and estimated to be finished by 2023.

ENC Explorer
Author: ENC Explorer

After getting accepted to ECU, I started looking for things to do in and around Greenville, NC. However, my searches kept taking me to places in South Carolina! There must be things to do around ECU, so I started asking other students. They kept telling me to graduate and move away! This inspired me to begin exploring eastern North Carolina and build this website as a showcase of the places to go, sights to see, and things to do all over eastern NC. I have fallen in love with this region and started taking up roots here. After graduating, I didn't move away - I bought a house here and continue to explore eastern North Carolina.

This place is for Publicity

This place is for Publicity

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