The Ocracoke
lighthouse is probably an even bigger symbol of the island than
Blackbeard. Pengi insisted on a visit so
we biked on over.
The lighthouse is a
mere 75ft tall, small compared to the Cape Hatteras light at 208ft. Its base is 25ft and it tapers to just 12ft
at the top. It is the second oldest
lighthouse in continuous service in the US.
It does not have the distinctive markings like the barber-pole stripe of
the Cape Hatteras light or the classic diamonds of the Cape Lookout light. Bodie Island light has striking horizontal
stripes and Currituck light is a stunning red brick, but Ocracoke light is a
simple white washed.
The very first
lighthouse on Ocracoke was a 55ft wooden structure built in 1794 on a spit of
oyster shells at Ocracoke inlet. It was
more for assisting harbor traffic than ocean going vessels. It soon had its problems as the ever-shifting
shoals of the inlet shortly put the light over a mile away from the
channel. Around the same time, it was
struck by lightning and destroyed so a replacement was needed. A lightship was used temporarily in 1820, but
by 1822 congress approved $20,000 for a bigger, better lighthouse in a more
suitable location. The new lighthouse
was located at the south end of the island at Springer’s Point (as you now
know a favorite hangout spot of Blackbeard in his day). It was completed in 1823 along with the next
door keeper’s house. From 1823-1954 a
dozen keepers oversaw the light. Enoch
Ellis Howard was the longest serving keeper.
He was appointed keeper in 1862 at the age of 29 and served 35 years
until his death in 1897. He was paid
$560 a year from his first year to the last (no raise in 35 years, yikes). In 1854 a Fresnel lens was installed. This new lens was not only beautiful but
could be seen 14 miles out to sea. Early
in the Civil War the Confederacy dismantled the lens to keep it from the
Union. When Union forces took over the
island in 1864 however, they put the lens back up recognizing its great
worth. The light was electrified in 1929
and fully automated in 1954. Today the
US Coast Guard maintains the beacon and the National Park Service tend the
grounds.
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