Lighthouse Birthday

 On Thursday we had a very special celebration on Ocracoke: our lighthouse was 200 years old! Built in 1823 and in continuous operation since that time, the Ocracoke light is the second oldest in the United States still in operation.

At only 65 feet, our lighthouse is not at all the tallest even in North Carolina, but, its non-rotating light is visible for fourteen miles out into the Atlantic, and, more important, through Ocracoke inlet and into the Pamlico Sound.

When built, as many as 1,400 ships each year passed through Ocracoke Inlet.  This was the only way to get to mainland North Carolina beyond the barrier islands of the Outer Banks.  With its beam magnified by a fourth order Fresnel lens, it takes only a finger-sized tiny bulb to be visible for safe navigation.

Several hundred people gathered at the lighthouse while we had speakers from the National Park Service, the Coast Guard, and the community in celebration of this birthday event. The Coast Guard presented colors to kick off the event.

At the end of the ceremony a bell was rung by John Simpson while the names of all the light keepers was ready by Trudy Austin.  The two of them each had grandparents who were lighthouse keepers.

You cannot climb up to the top of our lighthouse, but you can look inside at the circular stairway.  At the top there is a final ladder to reach the light chamber.  In the coming year, there will be a major job of restoration done in the lighthouse and the keepers’ house will be raised for future safety.