Happy 200th Birthday to the Ocracoke Lighthouse. Still flashing its lights after all this years, according to the National Park Service, who is the owner, it is the second oldest operating lighthouse in the country. There are a few other locations that have been lighthouses longer, but those are not the original towers.
As lighthouses go, it’s not very tall. Just 69’, but it is built on what passes for high ground on Ocracoke Island, so the focal plane is 75’ above sea level.
The light itself is not a Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island or Currituck Beach lighthouses, and for good reason. Unlike the other lighthouses of the Outer Banks, the Ocracoke light functions as a guide to ships crossing the Ocracoke bar at Ocracoke Inlet. There is no need for a light that shines 25 miles out to sea. Its steady 14 mile light is all that is needed.
Over the years since it was built by New England contractor Noah Porter—who came in under budget—it has been many things.
A lighthouse, of course. But it has also been a place of refuge. It is on one of the highest points in Ocracoke Village and in many hurricanes of the past, villagers sought refuge from flood waters there. During WWII it served another purpose. With the huge military presence on Ocracoke Island—some estimates as high as 500 personnel)—the tower was used as a spotting platform in the search for German U-boats.
The lighthouse is somewhat unique. Like almost all other lighthouses along the North Carolina coast, Ocracoke is located in the village. The other lighthouses are all far removed from other people.
Because of that, the lighthouse keepers were always a part of Ocracoke life. Their children attended school in the village, and the sense of isolation that was so much a part of other lighthouse keepers lives simply did to exist at Ocracoke.
The keeper’s house and lighthouse are a part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The grounds are open, but access is permitted.
Ocracoke is just a pleasant ferry trip from Hatteras Village. Be sure to take a look at our many Brindley Beach Vacations listings for Hatteras Island.