Bodie Island Lighthouse

The Bodie Island Light and its distinctive black and white bands was built only a few years later by the same crew that constructed the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. This 156-foot structure can be found west of NC Route 12, just north of Oregon Inlet. The tower's massive base is open to those wishing to see inside it from Memorial Day through Labor Day, 10 AM to 4 PM.

This is the third lighthouse to be built at this site. The first fell because of poor construction, Confederates destroyed the second, but this 1872 light rises 156 feet above the sea. It's First Fresnel Lens still turns on at dusk each evening. The tower was painted with black and white horizontal bands for better visibility in the daytime.

Preserve a piece of history with your donation.
The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society was organized in 1994 to aid in the preservation of the lighthouses in the area and work with the National Park Service and other agencies to achieve the safe-keeping of the buildings, artifacts and records of the old United States Lighthouse Establishment, a.k.a. U.S. Light-House Board and Bureau of Lighthouses and U.S. Lighthouse Service. For Details: www.outerbankslighthousesociety.org

The current lighthouse at Bodie Island is actually the third lighthouse that was built. The first lighthouse was a 54 foot tower that was built in 1847. It was actually built on Pea Island just on the other side of the Oregon Inlet. Unfortunately, faulty construction techniques were used and within two years the tower was beginning to lean over and finally had to be abandoned in 1859. That same year a second lighthouse was built nearby. The second tower was built to better standards and was far more sturdy. It was eighty feet tall and contained a third-order Fresnel lens.