Perhaps none is better known
or more popular than the Cape
Hatteras lighthouse. At more
than two hundred feet high,
it is the tallest lighthouse
in America and has stood near
the point at Cape Hatteras since
shortly after the Civil War.
The Cape Hatteras
lighthouse was built to warn
ships away from Diamond Shoals,
the most hazardous part of the
region some have labeled the
Graveyard of the Atlantic. It
is a scary place, in which major
shipping lanes, merging warm
and cold currents, and shifting
underwater shoals converge with
disastrous results, and it is
known worldwide for its perils.
Often shrouded in fog and mist,
the low trees and dunes of Hatteras
Island offer few visual landmarks
to warn crews of their proximity
to the shoals, and ships can
slip all too easily into the
shallows. Barnacle-encrusted
skeletons of wrecked ships still
rest there, attesting to the
fact that, once trapped, there
is little chance of escape.
 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
| CAPE
HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE FACTS:
|
|
• |
Towering
198 feet, the Cape Hatteras
Lighthouse is the tallest
in the nation and famous
symbol of North Carolina. |
|
• |
The light can be seen
up to 20 miles away and
has warned travelers of
the treacherous sandbars
that extend for –
also known as the "Graveyard
of the Atlantic."
|
|
• |
The lighthouse no longer
stands in it’s original
location. In 1999, the
waters of the Atlantic
Ocean continued to threaten
the lighthouse, in order
to protect the Cape Hatteras
Light it was moved. |
• |
It cost $150,000 to
construct in 1870
|
• |
It took 1.25 million
bricks to build the tower
|
• |
The beacon light can
be seen for 20 miles out
to sea |
• |
Cape Hatteras has 257
steps leading to the top. |
• |
Over 175,000 tourists
visit the tower each year
to climb the structure
|
The
location of the Cape Hatteras
lighthouse on North Carolina's
legendary Outer Banks has made
the structure one of the most
recognized and visited lighthouses
in America. It has a long and
interesting history that includes
the record of its own escape
from the threat of encroaching
waters, a narrative of human
achievement in the eternal battle
with the sea. This book tells
the story of that colorful past,
including the incredible account
of the successful efforts to
rescue the fabled Cape Hatteras
lighthouse from almost certain
destruction. |
Find
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