The Ocracoke Island Lighthouse is unique in that it is not open to climbers, and does not have a gift shop, museum, or information center on site. However, visitors are still encouraged to stop and explore, and take photos of the lighthouse and historic keepers' quarters tucked behind a cluster of Live Oaks.
Parking is limited compared to the other Outer Banks lighthouses, however a long line of bike racks is available for use. Like most of Ocracoke Island, exploring is at its best for bikers and walkers who can leisurely peruse the grounds at their own pace, and a number of local gift shops feature plenty of Ocracoke Island Lighthouse books, memorabilia and souvenirs.
Many vacationers make it a point to start at the Northern Outer Banks' Currituck Beach Lighthouse and enjoy a long but rewarding day driving south down the scenic North Carolina coastline and stopping at each lighthouse along the way. With their own distinctive character, notoriety, and charm, all of these historic lighthouses are certainly worth a visit during your next Outer Banks vacation. The Ocracoke Lighthouse is located in Ocracoke village , on the southeastern corner of the Ocracoke Harbor.
It is situated along the aptly named Lighthouse Road , and is visible throughout Ocracoke village. As such, it is the oldest operating lighthouse in the state of North Carolina, and the second oldest lighthouse of any kind in the state as well — second only to the Bald Head Island Lighthouse.
To see the Ocracoke Island lighthouse in person, visitors will need to take a ferry to Ocracoke Island. Vehicular ferries depart from mainland North Carolina to the southern end of Ocracoke village, and from Hatteras Island to the northern end of the island. The Ocracoke Lighthouse has just 86 steps from the lighthouse base to the 4th order Fresnel lens at the top.
The present light is equal to 8, candlepower and casts a stationary beam that can be seen 14 miles at sea. A battery powered back-up light operates during power failures. As duties at the lighthouse increased, an assistant keeper position was established.
To house the additional keeper and his family, a second story was built onto the original quarters in and another section was added in The double keepers' quarters still stands on the site today, along with a generator house, once the oil supply shed.
Keepers performed a wide range of duties. Maintaining the buildings and grounds, hauling oil, trimming wicks, and polishing the lens were part of a well-trained lightkeeper's regulated life. Ocracoke lighthouse keepers fished, hunted waterfowl, raised livestock, and planted gardens. Due to the proximity of the village, the keepers and their families enjoyed a social life on Ocracoke and their children were schooled in the village. The US Lighthouse Service provided a traveling library to their isolated employees.
Cases of library books were circulated every six months to light stations along the coasts. During hurricanes, the light station served as a place of refuge for some local residents. Almost immediately after it was completed, however, the Shell Castle light was made ineffective for navigation due to the ever-changing channels and shoals. By the channel had moved so far that the lighthouse was almost totally useless.
Construction of a new tower was authorized. Not quite two years later, on May 15, , funds were appropriated to station a light ship in Ocracoke Inlet. Jacob Gaskill, Justice of the Peace, sold the 2 acre parcel of land for the lighthouse to the government for fifty dollars. Ocracoke lighthouse stands 75 feet tall and tapers from a diameter of 25 feet at the base to 12 feet at the top.
An octagonal lantern housing the light sits atop the historic structure. When first built, the lighthouse utilized a system of silvered reflectors to magnify the flame from a whale oil lamp.
In a newly introduced Fresnel lens replaced the old system. Augustin Fresnel, a frenchman, had invented a marvelous array of hand-cut glass prisms and bulls-eye lenses in The new lens magnified and intensified the light so that it was now equal to 8, candlepower and was visible 14 miles to sea. After the ferry system was established in the s, Ocracoke began to see an influx of travelers and today the tourism industry is the basis of the island's economy.
A Scenic Byways committee works with nearby counties and the State to jointly promote and support heritage tourism. Ocracoke, North Carolina.
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