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Currituck Beach Light (Corolla, North Carolina)
Two powerful ocean currents flow in
opposite directions off the coast of North Carolina – the Gulf Stream from the
south and the Virginia Coastal Current from the north.
These collide of the point at Cape Hatteras forming very dangerous
shoals. Southbound ships from the
north, wanting to avoid the northbound Gulf Stream ride the Virginia Coastal
Current that brings them very close to the shore.
Lighthouses were needed to warn the mariners of the land and also to help
them position themselves for the dangerous trip around Cape Hatteras.
The
Currituck Light tower is constructed with approximately one million red bricks.
At the base, the lighthouse walls are 5 feet 8 inches thick and narrow to
3 feet thick at the top. The height
of the tower is 162 feet with a lamp focal plane height of 158 feet.
The lighthouse lantern room was equipped with a first-order Fresnel lens
and a light source consisting of a U.S. mineral oil lamp consisting of five
concentric wicks, the largest being 4 inches in diameter.
The
beautiful Victorian lighthouse keeper’s dwelling was assembled in 1876.
It was a type of “pre-fab” house.
The dwelling was constructed from pre-cut and labeled materials that the
Lighthouse Board shipped on a barge and were assembled on site.
The keeper’s dwelling was a duplex style that housed two keeper’s and
their families. Another house,
identical in style to the larger dwelling, was moved from the Long Point
Lighthouse station on Currituck Sound in 1920.
It served as the residence for a third keeper and his family.
The
U.S. Coast Guard automated with an electric light in 1939 and the keeper’s
moved out. With no one living there
the residences fell into a state of
disrepair. Vines overgrew the
property, wooden porches decayed, and people vandalized the interiors.
The smaller keeper’s house had, in fact, become so overgrown with vines
and bushes that for a while no one realized that it was there.
A
private non-profit organization know as the Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc.
who are dedicated to preserving historic property signed a lease with the State
of North Carolina in 1980 to begin restoring the property. Today the grounds are beautiful. The exterior of both of the keepers dwellings is nearly complete and work on the interior of the main keeper’s dwelling has begun.
Directions:
Route 168 in North Carolina connects with Route 158 in Barco, North Carolina.
From here follow Route 158 south to the Outer Banks. Once on the Outer
Banks, just north of Kitty Hawk, turn left and follow Route 12 north for about
30-40 minutes to the town of Corolla, North Carolina.
You will see the lighthouse as you are approaching
it and signs direct you to the grounds.
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All pictures are the original work of Rick Totton and are protected under copyright laws. Do not reproduce any images from this website without permission of the author. Copyright (c) 2000 Rick Totton.
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Following
the Civil War and the construction of the existing Bodie Island Lighthouse, it
was determined that another light was required between Bodie Island Lighthouse
and Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia. The site selected was at Currituck Beach
next to the town of Corolla, North Carolina. This location is 34 miles south of
the Cape Henry Light and 32.5 miles north of the Bodie Island Light.
