Lighthouses of North Carolina's Outer Banks

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Lighthouses of North Carolina's Outer Banks

Like so many other features here on the outer banks, the
Bodie Island Lighthouse owes its very existence to the
treacherous waters off the Carolina coast. The first light
house was built here in 1848 but had a very poor
foundation and had to be abandoned about ten years
later. So they constructed the second Bodie Island
Lighthouse, and completed it in 1859. A much better
lighthouse in terms of construction, but the civil war came
along and as the Confederate Army retreated from the
area, they blew it up so it wouldn't’t fall in the hands of the
Union Army.

After the war, this third and final lighthouse was completed
in 1872. She stands 156 feet tall, her stripes are 22 feet
wide, and with her Fresnel lens has a beam range of 19
miles.

It's original name was spelled "Body", some believe from
all the storm victim bodies that washed up near here over
the past one hundred years. Some say it is from the large
body of land around the lighthouse. Today, the spelling is
Bodie.. no one is really sure why.

One thing is for sure, the Bodie Island Lighthouse had a
difficult beginning. Soon after it began operation in 1872,
a flock of geese flew against the light breaking glass
panes and damaging the lens. Today,the lighthouse is part
of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and a popular
stop for visitors passing by.

Inside, the rusty stair case shows signs of age and in
some places the walls are cracked. Considered too
dangerous to climb, the interior of this lighthouse is closed
to the general public. When volunteers are present, the
lower portion of the lighthouse is open for visitors to step
inside, and look up the magnificent 214 stairs that wind
their way to the top of the tower.

It’s not everyday you see a lighthouse surrounded by pine
trees. Here it’s the Pamlico sound on one side and the
Atlantic Ocean on the other.

The small Keepers Quarters was the only housing for the
Keepers and their families. At one time there were plans
to build another Keepers Quarters but that project never
became a reality. The current building now serves as a
ranger office and visitor center for Cape Hatteras National
Seashore.

But not even the Bodie Island Lighthouse could save the
schooner Laura Barns that ran aground here in 1921, a
victim of heavy fog. Typical of the type of ship that wrecked
along here, many of these coastal schooners fell prey to
strong currents, fierce storms, and shifting shoals.

In her early years, the Bodie Island Light ran on lamp oil.
Today an electric 1000 watt bulb lights the night and is
maintained by the United States Coast Guard.

Though not as well known as her neighbors, the Bodie
Island Light remains an important part of local history here
and is still an aid to navigation. A favorite spot for travelers
passing by as she stands a silent watch day and night,
over dangerous waters known to many as the Grave Yard
of the Atlantic.