Lighthouses of North Carolina's Outer Banks

Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Lighthouses of North Carolina's Outer Banks

The Cape Lookout lighthouse is the cornerstone of the
Cape Lookout National Seashore. This unique
lighthouse guards commercial freighters against the
dangerous 14 mile Lookout Shoal, which early sailors so
often called “Horrible Headlands”. She stands 165 feet
tall and has a beam range of 19 miles.

This however was not the first lighthouse built here on
this site. The original Cape Lookout Lighthouse was
completed in 1812, just before the war of 1812. This
early lighthouse was only 96 feet tall. Mariners had
trouble seeing the lighthouse in bad stormy weather
especially in times of heavy fog. So in 1857 Congress
approved construction on this new and improved
lighthouse which was completed in 1859 at a cost of 45
thousand dollars. Today only a pile of rubble is all that
remains of the original lighthouse of 1812.

But like most of the other beacons along the Outer
Banks during the mid 18 hundreds, the civil war took its
toll on the new Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Confederate
soldiers snuffed out its light in the spring of 1862 and it
remained dark until the end of the war. They actually
blew up the stairs leading to the top of the tower and
damaged the lens. Both the stairs and lens were fully
restored in 1867 and these diamond patterns were
painted in 1873. This new paint job helped distinguish
the Cape Lookout Lighthouse during the day from other
lighthouses here along the North Carolina coast.

To reach the Cape Lookout Lighthouse visitors must
arrive by private boats or on one of the many ferry’s
that make daily trips out to the grounds of the
lighthouse. Visitors can tour the old keeper’s home but
the lighthouse itself is not open to the public.

The base of the lighthouse is just over 28 feet in
diameter and the walls at the bottom are 9 feet thick. In
this rare view from inside the once wooden stairs were
replaced in 1867 with this cast iron staircase. All 201
steps will get you to the very top for a bird’s eye view of
the Cape Lookout National Seashore.

The Cape Lookout diamond pattern has more
significance than just identifying the light as the Cape
Lookout Lighthouse. The white diamonds face an east-
west direction and the black diamonds face a north-
south direction. The white diamonds face much deeper
water like Raleigh’s bay while the black diamonds face
the shallow waters around the headlands. During bad
weather merchant ships would anchor off shore on the
white diamond side away from the dangerous and
shallow Lookout Shoals.

Today this lighthouse is equipped with a radio beacon,
has a rotating electric light, it’s unmanned and has been
automated since 1950. It’s managed by the United
States Park Service and is the only lighthouse along the
coast here that actually operates during the day.

Historically the Cape Lookout Lighthouse has a lot of
importance here. It was the first tall, coastal lighthouse
in North Carolina and on the east coast. Over the years
erosion, crumbling brick work and rusty ironwork
threaten the future of this beautiful and historic
structure. A complete renovation is needed to ensure
this magnificent lighthouse will be here for many
generations to come. The Cape Lookout Lighthouse is
a great trip and visit for all lighthouse lovers!