CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHTHOUSE:
Twenty years ago, the Currituck
Beach Lighthouse was in need
of repair. The nonprofit Outer
Banks Conservationists (OBC)
was created to preserve the
lighthouse when no one else
was willing to step in and restore
the national landmark. Since
then, the OBC has spent more
than two decades and nearly
1.5 million from private dollars
restoring, maintaining and operating
the lighthouse.
 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
CURRITUCK LIGHTHOUSE
FACTS:
• Number of steps: 214
• Height to focal plane
of lens: 158 feet
• Height to top of roof:
162 feet
• Number of bricks: approximately
one million
• Thickness of wall at
base: 5 feet 8 inches
• Thickness of wall at
parapet: 3 feet
CURRITUCK
LIGHTHOUSE TOURS:
Tour groups are welcomed
at the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.
Special rates are available
for school groups and other
tours provided arrangements
are made in advance with the
director, please call 252-453-8152
or e-mail info@currituckbeachlight.com.
CURRITUCK
LIGHTHOUSE WEDDINGS:
Several dozen weddings
are held on the grounds of the
lighthouse compound each year
ranging in size from 5 to 150
guests per occasion. To tentatively
reserve a portion of the grounds
for a wedding, please call 252-453-8152
or e-mail: info@currituckbeachlight.com
CURRITUCK
LIGHTHOUSE HISTORY:
On December 1, 1875
the beacon of the Currituck
Beach Lighthouse filled the
remaining "dark spot"
on the North Carolina coast
between the Cape Henry light
to the north and Bodie Island
to the south. To distinguish
the Currituck Beach Lighthouse
from other regional lighthouses,
its exterior was left unpainted
and gives today's visitor a
sense of the multitude of bricks
used to form the structure.
The lighthouse was automated
in 1939 when the United States
Coast Guard assumed the duties
of the Bureau of Lighthouses.
At a height of 158 feet, the
night beacon still flashes at
20-second intervals to warn
ships hugging the chain of barrier
islands along the coast. |
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