Lighthouse

Travel

Bodie Island Lighthouse

North Carolina

Popular folklore says that the island got its name because of the many bodies that were found around it, washed up from shipwrecks.

The brick lighthouse with alternating stripes of white and black that we see today is not the original lighthouse on Bodie Island.

There were actually two lighthouses that came before it. Because Oregon Inlet continually shifts southward, the remains of the two original lighthouses have since been washed away.

The first lighthouse rested on fifteen acres of land that the federal government purchased for $150 in 1846.

It was built in 1848 and stood only fifty-four (54) feet tall and measured seventeen (17) feet around the widest part oft its base.

Close to the tower was a five-room house for the keeper, as well as a large brick cistern and two outbuildings. The original lighthouse was positioned just south of Oregon Inlet and was supposed to have a visibility of twelve miles.

Ocracoke Island Lighthouse

North Carolina

Ocracoke Island is a sixteen (16) mile long barrier island, located off North Carolina’s Outer Banks and was made famous by Blackbeard the Pirate, who used Ocracoke Island as a hideout and hangout.

Built in 1823, the Ocracoke Lighthouse is the oldest North Carolina lighthouse still in continuous service.

The lighthouse stands sixty-five (65) feet tall, and rises seventy-five (75) above sea level. It was made of brick and plaster. At the base, the walls are five feet thick. It was originally equipped with a 3rd-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced with a 4th-order lens in 1854.

The current lighting apparatus has 8,000 candlepower and can be seen from fourteen miles out to sea. In 1946, the Ocracoke Lighthouse was automated and its keeper since 1926, “Cap’n” Joe Burrus, left its service. He was a keeper for 45 years and also served at the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Diamond Shoals Lightship.

"Old" Point Loma Lighthouse

San Diego, California

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse stood watch over the entrance to San Diego Bay for 36 years. At dusk on November 15, 1855, the light keeper climbed the winding stairs and lit the light for the first time.
What seemed to be a good location 422 feet above sea level, however, had a serious flaw. Fog and low clouds often obscured the light.
On March 23, 1891, the light was extinguished and the keeper moved to a new lighthouse location closer to the water at the tip of the Point.

Barnegat Lighthouse

Barnegat Light, New Jersey

"Old Barney Shines Again"

January 1, 2009

Barnegat Light, N.J. – It’s been eighty two years since light has illuminated the nighttime sky from the Barnegat Lighthouse on Long Beach Island.

On New Year’s Day, crowds gathered in commemoration of the lighthouse’s 150th anniversary and to celebrate the relighting of the famous light tower.

Each night the beacon will now be visible from both land and sea for 20 miles.

Commissioned on January 1, 1859, the 172 foot lighthouse served as an aid to navigation and warned seafarers to the dangers of the treacherous Barnegat Shoals.

It remained a navigational aid until 1927 at which time its light was reduced due to the anchoring of the Barnegat Light Ship eight miles offshore.

The light was finally extinguished in January of 1944.

The non-profit Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse raised the money for the new $15,000 beacon through a combination of membership dues, public donations.

An additional $6,000 in funds was collected by selling certificates saying "I climbed Old Barney" for a dollar a piece.