About this lighthouse:

Height of tower: 193 feet, 198 feet to *focal plane of lens (Tallest brick lighthouse in North America). Year Completed: 1870, Signal Distance: 19 **Nautical Miles, Signal Pattern: 1 white flash every 7.5 seconds. Number of steps in the lighthouse: 268.

Located along Highway 12 south on Hatteras Island, the Cape Hatteras Light is the most recognized, photographed, painted, read about and admired lighthouse in North America and is a National Historic Landmark. The signature of America's maritime history, it is the symbol of the United States Lighthouse Service and a memorial to hundreds of caring professional men and women who made this coastline safer for venturing mariners and travelers. It is the signpost of the Graveyard of the Atlantic, where wrecked German U-boats lie next to Spanish galleons. The first tower was originally built in 1803. It fell short of mariners' expectations even after being heightened and fitted with a first-order Fresnel lens in 1854. A new tower was requested and money was appropriated by Congress to begin construction in 1868.

Raising the focal plane to 180 feet in the new tower made the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse the tallest in the U.S. Its brand new first-order Fresnel lens made it an impressive structure helping to warn mariners of the dangerous Diamond Shoals.

International Chimney, Inc. and their team of engineers successfully moved the Cape Hatteras Light Station 2,900 feet to the southwest of the original location, placing the tower 1,600 feet from the ocean’s edge on July 9, 1999. The light station was reset with the Principal and Double Keepers Quarters, brick oil house, sidewalks, and cisterns in the same relative position to one another as they were at the first site. Hydraulic jacks lifted the 4,400 ton lighthouse, supported it while en route, and lowered the structure onto a new 60-foot square concrete foundation. Brick conjoins the space between the underside of the tower and the concrete pad.

Thanks to a newly patented hydraulic clamp, the push jacks, which gently pushed the lighthouse along travel beams, were released and reset quickly, allowing the move to be accomplished in only twenty-three days. Not long after the move was complete and with the newly laid brick foundation barely set, two hurricanes challenged the structural integrity of the lighthouse. The newly gained distance between the lighthouse and the ocean provided a protective buffer from lashing winds. Although great window damage occurred, the tower proved strong and able to withstand not only the rigors of the move process, but also the fury of a strong hurricane.

Phase II, completed in late 2000 brought improvements to the new site including the construction of access roads, parking, walkways, restrooms, and information areas to facilitate the interpretation of the historic district for visitors. Electric, water, sewage, fire, and security systems were also installed.
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is usually open for climbing from around Memorial Day until Columbus Day, although inclement weather (lightning or high winds) can close the lighthouse temporarily. During normal operating hours during the summer, National Park Service volunteers assist climbers from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM each day.

May 4,5,6, 2001, the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society and the National Park Service cosponsored the Hatteras Keepers Descendants Homecoming. Other participants were the U.S. Coast Guard and sponsors including Harbour Lights, the American Lighthouse Foundation, Lighthouse Depot/Digest, the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, and many Outer Banks businesses- especially Hatteras Island businesses- who helped to make this event a memorable reunion as well as an educational experience for over 1,100 Keepers' descendants.

As part of the special Homecoming event, the NPS held a two-hour program on Saturday evening as a rededication ceremony for the Cape Hatteras Light Station. The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society published an oral history book, HATTERAS KEEPERS ORAL AND FAMILY HISTORIES, by Cheryl Shelton-Roberts and Sandra MacLean Clunies, with all proceeds going towards Homecoming expenses.

The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society also researched and planned the engraving of the first plinth stones at the original site in cooperation with the NPS. The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau provided funding for this special project.

For more information on programs and hours, contact the National Park Service Headquarters at 252/473-2111 in Manteo, NC. The visitors center for the lighthouse is located in Buxton at the in the Principal Keepers Quarters; there are exhibits in the Double Keepers Quarters.