The
Outer Banks is probably most famous for
it's lighthouses, and especially for one
in particular. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse,
with its black and white candy stripe "barber
pole" paint, is undoubtedly the most striking
lighthouse in the world. (This page
focuses on the Hatteras Lighthouse. Page
2 highlights the other lighthouses.)
There
is indeed something awe inspiring
and mystical about this lighthouse,
more so than any other. It is not unusual in the height of tourist season for 1000-2000 people per day to climb the lighthouse, with many hundreds of thousands visiting the park each year.
Its magic is apparent in this photo as
the pinks and violets of a fading
sunset wash over the lighthouse.
A rising moon behind wispy clouds
competes with the lighthouse beacon
in the evening sky.
But this wasn't the first Hatteras
light. Its predecessor was built
in 1803 just 600 feet southwest of where
the current light stood for 130 years.
The original light was insufficient
for the job, as was its foundation.
In the winter of 1868 construction
began on the current structure, supervised
by a reputable builder named Dexter
Stetson. It was completed in 1870.
(Stetson also constructed the Bodie
Island Lighthouse in 1872.)
The remains of the 1803 lighthouse
foundation, captured in this 1973
photo, ( below left ) is
now gone; washed away in 1980 by
a severe storm.
Click
image for larger view. Photo by Fred
Hurteau
Click
image for larger view.
Photo by Fred Hurteau
The
location for the 1870 construction,
mandated from Washington, was a
major mistake. In 1850 the beach
was 2500 feet east of the lighthouse.
But by the time construction started
on the 1870 structure, the ocean
had already moved 1000 feet closer.
By 1919, a half century later,
the beach front had eroded to within
300 feet of the light. Luckily,
the erosion rate slowed drastically,
and though the shape of the beach
shifted, it remained essentially
the same distance from the light
for several more decades.
From
1930 to 1968 several ideas were
tried to hold back the advancing
ocean, even after the U.S. Coast
Guard abandoned the lighthouse
and gave it to the National Park
Service. A barrier sand dune system
was built, steel pile groins were
installed, sandbags were put in
place and thousands of tons of
sand was brought in.
Then
in 1968-69 the Navy built two concrete
seawalls to protect the small Navy
installation next to the lighthouse,
and as an afterthought, one more
to protect the lighthouse itself
( see photo at left ). But still
the battle continued against the
encroaching ocean. The steel pile
groins were extended, more sand
was brought in ( 1.5 million cubic
yards ), and even artificial seaweed
was "planted" to hold the sand
in place. But none of it worked
for long.
Bold
Action For A Grave Situation
The
National Park Service considered
many proposals to solve the erosion
problem. Then in 1989 they announced
their desire to pursue the option
of moving the lighthouse.
In the older black
and white photo from NASA ( above ),
compare the area in front of the
lighthouse marked by the large red
arrow with the same area in the color
aerial photo ( right ),
taken by the N.C. Dept. of Transportation
in April, 1997. It is quite easy
to see why the situation was grave.
Click
image for larger view.
With the lighthouse on the brink
of disaster, the idea of moving
this historical and aesthetic
treasure was hotly debated. But
in the end, the move as recommended
by the National Academy of Science's,
and later endorsed by a team
of NC State University engineers
and coastal geologists, was approved
and funded.
These
photos show the lighthouse as it
was in 1972-73, long before its move
in the summer of 1999. It is the
tallest brick lighthouse in North
America. Its actual height has been
erroneously listed by the National
Park Service as 208 feet ever since
it took over the landmark. Current
information lists it at 198 feet
8 inches to it's pinnacle as it stood
at its original site. That figure
may differ by a few inches in its
new location, but it is still the
tallest in the US.
Above:
The lighthouse's imposing size is
not evident against the open
sky.
Above:
Here the massive scale of the Hatteras
Lighthouse is revealed by comparing
it with
the
man climbing
the steps.
Click
on any picture to see a larger
image. All photos below by Fred
Hurteau.
Above: Lit
by the pinks and violets of a summer
evening, this close view of
the base shows the strength and
elegance of the granite used in
its construction.
The
engineers who moved the lighthouse
in 1999 had to cut through the
granite base to facilitate the
move. They uncovered details of
the quality masonry work that otherwise
would have never been known, a
testimony to the care and skill
taken when it was built in 1868-1870
under the supervision of Dexter
Stetson.
Three
photos above: The lighthouse
is shown with the remains of the
original 1803 lighthouse foundation
which washed away in a 1980 storm. If these three photos were retaken
today, neither the old foundation
nor the lighthouse would appear
in the shots.
Left:
The lighthouse in its original
location (pre-2000), as seen from Buxton Woods.
Although this page may have
given the impression that Cape Hatteras
lighthouse is the only lighthouse on
the Outer Banks, that is certainly
not the case. Continue on to page 2.
