Cape Lookout Light Station, Core Banks North Carolina
- Categories:
- North Carolina
- Lighthouse
Constructed between 1857 and 1859, the present Cape Lookout Lighthouse became the prototype of all lighthouses erected on the Outer Banks. At night its beam has long warned seamen of the dangerous shoals on Core Banks, and by day its bold diagonal checker pattern is a distinctive landmark. Dominated by one of two North Carolina lighthouses built before the Civil War, Cape Lookout light Station is an important physical and historic feature of the Outer Banks.
About midway between Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear on North Carolina's Outer Banks is Cape Lookout. From this point shoals extend seaward about ten miles, creating a great hazard to navigation. Congress authorized lighthouses for Cape Fear and Hatteras before 1797, but for some reason omitted to do so for Cape Lookout. A nautical publication for 1809 noted that "Cape Lookout is very low and cannot be seen more than three leagues in the clearest weather … "
Land for a lighthouse had been purchased by the federal government in 1805. In that year, it had acquired four acres on the west side of Cape Hills from Joseph Fulford and Elijah Pigott. William Tatham inspected the cape two years later with instructions to find a suitable location for a lighthouse. His recommendation that one be erected atop Blind's Hill was not followed and subsequently, the hill was worn away by the elements. Somewhat later, at least by 1812, the first lighthouse was put in operation at Cape Lookout. Its keeper, William Fulford, described it as "built with two towers; the inside one is brick--the outside one is a wooden framed building, boarded and shingled and painted in red and white stripes horizontally."
By 1852 drifting sand was threatening the base of the lighthouse, and in 1857 there was a recommendation that an increase in height from 93 feet to 150 feet was needed. It was decided that a new lighthouse should be built. Accordingly, the present lighthouse at Cape Lookout, 169 feet in height, was built and went into operation on November 1st, 1859. The distinctive "diagonal checkers" of black and white were added in 1873, the same year the keeper's dwelling was built. During the Civil War, the new tower was slightly damaged and the lens ruined by Confederate troops, but the light was put back in operation by 1863. Over the years many improvements have been made to the lighthouse such as repairs to the lens and a new iron stair (1867), but basically, the structure remains as originally built.
Site Description
Cape Lookout Light Station is a complex of structures consisting of the lighthouse, the keeper's dwelling, a generator house, a coal and wood shed, and a small cement block oil house; all situated on the long narrow sandy island called Core Banks. To the west is Barden Inlet and to the south, the Atlantic Ocean.
Towering 169 feet above the sand, Cape Lookout Lighthouse is a conical brick shaft painted with a distinctive diaper pattern made up of alternating black and white lozenges. The brick is laid in one-to-five common bond. At the top occurs a necking with a wide corbel cornice above, which supports a balustraded catwalk. Elevated above that, a second catwalk encircles the cupola which contains the light. The roof is polygonal and crowned by a fish-shaped weathervane atop a spherical finial.
Each of the twelve openings in the shaft (ten windows containing six-over-six sash, and two entrances, have stone lintels and wooden sills. The thickness of the wall of the shaft decreases from about eight feet near the base to about two feet at the top. The original wooden stair was replaced by a spiral iron stair in 1867. Winders radiate from a series of fluted cast iron columns; five semicircular landings occur in between. The unit bears a plaque which reads: "L. SAUTTER & CO./CONSTRUCTEURS/A PARIS." Enclosed by vertical sheathing, the highest landing is entered through a four-panel door. On the landing two wooden cupboards with shelving above conform to the curve of the lighthouse wall. The light is a non-rotating first-order classical one optic lens.
To the west is the keeper's dwelling, constructed in 1873. It is built of brick laid in one-to-seven common bond. The structure is five bays wide, with no original openings on the ends. (A door was cut in the south end.) An interior end chimney pierces the gable roof at each end. Originally the keeper's quarters had a central entrance and a one-story shed roof porch on each side; these survive, only on the west side. The east entrance was moved to the southernmost bay. Two-over-two sash is consistent throughout. The plan of the first floor has been severely altered. Judging from what remains on the second floor the house had a center hall with two rooms on either side. The stair now rises in one flight toward the west. There are indications on the string that it may have turned. Balusters square in section are the only consistent feature of the stairs. Both molded and rounded handrails occur and there are three various newels and posts: one square in section, a heavy-turned one, and a tapered Federal-style one.
Two large sand mounds spotted with granite blocks lie to the north. They are said to be the ruins of the first Cape Lookout lighthouse which is known to have been standing as late as 1868.
