Currituck County's Historic Corolla: Currituck Beach Lighthouse |
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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 Currituck Beach from other regional lighthouses its exterior remains unpainted and gives today's visitor a sense of the multitude of bricks used to form the structure. Automated in 1939, the night beacon still flashes at 20-second intervals to warn ships hugging the chain of barrier islands along the coast.
Today, the grounds and walkways of the Lighthouse compound are rejuvenated and the restoration of the double Keepers' House is nearly complete. The house is officially opened to the public annually, by appointment, during the first two weeks of November. Other historic structures located within the compound include louvered cisterns, a two-hole privy, storage building, and the single Keepers' House, which now functions as a Museum Shop The site is open to the public daily from 10-6, from mid-March through Thanksgiving weekend. There is a nominal fee for climbing the tower. The Currituck Beach Lighthouse is known as a first order lighthouse, which means it has the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes. The original source of light was a U. S. mineral oil lamp consisting of five concentric wicks; the largest was 4 inches in diameter.
Like other lighthouses on North Carolina's Outer Banks, this one still serves as an aid to navigation. Today a 1000-watt bulb comes on automatically every evening at dusk and ceases at dawn. With a 20-second flash cycle (on for 3 seconds, off for 17 seconds), the light can be seen for 18 nautical miles. The distinctive sequence enables the lighthouse not only to warn mariners but also to help identify their locations.
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 PHOTO 1: Currituck Beach Lighthouse Courtesy: Crows Nest Photography (1999), all rights reserved.
PHOTO 2: Currituck Beach Lighthouse & Keepers' House
PHOTO 3: Inside the Fresnel lens of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse showing the modern-day electric lighting apparatus.
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The Lighthouse Keepers' House, a Victorian ''stick style'' dwelling, was constructed from pre-cut and labeled materials which were shipped on a barge and assembled on site. In 1876, when the Keepers' House was completed, two keepers and their families shared the duplex in the isolated seaside setting. The keepers were removed in 1939 after the Lighthouse was automated and attendants were no longer needed to clean the lenses, trim the wicks, fueled the lamp, and wind the clockwork mechanism which rotated the beacon. The house and grounds were leased to Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. in 1980 for purposes of historic preservation.
Before the advent of electricity, a mechanical means was required to rotate the huge lenses that made the light appear to flash. A system of weights suspended from a line powered a clockwork mechanism beneath the lantern --much like the workings of a grandfather clock. The keeper cranked the weights up by hand every two and a half hours.
