Cape Spear Light House

Cape Spear Light House

Cape Spear Light House

Currituck Beach Light Station

The Outer Banks of North Carolina is known to have some of the best specimens of lighthouses in close proximity on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and the Currituck Beach Light Station is no exception. Standing at an impressive 162 feet its bare brick facade stands out prominently on the coast line and makes an excellent visit as long as you don’t mind climbing 214 iron steps! The trip is well worth the view and well worth the history lesson that you learn on your way up the climb.

History and Operation of the Currituck Beach Light Station

First lit on December 1st, 1875 the Currituck Beach Light Station was built approximately 33 miles from the Cape Henry Light and the Bodie Island Lighthouse. Nestled in what is now known as Corolla, North Carolina the lighthouse was built to light the void that neither Cape Henry nor Bodie Island could reach. Construction began in 1873 and the lighthouse needed over 1,000,000 bricks before it was complete.

The base of the lighthouse is nearly 6 feet thick and if you like a good climb each window on your ascension will illustrate the thickness of the lighthouse. Even at the parapet the wall is still 3 feet thick to withstand the torrential winds that the Outer Banks can receive. Visitors can climb up to the observation deck but are not allowed to enter the beacon room since it is still used to this day. The observation deck is well worth the climb. Even on a calm day the breeze is strong and you can imagine what a lighthouse keeper had to go through when a storm was fast approaching.