The Iconic Striped Lighthouse Moved Brick by Brick to Escape the Atlantic Ocean

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

The waters off Cape Hatteras have claimed over 5,000 ships, earning the nickname “Graveyard of the Atlantic.” Since 1870, one striped tower has stood guard over these deadly shoals, warning vessels away from shallow waters and shifting sands.

But the lighthouse itself faced its own battle with the sea. This is the story of how it survived.

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stands in Buxton on Hatteras Island, part of North Carolina’s Outer Banks barrier islands. At exactly 198.48 feet from ground to lightning rod tip, it’s America’s tallest brick lighthouse.

The lighthouse warns ships about Diamond Shoals, a dangerous 10-mile sandbar stretching from the cape. For over 150 years, it has guided sailors through one of the Atlantic Coast’s most dangerous spots as part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

The Graveyard of the Atlantic

Two major ocean currents crash together near Cape Hatteras, creating deadly conditions for ships. The warm Gulf Stream flows north while the cold Labrador Current pushes south, stirring up violent storms and huge waves.

Diamond Shoals adds another danger – a 12-mile sandbar hiding under the water where ships get stuck with no way out. Hundreds of ships sank in these waters over the years, giving the area its scary nickname “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”

Alexander Hamilton’s Close Call Gets Government Moving

Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton nearly died when his ship almost crashed near Cape Hatteras in the late 1700s. His close call got the government moving quickly to protect future sailors from the same fate.

On July 10, 1794, Congress approved $44,000 to build a lighthouse at Cape Hatteras. Construction didn’t start until 1799 and took four years to finish. The completed lighthouse got the nickname “Hamilton’s Light” after the founding father whose near-disaster led to its creation.

The Original Lighthouse Wasn’t Good Enough

The first Cape Hatteras Lighthouse stood 90 feet tall, built from dark sandstone with 18 lamps and 14-inch reflectors. The light reached 18 nautical miles in clear weather, but ship captains complained it disappeared during fog or haze.

In 1848, workers replaced the original lamps with 15 bigger ones using 21-inch reflectors, stretching visibility to 20 miles. Between 1851 and 1854, they raised the tower to 150 feet and put in a first-order Fresnel lens from France that focused light into a powerful beam.

War Brings Darkness to the Light

When the Civil War started in 1860, the Lighthouse Board said Cape Hatteras Lighthouse needed protection. Confederate forces knew the lighthouse helped Union supply ships navigate safely, making it a key target.

During their 1861 retreat, Confederate troops took the valuable Fresnel lens, leaving Union ships without this vital navigation help. Union forces took back control in 1862 and relit the tower with a second-order lens, upgrading to a first-order lens by 1863.

War damage left the structure too broken for simple fixes.

Building the Tallest Brick Lighthouse in America

Congress set aside $80,000 in 1868 for a new Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Dexter Stetson, a Massachusetts shipbuilder, ran the construction using roughly 1.25 million bricks from Virginia’s James River brick yards.

The project ended up costing $167,000 but created an amazing structure standing 200 feet above ground with its light reaching 208 feet above water. On December 16, 1870, America’s tallest brick lighthouse first sent its protective beam across the dangerous waters.

Creating the Famous Spiral Stripes

The lighthouse first wore a cement coating with the upper part painted red and lower part white. In 1873, painters added the eye-catching black and white spiral pattern we know today.

This “daymark” has two black and two white spiral bands, each wrapping around the tower one-and-a-half times from bottom to top. The bold pattern helps sailors spot Cape Hatteras from miles away during the day, preventing mix-ups with other coastal lighthouses.

The Ocean Starts Its Attack

Built 1,500 feet from the ocean in 1870, the lighthouse seemed safely inland. By 1919, coastal erosion had shrunk this protective distance to just 300 feet as the barrier island naturally shifted westward.

A powerful 1933 storm washed away storehouses, garages, and three toilets from the station grounds – the highest tide ever recorded at Cape Hatteras. Engineers built a steel sheet-pile wall that same year to trap sand and fight erosion, but the ocean kept moving forward.

Desperate Attempts to Hold Back the Sea

Engineers tried multiple solutions throughout the 1930s and beyond – walls, barriers, and man-made dunes – but none worked for long. The Civilian Conservation Corps built huge sand dunes along Hatteras Island, planting sea oats to hold them against wind and waves.

By 1935, conditions became so dangerous the Coast Guard abandoned the lighthouse. After fifteen dark years and temporary protection measures, they turned it back on January 23, 1950. By the 1990s, erosion threatened the historic structure once again.

Moving a Monument to Safety

The National Academy of Sciences studied the lighthouse’s dangerous situation in 1988 and reached a clear conclusion: moving it was the only way to save it. This recommendation sparked heated local debate between those fearing the move would destroy the structure and others seeing it as the only choice.

Engineers created a system using hydraulic jacks to push the 4,830-ton lighthouse along tracks in 5-foot steps. Between June 17 and July 9, 1999, they successfully moved it 2,900 feet inland without losing a single brick, putting it back at the original 1,500-foot distance from the shoreline.

Restoring America’s Maritime Icon

Stone & Lime Historic Restoration Services of North Brookfield, Massachusetts began a complete $19.2 million restoration in September 2023. The project includes fixing brick work, replacing rusted metal, and bringing back lost features.

Workers will replace the current beacon with a copy of the original first-order Fresnel lens powered by modern LED lights. Unexpected rust problems in the upper tower may push completion beyond the original 18-month timeline, but the lighthouse should reopen for climbing in summer 2026.

Visiting Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is at 46379 Lighthouse Road in Buxton, North Carolina.

Normally, visitors can climb the 269 steps from ground level to the lens for sweeping views of the Outer Banks.

As of writing, the lighthouse is closed for climbing due to the ongoing restoration project. Scaffolding surrounds the structure as workers complete critical repairs.

Despite these limits, visitors can still explore the lighthouse grounds and visit the Museum of the Sea housed in the historic Double Keepers’ Quarters.

Check the Cape Hatteras National Seashore website for updates on the restoration progress and future reopening dates.

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