CAPE LOOKOUT LIGHTHOUSE
At Cape Lookout Lighthouse, Darkness Shines
Cape Lookout Lighthouse once guided ships safely through treacherous shoals. Today, it’s the centerpiece of one of the darkest places on the Atlantic coastline, thanks to a group of Down East stargazers.
Battle for the Light
Often threatened by shifting sands and developers, Cape Lookout Lighthouse faced a different kind of destruction during the Civil War, and the debate over that piece of history rages on.
CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHTHOUSE
Under the Currituck Beach Lighthouse
Since its completion in 1875, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse has stood witness to the community of Corolla that grew up under the spindle’s eye.
A Ray of Light at Currituck Lighthouse
For nearly 15 years, Meghan Agresto has lived 40 steps from the 145-year-old Currituck Beach Lighthouse, making certain its light never fails.
BODIE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
The Bodie Island Light Shines On
The resilience of our lighthouses — and that of the people who kept them — is perhaps best exemplified by the life and times of this lighthouse in South Nags Head.
Drawn to the Light
Dozens of lighthouse keepers and their families have called Bodie Island Lighthouse home. Hundreds of those keepers’ descendants returned to see the newly renovated beacon, share stories of living on the island, and take in the view that once belonged only to them.
CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE
America’s Lighthouse
The Cape Hatteras Light has guided mariners for more than two centuries and undergone massive changes, but its connection to the Jennette family remains constant.
How the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Was Moved
Nearly two decades after it experienced a change of scenery, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse remains a Hatteras Island marvel.
Under the Hatteras Light
When he was a teenager, Philip Gerard left Delaware to discover himself. He had nothing but a sleeping bag, clothes, a backpack, a stove, and a canteen. Then he found a personal guide in the Hatteras Light.
OAK ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
Climbing the Oak Island Lighthouse at 99
A North Carolina veteran survived torpedoes, a storm at sea, and America’s bloodiest battle of World War II. Decades later and a world away, he defied the odds again by becoming the oldest person to ascend the Oak Island Lighthouse.
8 Facts About the Oak Island Lighthouse
Even though it’s decades old, the Oak Island Lighthouse is coastal nostalgia at its youngest.
OLD BALDY
The Generator Society of Bald Head Island
Nineteen families found a raw barrier island in the 1970s and made it theirs. They took advantage of the hardscrabble, primitive playground that was Bald Head Island and developed a vision for this place that still holds true.
OCRACOKE LIGHTHOUSE
The Spirit of Oscar’s House
An Ocracoke bed and breakfast in the former home of one of the island’s last lighthouse keepers embodies the spirit of the island, buoyed by its devoted caretakers.
EXPLORE MORE
From Fire, Light: A Brief History of NC’s 7 Lighthouses
How can a singular beacon represent so much? Our seven lighthouses powerfully reflect our own values — of innovation, endurance, and strength.
Chasing the Light
A former classroom teacher’s life journey with a world-renowned photographer became one of the great romantic stories of our time — based on a mutual calling to save North Carolina’s magnificent lighthouses.
Edenton’s Landmark Light
First built to provide safe passage to trade ships en route to Plymouth, the Roanoke River Lighthouse has seen several iterations, three locations, and a pair of men who gave the otherwise doomed building a new lease on life.
North Carolina’s River Lighthouses
They may not have the cachet of the iconic light stations, but these river lighthouses were just as important in aiding navigation to and from our state’s ports.
The Cape Fear Lighthouse’s Prism Project
When the Cape Fear Lighthouse was dismantled more than 60 years ago, the pieces of glass that composed its Fresnel lens scattered in a hundred directions. Now, The Old Baldy Foundation is attempting to put the lens back together.
