Long before getting that far, however, visitors are usually able to see the top of the spiraling Cape Hatteras Lighthouse rising near the shoreline. The lighthouse was built in as the successor to a number of lightships and an earlier, smaller lighthouse, none of which had been effective in warning ships away from Diamond Shoals.
The structure towers feet above the sand-the tallest lighthouse in the United States and arguably the most recognizable, with its alternating black and white spirals extending around the tower. In addition to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, other man-made attractions within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore are the Bodie Island and Ocracoke Lighthouses , restored lifesaving stations, and the visible remains of numerous shipwrecks.
Natural attractions include unspoiled beaches, sand dunes, salt marshes, maritime forests, and a rich diversity of wildlife. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge , located within the park, has become a favorite destination of bird-watchers. Available activities at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore include surf fishing, boating, sunbathing, swimming, hiking, camping, and nature study.
Long popular with sportsmen and -women and vacationers from throughout the nation and the world, the park attracts more than 2 million visitors annually. Act to establish Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Public laws and resolutions passed by the General Assembly at its session of Comments are not published until reviewed by NCpedia editors at the State Library of NC , and the editors reserve the right to not publish any comment submitted that is considered inappropriate for this resource.
Now, the lighthouse remains steady and strong and it's simply waiting for more visitors to come climb its stairs and take in the historic view on top. Just maybe leave your drama at home as this lighthouse has certainly had enough. By Stacey Leasca. Save FB Tweet More. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in NC. All rights reserved. The cast iron casement window trim, and the weight set and its hardware are gone.
A cabinet, a small desk, and a coal stove were once present in the watch room. A set of roller curtains visible in old photos that once kept the sun's rays out of the lens during the day are also gone. Inner wood doors with glass lights were removed from the top and bottom entries, along with glass transoms at the bottom; they were removed during the restoration and are said to be in storage by the USCG.
The vandalized Fresnel lens was removed in and stored. After 57 years, the lens and pedestal assembly were reunited and can now be viewed at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, in Hatteras Village, just 10 miles to the southwest of the lighthouse. What is the circular well at the bottom? Minus the plastic netting and steel mesh floor, which are NPS visitor safety equipment, this was originally a sand pit that was provided in case the weight cable of the clockwork mechanism parted causing the weight to free-fall down the tower.
The sand pit was much more forgiving and flexible than the slate and marble floor that surrounds the pit. The weight set could also be lowered into the pit to facilitate maintenance and repairs such as cable repair or replacement.
The well is about 4 feet deep. What are the vertical rails in the central well? Lacking the graceful design found in every other part of the lighthouse, these rails are a later addition, not shown on the working plans. Usually, in towers of this type the weights of the clockwork mechanism in the lens assembly would drop directly down the center of the tower, suspended from a wire cable. Differences in structural details of the Cape Hatteras tower required a system of T-rails to keep the weights from swinging excessively as they dropped down the tower.
What were the alcoves on the first floor used for? Originally, the lamp oil for the light was stored in large, round metal containers called oil butts. They were large brass or tin tanks that ranged in size from 50 to gallons each. They stood upright and were set side by side on masonry or wooden elevated shelves in the alcoves.
Each one had a petcock at the bottom from which the keeper would draw his daily supply of lamp oil into his oil can. He then carried the oil cans up the tower to fuel the lamps. The large, cubic gallon tank at the base of the tower replaced numerous oil butts with one centralized storage tank. Other gear may have also been kept in the alcoves. What is the metal tank just above the first floor? The large, square, gallon tank was used for the storage of kerosene to light the lamp in the Fresnel lens.
What are the numbers on the landing walls? These numbers are called landing numbers. They are not original; the interior has been repainted several times. The restoration crew made them to mark the landings for easy identification. Wouldn't it have been easier to use a rope and pulley to haul up the oil? No and this practice was never allowed in US lighthouses. The fuel for the lamp was extremely valuable and, when it was being moved, the keeper was required to keep it in his possession.
At any rate, it would not have been less work. A once-over pulley gives no mechanical advantage; it still takes ft-lbs. But in climbing, the legs do the work, not the arms. A twice-over pulley takes half as much effort, but takes twice as long.
The can would have tended to sway, and possibly rupture or spill when it hit a beam or bolt head, or fell oil usage was very closely monitored; the keeper was held accountable for waste. And he'd still have to climb all the way up anyway - so no point in going up empty handed.
How many storms has it survived? All of them! Seriously, no one knows; not all were recorded. About hurricanes and countless nor'easters have affected the Outer Banks since , since Europeans were here who knows how many more before Europeans arrival. This would suggest about 40 hurricanes since the lighthouse was built. On April 17, , lightning struck the tower; several months later, new shallow vertical cracks in the inner wall were ascribed to this by the keepers, but are now reliably attributed to thermal expansion of the structure.
In the s, studies of the cracks revealed movement with temperature variations. Later, the lighthouse also survived the Charleston earthquakes of August 31, 3 shocks up to 7. Why is the tower leaning? It is not leaning significantly, though there seems to be such a rumor floating around. There is a deceptive optical illusion at certain angles of view, caused by the stripes, and sometimes enhanced by a backdrop of moving clouds.
Why is there a lighthouse here? Extending about miles offshore from Cape Hatteras are the shallow, shifting Diamond Shoals—a hazard to nearby navigation. By day or night, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse provided a navigational bearing, enabling ships to avoid the treacherous shoals. Along the North Carolina coast, shipping also made good use of favorable currents—the Labrador Current, flowing south near shore, and the Gulf Stream, flowing north a bit farther out—which provided additional speed.
One account says ships of over 50 tons sank here from to Another says well over 2, ships have sunk off the Outer Banks since Europeans first arrived.
How did the Diamond Shoals get their name? It is not known where the actual name came from. The shoals are not a continuous mass, but are a series of three distinct shoals with channels between them. In , the US Board of Geographic Names designated the entire series as Diamond Shoals and assigned names to the individual shoals and sloughs the channels between the shoals.
How many lightships have there been at Diamond Shoals? There were three lightships:. What is the "Texas" tower? The light was located approximately It was originally crewed by 6 people 4 on and 2 off but was automated on September 7, The watt lamp was feet above the water and was visible for 22 nautical miles.
The Diamond Shoals Light Station was de-commissioned in and the light is no longer operational. Why are there so many lighthouses in North Carolina? Ideally, with lighthouses every 40 miles or so, one was nearly always visible to coasting ships. When one passed out of range, another would soon appear. Is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse still a functional navigational aid? Yes, though it is now automated.
With today's navigational technology, is it still a useful aid-to-navigation? Yes, though not to the same extent it once was. It provides confirmation of modern navigational methods and a landmark for local boat traffic.
Seen from a few miles out to sea, this coastline has few distinguishing features. The stripes serve as a daytime identification aid—known as a daymark—allowing mariners to distinguish between the lighthouses. No evidence has been found to indicate that the checkerboard or diamond pattern was originally intended for the Cape Hatteras Light at Diamond Shoals, despite a popular folk story that some bureaucrat messed up the work order.
All lighthouses are daymarks. Generally, the shapes of the tower and dwelling, the advertised color and the geological background such as cliffs, rocks, hillsides, etc. Towers can also be painted, often in solid colors that contrast with their natural backgrounds making them more visible.
So, a lighthouse that is built of stone on a rocky island would most likely be painted white; a lighthouse near a town with numerous white buildings would probably be painted red. In general, the coast is topographically quite flat with few, if any, outstanding natural features to assist the mariner.
Compounding this issue, the tall coastal towers, built primarily between the s and s, were virtually identical in appearance from a distance at sea. Therefore, to make them identifiable, they each received distinguishable daymarks—usually paint—though some towers were left unpainted. Only certain colors—black, white and red—were used because these are the ones that would stand out the best against the background.
Therefore, along the Outer Banks, the tall coastal lighthouse daymarks are: Currituck Beach Light - unpainted red brick; Bodie Island - banded black and white; Cape Hatteras - black and white spiral stripes; and Cape Lookout - black and white checkerboard. Has the Cape Hatteras lighthouse always been black and white spiral striped?
This paint job did not exist until The sandstone tower appeared to be white. This may have been due to the natural color of the stone or a whitewash coating. This changed when the tower was extended with a brick addition in The lower 70 feet of the tower remained white and the top 80 feet was red. It was probably red on top to contrast with sky and white on bottom to contrast with the vegetation.
It was painted with a cement-based brick wash. The Report of the Lighthouse Board indicates that, when it was first painted, the top part of the current tower was painted red and the bottom part white. Other reports say that the whole tower wasoriginally red.
In any case, the stripes were painted in It is not known exactly how the stripes were laid out, but it could have been done using a combination of pre-calculated dimensions, plumb bobs, and taut lines. Modern painting contractors use a window washer type platform. In , after years of careful planning, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and the surrounding outbuildings, including the principal keepers' quarters and double keepers' quarters, was moved 2, ft. The actual move itself took just 23 days, with lots of planning, set-up, and maintenance before and after the operation.
In the end, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse ended up being the tallest brick structure in history to ever be moved. Today the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and outbuildings are all open to visitors, and remain safe behind a barrier of sand dunes and maritime forest in the heart of Buxton.
The lighthouse is open for climbers seasonally from the third Friday in April until Columbus Day. Self-guided climbs begin at 9am and go to to pm. Tickets are inexpensive for adults, and even less for children under 11 and senior citizens 62 and older. Ticker sales begin at 9am and climbs happen every 10 minutes maximum 30 climbers per time slot. These slots can fill up quickly on nice days.
Also, the climbs can be stopped if temperatures inside the lighthouse become too hot. The reward for making the long hike up the lighthouse is a panoramic view that spans the majority of Hatteras Island, from Avon to Hatteras Village.
Special full moon evening tours are available once a month and tickets can be reserved in advance.
0コメント