I've been visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina since the age of 15 (or 1983 if you want to make me seem old). My very first trip there was long before huge development overtook the northern part of the island - and back when what is now NC Route 12 was a private road once you crossed from Dare into Currituck County. Back then north of the Town of Duck you'd pass the guard gate, drive through the Audubon Sanctuary, see a few beach homes in the Ocean Sands & Whalehead areas and come into the tiny village of Corolla. The big landmark? Currituck Lighthouse. At that time I remember watching every night at dusk for the (now automated) light to come on. To this day it is still something I look for each evening when we are in the area.
This lighthouse is different in appearance from all the others along the Virginia & North Carolina Coast in that it is not painted. It is finished in red brick vs the others painted in different patterns of black & white stripes. Currituck Lighthouse was completed in 1875 - even though the plaque when you climb indicates 1873 (1873 is when construction began). It is constructed of around a million bricks, is 5 feet thick at the base and has 220 steps. I know this as I have climbed it many times. The view from the top is spectacular. Climbing was not allowed until 1991 after many years of renovations from 1980-1991. This light (like the others along this coast) is still a working, functional, navigation aid for maritime traffic. Currituck is situated pretty much midway between lights at Cape Charles, Virginia and Bodie Island, North Carolina. The light was automated in 1939 which meant that the light keepers were no longer needed and basically out of a job! Even though the source of the light has changed a lot over the years (lard oil, mineral oil, oil vapor... to 1000 watt light bulbs), the original lens still exists. The lens is the largest of 7 sizes and is a Fresnal lens. Finally the lighthouse is on a 20 second light cycle (on 3 seconds - off 17 seconds).
These pictures are from a couple of different visits. I hope you enjoy them and get the opportunity to check this lighthouse out if you're ever in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
