An Ohio Beauty - Fairport Breakwater Lighthouse

The Fairport Breakwater Lighthouse is located at Fairport Harbor on the Grand River at the entrance to Lake Erie, OH. This lighthouse was built in 1925 and replaced a previous light here. It stands 42-feet high with the keepers house. The lantern room originally housed a fourth-order Fresnel lens.This light was later automated and in more recent years the Fresnel lens was replaced by a modern day optic light. At the time of my visit here in 2001, the light continued active. I took this picture from the Headland Beach State Park, Mentor, OH. Because the lighthouse was in the distance, I cropped my original picture to bring the lighthouse closer in view to better show its beauty of unique style and architecture.

A North Carolina Beauty - Bodie Island Lighthouse

Located just north of the Oregon Inlet Bridge at Pea Island, this is the third lighthouse to be built on Bodie Island, NC.

The first lighthouse was built in 1847 at a height of only 54-feet. Its light was provided by a series of lanterns and reflectors. After 11-years, the foundation failed and the lighthouse had to be closed.

The second lighthouse was built in 1859 with its tower rising to 80-feet. It was equipped with a third-order Fresnel lens. During the Civil War the lighthouse was damaged to the extent it was inoperable.

Building of the third lighthouse, pictured above, was completed in 1872. This tower stands 164-feet high and its lantern room houses a first-order Fresnel lens. In 1940 the light was automated.  At the time of my visit here in 2000, the light continued active and operates from dusk to dawn. The base of the tower was open to visitors intermittently while the Keeper's Quarters was open seasonally.

A North Carolina Beauty - Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Located on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Outer Banks, NC, this lighthouse built of brick in 1870 towers 208-feet above the sand.

The original lighthouse built on the Cape in 1803 was only 90-feet tall and built of sandstone. Its light was provided by a series of lamps and reflectors. In 1852 that tower was raised to a height of 150-feet. Two years later, the lamps and reflectors were replaced by a first-order Fresnel lens. During the civil war the lighthouse was badly damaged, and authorities determined it would be less expensive to build a new one a few hundred yards from the original.

Construction of the present lighthouse was finished in 1870. The distinctive daymark of four spirals, two black and two white, which extends around the tower 1 and 1/2 times was applied in 1873. The light is now provided by a duplex airport beacon and operates daily from dusk to dawn.

During the summer of 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was relocated 2,900-feet inland to it's present location due to shoreline erosion. At the time of my visit here in 2000, work from the move was not complete as shown by the orange barrier fence next to the lighthouse and the unfinished landscape in the foreground of my picture. The lighthouse was open to the public, however, the keeper's quarters, which houses a museum and gift shop, was not yet open in June of 2000.

Thanks to Lighthousefriends.com, below is a picture of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse after completion of the landscaping.

A North Carolina Beauty - Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Located on the southern half of Core Banks, NC, this is the second lighthouse built at Cape Lookout. The first was built in 1812. This lighthouse towers 163-feet above sea level and was built in 1859. It has 201-steps in the tower. A first-order Fresnel lens was initially installed in the lantern room. The red brick tower at Cap Lookout became the prototypal of all lighthouses erected on the Outer Banks. In 1873, it received its distinctive daymark "diagonal checkerboard" design.  In the 1970's, a 15-second rotation light signal, provided by a duplex airport beacon, replaced the Fresnel lens.

The aforementioned first order Fresnel lens was placed in service at the Southeast Lighthouse in Block Island, RI. At the time of my visit to Cape Lookout in 2000, the Fresnel lens was reported to also be an active light.

Cape Lookout Light is owned and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard and is closed to the public. However, the keeper's quarters near the base of the lighthouse is open seasonally to visitors. Cape Lookout National Seashore can be reached by ferry. At the time of my visit here, there were no stores or places to get fresh water on the island, so visitors had to pack-in needed supplies. 

(Note: The two white blur's in the sky are from something reflecting off my camera lens.)