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.
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