Bodie Island Light Station, Off Highway 12, Nags Head, Dare County, NC

Significance: Bodie Island Light Station served as an important aid to navigation in a system of lighthouses guiding mariners along the hazardous waters of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, often referred to as the "graveyard of the Atlantic." The lighthouses on the Outer Banks guided both national and international shipping plying along the coast. Bodie Island Light, first established in 1848, was the only light between Cape Henry at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to the north and Cape Hatteras Light to the south, until the Currituck Light was established to the north in 1875. The current tower, built in 1872, reflects a standardized design used for many first-order lighthouses built by the U.S. Light-House Board. The station and its setting retain a nineteenth century appearance with few modifications. Its original Fresnel lens is still operational, and the station continues as an active aid to navigation and as a popular tourist destination in Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N940

Survey number: HABS NC-395

Building/structure dates: 1871-1872 Initial Construction

lighthouses transportation navigation safety domestic life building deterioration adaptive reuse interpretation maritime nags head nc bodie bodie island light station highway nags head nags head north carolina dare county andrews and johnson barbier and fenestre justine christianson candace clifford lisa conner todd croteau george h elliot roland flores augustin fresnel peter c hains historic american buildings survey winslow lewis mcclenahan and brothers kemble and company paulding phoenix iron works stephen pleasonton nicholas m smith dexter stetson us coast guard us light house board james m womack photo ultra high resolution high resolution lighthouse library of congress

1933 - 1970

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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