Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Double Keeper's Dwelling, Point of Cape Hatteras, Access Road from Route 12, Buxton, Dare County, NC

Significance: The Double Keeper's Quarters at Cape Hatteras was constructed in 1854, at the same time as the nearby Lighthouse was raised in height. Built of wood frame construction, and resting on brick pier foundations, the building was originally symmetrical in plan and comprised two units. Two stories in height, each unit consisted of a front-to-back stair hall at the end wall, with a parlor downstairs and two bedrooms upstairs. A central chimney in the common wall served fireplaces located on each floor of both units. A one-story kitchen wing, with a central fireplace and chimney, extended to the side of each unit. The addition of a third keeper by 1860 prompted the eventual construction of the Principal Keeper's Quarters in 1871. By 1883, a fourth keeper had been assigned to the Cape Hatteras Light Station and, after several years of requests, a two-story addition was constructed in 1892 at the west end of the Double Keeper's Quarters. The west kitchen wing was moved to the rear (north) side of the building and divided into two separate kitchen spaces. By 1919, a second cistern had been built at the west end of the Quarters.

The last assistant keeper to live in the Double Keeper's Quarters moved out in 1934, and the following year the building was used for housing as part of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. Jurisdiction for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and its associated structures was transferred to the National Park Service from the United States Lighthouse Board in 1936, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore was designated by Congress in 1937. At some point between 1948 and 1954, the chimney in the east kitchen wing was removed. By 1955, the building had been converted to the park's visitor center, with the first floor partitions between the two parlors removed. The west (rear) kitchen wing was demolished and replaced with an addition containing restrooms. An extensive rehabilitation of the Quarters was undertaken in 1983-85, including the reconstruction of the missing first floor partitions, and the installation of new exhibits. In 1999, the building, along with the other light station structures, was moved approximately half a mile due to seacoast erosion. As of 2016, the Double Keeper's Quarters was used as exhibit and orientation space for Cape Hatteras National Seashore visitors.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N2232
Survey number: HABS NC-357-A
Building/structure dates: 1854 Initial Construction
Building/structure dates: 1892 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: after. 1948- before. 1955 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1983-1985 Subsequent Work
Building/structure dates: 1999 Subsequent Work
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 78000266