Currituck Beach Lighthouse

CURRITUCK BEACH LIGHTHOUSE:
Twenty years ago, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse was in need of repair. The nonprofit Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC) was created to preserve the lighthouse when no one else was willing to step in and restore the national landmark. Since then, the OBC has spent more than two decades and nearly 1.5 million from private dollars restoring, maintaining and operating the lighthouse. The OBC opened the lighthouse to the public in 1991 and it is currently the only lighthouse in North Carolina open to the public.

Preserve a piece of history with your donation.
The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society was organized in 1994 to aid in the preservation of the lighthouses in the area and work with the National Park Service and other agencies to achieve the safe-keeping of the buildings, artifacts and records of the old United States Lighthouse Establishment, a.k.a. U.S. Light-House Board and Bureau of Lighthouses and U.S. Lighthouse Service. For Details: www.outerbankslighthousesociety.org

CURRITUCK LIGHTHOUSE FACTS:
• Number of steps: 214
• Height to focal plane of lens: 158 feet
• Height to top of roof: 162 feet
• Number of bricks: approximately one million
• Thickness of wall at base: 5 feet 8 inches
• Thickness of wall at parapet: 3 feet

CURRITUCK LIGHTHOUSE TOURS:
Tour groups are welcomed at the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. Special rates are available for school groups and other tours provided arrangements are made in advance with the director, Ms. Jenn Barr, who may be reached by telephone at 252-453-8152 or by e-mail at info@currituckbeachlight.com.

CURRITUCK LIGHTHOUSE WEDDINGS:
Several dozen weddings are held on the grounds of the lighthouse compound each year ranging in size from 5 to 150 guests per occasion. To tentatively reserve a portion of the grounds for a wedding, please call Ms. Jenn Barr, director, at 252-453-8152 or e-mail: info@currituckbeachlight.com

MAKE A DIFFERENCE:
Sign the Petition - support the transfer of ownership of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse from the federal government. www.currituckbeachlight.com

CURRITUCK LIGHTHOUSE HISTORY:
On December 1, 1875 the beacon of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse filled the remaining "dark spot" on the North Carolina coast between the Cape Henry light to the north and Bodie Island to the south. To distinguish the Currituck Beach Lighthouse from other regional lighthouses, its exterior was left unpainted and gives today's visitor a sense of the multitude of bricks used to form the structure. The lighthouse was automated in 1939 when the United States Coast Guard assumed the duties of the Bureau of Lighthouses. At a height of 158 feet, the night beacon still flashes at 20-second intervals to warn ships hugging the chain of barrier islands along the coast.