Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Perhaps none is better known or more popular than the Cape Hatteras lighthouse. At more than two hundred feet high, it is the tallest lighthouse in America and has stood near the point at Cape Hatteras since shortly after the Civil War.

The Cape Hatteras lighthouse was built to warn ships away from Diamond Shoals, the most hazardous part of the region some have labeled the Graveyard of the Atlantic. It is a scary place, in which major shipping lanes, merging warm and cold currents, and shifting underwater shoals converge with disastrous results, and it is known worldwide for its perils. Often shrouded in fog and mist, the low trees and dunes of Hatteras Island offer few visual landmarks to warn crews of their proximity to the shoals, and ships can slip all too easily into the shallows. Barnacle-encrusted skeletons of wrecked ships still rest there, attesting to the fact that, once trapped, there is little chance of escape.

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

The location of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse on North Carolina's legendary Outer Banks has made the structure one of the most recognized and visited lighthouses in America. It has a long and interesting history that includes the record of its own escape from the threat of encroaching waters, a narrative of human achievement in the eternal battle with the sea. This book tells the story of that colorful past, including the incredible account of the successful efforts to rescue the fabled Cape Hatteras lighthouse from almost certain destruction.