It took a trip to Rodanthe for me to discover that restoration work had begun on the Bodie Island lighthouse, and I live out here (damn you Coastland Times and your lack of an online medium).

Even if that's not news to some of you, it was to me. SO, perhaps there's other historic NC landmarks that have been in the recent news and haven't got out much past the local media outlets. If you know of them, share them: restorations, conversions, destructions, renovations, etc.

For the lighthouse, here we go:

http://hamptonroads.com/2010/02/bodie-island-lighthouse-rejuvenation-underway

2/23/2010 2:09:31 PM

[Edited on February 23, 2010 at 2:30 PM. Reason : nvrmnd']

2/23/2010 2:30:23 PM

aside from the fact that it's old, is there anything special about this lighthouse?

I've never heard of it, but I'm not from NC either. Just curious if it's something that people from all over NC are familiar with or just people from that area, or if it's just an old building.

2/23/2010 2:30:25 PM

the home base for the 50,000 Raleigh based Union Guerrillas called the American Legion was recently uncovered. jk

2/23/2010 2:40:03 PM

I, too, was unaware of this.

^^While it's nowhere near as famous as Hatteras, it's one of the next 3 good-sized historic lighthouses along the NC coast (Bodie Island, Cape Lookout, Currituck Beach). It's well known at least in this area, marked with alternating black and white bands.

2/23/2010 4:38:40 PM

lighthouses hold a special place in the hearts of most north carolinians. It may not have a lot of national significance but they all have a interesting history and a big parts to OBX lore.

2/23/2010 4:44:18 PM

Define old?

2/23/2010 4:44:49 PM

^^ Truth. I didn't know squat about the lighthouses before moving to NC as a kid but then after taking North Carolina history in whatever year it is you take that in grade school I was like FUCK YEAH LIGHTHOUSES!!!

2/23/2010 7:34:08 PM

i used to live in a run down government trailor at the base of the bodie island lighthouse!!!! in the maintenance area!

i heart bodie island LH

2/23/2010 8:50:10 PM

the Oak Island lighthouse gets shitted on so much, totally shafted, basically because it isn't old as balls.

It is the third brightest lighthouse in the world (behind one in France and SC) and can be seen for up to 24 miles in prime visibility

The black, white and grey colors were mixed into the concrete during construction, thus, the lighthouse will never need painting. I think its pretty neat

Maybe I just have an attachment since I lived right down the street from it



/rant

2/23/2010 9:08:33 PM

^that actually sounds pretty cool

2/23/2010 9:31:14 PM

^^its cool. i like oak island too. bodie was just my first love.

which one in SC is the brighter one?

2/23/2010 9:32:49 PM

^^^ That does sound cool

2/23/2010 9:41:07 PM

Hatteras vs. Bodie

Hatteras wins!!!

2/24/2010 1:30:45 AM

The Currituck lighthouse has my Wolfpack heart:

2/24/2010 1:36:01 AM

I like Oak Island Lighthouse as well...that familiar light circling while I'm snacking on Thee Special at Provisions always makes me

2/24/2010 9:23:05 AM

How about some Cape Lookout love!?

2/24/2010 9:49:25 AM

When I was a kid my grandfather knew enough folks that he was able to take me up into Bodie Islands tower. I haven't climbed Ocracoke, Bald Head or Lookout.

I've got a meeting in South Nags Head today, I'll see if I can't swing by and take a few pics to post

2/24/2010 10:24:56 AM

The only one in NC that I've actually climbed is Bald Head--I've been to Ocracoke and Bodie, but those are usually closed to climbing, and the one time I've been to the Hatteras light was after hours. Seen Oak Island from the sound/Southport but haven't actually visited the light itself. Haven't made it to Currituck or Lookout yet. Love the diamond pattern on the Lookout tower, hope to see that one in person next.

Will the Bodie lighthouse be open to climbing when they finish the restoration? That'd be pretty cool if so.

2/24/2010 1:25:59 PM

^I imagine it will depend on how far the $3m budget stretches. Its been closed to climbing for years, and I haven't heard anything about it being reopened to the climbing public [but here's hoping]. Currituck's lighthouse is a major attraction for the area, and the Bodie Island could be a hit with the Nags Head/KDH visitors.

It's a little too cloudy for good pictures today. I'll check back tomorrow.

2/24/2010 2:20:24 PM

[Edited on February 24, 2010 at 2:40 PM. Reason : -]

2/24/2010 2:39:49 PM

giant concrete brick penises of the coast

[Edited on February 24, 2010 at 3:09 PM. Reason : .]

2/24/2010 2:57:06 PM

^^good shots.

I have an awesome picture at sunset from the beach looking in on the lighthouse that was shot by jlancas03 this summer as my desktop at home. I'll post it tonight.

2/24/2010 2:58:26 PM

^^ not concrete

2/24/2010 3:00:49 PM

my dad's company built to new walkway and observation deck at Bodie Island.

2/24/2010 4:40:18 PM

my favorite is the Ocracoke Lighthouse...with those bonsai looking trees.

2/24/2010 7:09:07 PM

i went out to cape lookout once back around 2004, you couldnt go inside though. They did have a visitors center out there though, and cold drinks . I found it odd that the visitor center was staffed considering that you can only get out there by boat. The beaches on the ocean side at lookout had some of the clearest water I have ever seen though.

2/24/2010 7:12:41 PM

Quote :

"I haven't climbed Ocracoke, Bald Head or Lookout. "

Maybe some of you guys heard about this. Back in 2006 I was out on Ocracoke and in the paper they had a story about a guy who went to Ocracoke on his honeymoon and one morning woke up, went for a jog, went up to the top of the lighthouse, and then jumped out

2/24/2010 9:01:36 PM

I have been up Currituck and Hatteras. Been to and love all of them though. Would love to get to go up all of them on the coast.

Lookout is probably my favorite because of my family history with it. My grandfathers friend built and owned one of the sound side houses near Lookout. Dad and my grandfather used to fly the Supercruiser down there on the weekends and land on the beach and taxi up to the house. The homeowner had a PA-12 as well, so they would both fly down there together and make a weekend or a day of it on the island. They had no power or running water down there; just a gravity fed watering system from a tower they erected on the back of the house. Now THAT was beach living!

Also the Roanoke River light in Edenton is getting renovated. Its a screw pile lighthouse.

[Edited on February 24, 2010 at 9:16 PM. Reason : ]

2/24/2010 9:15:53 PM

^^ I heard the same story when I was at the OBX about two years ago, but it was the Hatteras lighthouse that he climbed to the top of, ran straight to the observation deck and jumped.

2/24/2010 10:50:12 PM

Oh maybe it was Hatteras and I just assumed Ocracoke since that's where I was lol.

2/24/2010 11:05:15 PM

^Wow, apparently it's true. Happened in 2003. http://www.lighthousekeepers.com/cgi-bin/forumscgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000771;p=0 or http://ssristories.com/show.php?item=433

2/24/2010 11:37:15 PM

so how about we rename this thread "lighthouses of NC"...

2/25/2010 2:39:12 AM

Ok the weather was good enough today that I was able to get down and take a few pictures. They're in my gallery.

One interesting thing is the three buildings that have been moved and are at the entrance to the road going back to the lighthouse. The yellow boxes house the four sets of guy wires that tether the scaffolding.

Overall, its quite an impressive sight to see in person.

2/26/2010 9:49:25 PM

Cape Lookout is my favorite...I can see it from my house!

2/26/2010 9:51:32 PM

Quote :

"The 1871 lens is being restored and will be reinstalled when the lighthouse work is done."

awesome

2/27/2010 12:45:59 AM

I've always fantasized about buying an old run down light house and restoring it, then living in it.

2/27/2010 8:34:04 AM

Nobody has even mentioned Old Baldy lighthouse on Bald head Island. It's probably my favorite because I spent half my life fishing around their and I love the old worn look of it.


[Edited on February 28, 2010 at 10:02 AM. Reason : .]

2/28/2010 10:02:06 AM

I'm also a fan of the Oak Island Lighthouse. I've had to use it several times when returning to the Cape Fear river after grouper fishing out on Frying Pan Shoals. It's really cool to be heading back to port and looking at that lighthouse wondering how many other seaman its guided home.

2/28/2010 10:06:11 AM

my elementary school was extremely biased towards Hatteras. It was Hatteras or the highway. It bothers me that I only know of one NC lighthouse.

2/28/2010 6:37:25 PM

Hatteras is overrated

2/28/2010 7:01:10 PM