Oak Island Light
The Oak Island Lighthouse is located in the Town of Caswell Beach near the mouth of the Cape Fear River in Southeastern North Carolina. It sits next to the Oak Island Coast Guard Station on the east end of Oak Island in Brunswick County looking south out at the Atlantic Ocean. Featuring four 2.5 million candlepower aerobeacon lenses which produce four, one-second bursts of light every 10 seconds, it has a luminous range of 24 nautical miles. Owned by the town since 2004, it is managed by a citizens group (Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse). [1]
 Oak Island Lighthouse | |
  Oak Island Light | |
| |
| Location | Oak Island, Cape Fear River, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33.8929°N 78.035°W |
| Year first constructed | 1957/8 |
| Year first lit | 1958 |
| Automated | yes |
| Foundation | Concrete-filled steel pilings |
| Construction | Portland concrete |
| Tower shape | Cylindrical |
| Markings / pattern | Bottom third of tower gray, second third white, top third black |
| Tower height | 153 feet (47 m) |
| Focal height | 169 feet (52 m) |
| Current lens | DCB-436 Aerobeacon |
| Intensity | 2,500,000 candlepower |
| Range | 24 nautical miles (nominal) |
| Characteristic | Fl (4)W 10s |
| Admiralty number | J2470 |
| ARLHS number | USA-558 |
| Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places  |
Oak Island Lighthouse | |
| Area | 5.7 acres (2.3 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 07000293 |
| Added to NRHP | April 5, 2007 |
History
In May 1958, the Oak Island Lighthouse replaced the Cape Fear Light, a steel skeleton structure on Bald Head Island which was demolished that same year. The Cape Fear Light began operation in 1903 and was then a functional replacement for the still standing and now popular tourist attraction, the 1817 Bald Head Light (Old Baldy). During the period 1958–1962, the Oak Island Light was the brightest in the US (the Charleston Light in South Carolina now holds that distinction).[2]
In February 2002, it became a news item when the adjoining USCG Station caught fire, and while the station burned to the ground, the lighthouse suffered no damage. Rebuilt over the existing foundation, the current Coast Guard station closely resembles the old one.[3] The following year, the lighthouse was designated as surplus and in 2004 the Town of Caswell Beach gained ownership from the Federal Government of it, the surrounding grounds and adjacent oceanfront property. The transfer agreement requires the town to maintain the property for recreation purposes with the Coast Guard continuing to be responsible for operating the beacon. [4] In April 2007, the Oak Island Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[5] A major exterior rehabilitation of the structure was completed in 2016 by the International Chimney Corporation (the same company that moved the Cape Hatteras Light). [6]
Construction
Built in 1957-58 by Brinkley, W.F. & Son Construction Co. located in Granite Quarry NC at a cost of $110,000, it was one of the last lighthouses constructed in the US. It rests on 24 pilings driven 67' deep to bedrock which are 10" round, filled with concrete and capped by a 30' wide by 3' deep octagonal concrete base. As for the structure itself, 142' of it is poured concrete, the top 52' of which is black, the middle 50' white, and the bottom 40' feet cement grey. The black and white colors are not painted on the structure, having instead been mixed into the concrete at the time the tower was constructed. On top of all of this sits an 11' tall aluminum and glass light enclosure. The inside of the tower has a uniform diameter of a little more than 16' 4", with the exterior concrete walls 8" thick.[7] While the overall structure is 153' tall, it was sited on a small knoll, which has nautical charts showing the light as being 169' above sea level. [8]
Tours and accessibility
The Oak Island Lighthouse grounds are open to the public year-round for viewing and picture taking, with 30 minute parking provided at the base of the tower from sunrise until sunset. A walkway to the beach provides a good vantage point for photos of the structure, and descriptive placards along the way describe the site history and resident wildlife/vegetation. The structure itself and the walkway are cared for and managed by a citizens group, Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse (FOIL). The interior of the lighthouse is open for visits by the general public, aged seven or above, with tours to the second level (up twelve steps) from Memorial Day–Labor Day on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tours to the top of the lighthouse, which has an outside balcony, are offered year round (except for a few major holidays) for those aged nine or older. It requires climbing 131 steps, which unlike the classic circular pattern, have straight but very steep sections with eight landings along the way, a style referred to as a 'ships ladder.' A minimum of two weeks (four weeks in the summer months) advance notice is normally required for such a tour reservation, which can be obtained on-line by visiting the FOIL web site. [9]
Further reading
- Hairr, John, North Carolina Lighthouses and Lifesaving Stations (NC) (Images of America), 2004, ISBN 978-0738515205
- Zepke, Terrance Lighthouses of the Carolinas: A Short History and Guide 2011, ISBN 978-1561645039
References
- "USCG Light List" (PDF). USCG.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- "NC Lighthouse History". US Lighthouses com. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- "Oak Island Coast Guard Station" (PDF). USCG History. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- "Lighthouse Transfer". LighthouseDigest.com. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- "NRHP Listing". NPS. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- "Oak Island Lighthouse Repairs". StatePortPilot.com. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- "National Register of Historic Places" (PDF). NPS.gov. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
- "Nautical Chart". NOAA.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- "Lighthouse Tours". Oak Island Light.org. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
External links
- www.oakislandlighthouse.org Friends of the Oak Island Lighthouse Official
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| Deactivated / Dismantled / Decommissioned | ||
