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The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United
States. Originally built in 1870 it is 208 feet
tall and weighs nearly 2800 tons. When it was
first constructed it was 1600 feet from the
shore, but beach erosion and other environmental
factors had by 1987 brought crashing waves to
within 120 feet of the base. Significant concern
that the next hurricane to strike the Outer
Banks area would cause the lighthouse to fall
into the sea led to the National Park Service's
decision to move the structure half a mile inland
to protect it.
More photos
To undertake the challenging
move, the NPS put together a "dream team"
of engineering experts. The lighthouse's 800-ton
granite base was removed and replaced with steel
support towers. The lighthouse itself was then
lifted and moved on rollers. In five-foot increments,
the tower was moved a total of 2900 feet to
its new location. The lighthouse's slow "road
trip" began on June 17, 1999, and the final
destination was achieved on July 19th. Once
again, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is 1600
feet from the ocean, at least for now. Although
no longer used as a navigational aid for ships,
the lighthouse is open to visitors. Hundreds
of people climb up the narrow stairs to the
top of the tower every day during the summer
season.
Photos of the move
Web
cam of the lighthouse
More
NPS photos of the lighthouse
Cape
Hatteras National Seashore
Location:
New coordinates for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
are Latitude 35° 15' 01.92560" North
and Longitude 75° 31' 43.74342" West.
The original site coordinates for the lighthouse
were Latitude 35° 15' 18.6" North and
Longitude 75° 31' 10.5" West.
1401 National Park Dr
Manteo, NC 27954
Photographed by
Rod Ness 2/4/08
Posted on RoadTrip America 5/08
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