Bodie Island Light

Bodie Island Light

Bodie Island Lighthouse
Location	4 miles (6 km) north of Oregon Inlet, Near Nags Head, North Carolina
Coordinates	35.8185°N 75.5633°W / 35.8185; -75.5633
Year first lit	1872
Automated	1940
Foundation	Timber, Granite, Rubble
Construction	Brick, Cast Iron, Stone
Tower shape	Conical
Markings / pattern	White and black bands with black lantern house
Height	165 feet (50 m)
Original lens	First order Fresnel lens, 1872
Range	18 nautical miles (33 km)
Characteristic	White 2.5 seconds on, 2.5 seconds off, 2.5 seconds on, and 22.5 seconds eclipse with 2 cycles each minute
Admiralty number	J2386
ARLHS number	USA-067
USCG number	2-0590
Bodie Island Light Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Nearest city:	Nags Head, North Carolina
Area:	15 acres (6.1 ha)
Built:	1872
Architectural style:	Other, Italianate, First-order brick lighthouse
Governing body:	Federal
NRHP Reference#:	03000607
Added to NRHP:	July 4, 2003

The current Bodie Island Lighthouse is the third that has stood in this vicinity of Bodie Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and was built in 1872. It stands 156 feet (48 m) tall and is located on the Roanoke Sound side of the first island that is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouse is just south of Nags Head, a few miles before Oregon Inlet. It was renovated in 2012 and beginning in April 2013 will be climbable to the public.

History

The preceding Bodie Island lighthouses actually stood south of Oregon Inlet on Pea Island in an area now under water. The first was built in 1847 and then abandoned in 1859 due to a poor foundation. The second, built in 1859, was destroyed in 1861 by retreating Confederate troops who feared it would be used as a Union observation post during the Civil War. The third and current lighthouse, with its original first order Fresnel lens, was completed in 1872. In 1932, the light was upgraded to an electric lamp by using oil-fueled electrical generators. It remained manned until 1940, when the lighthouse was fully automated. In 1953, the generators were disconnected and power was supplied from the commercial electric grid.

Bodie Island Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters

While some people (including North Carolinians not from the Outer Banks) pronounce the name with a long "o" sound, it is traditionally pronounced as body. This is derived from the original name of the area, which was "Bodies Island", after the Body family from whom the land was purchased. Folklore would have you believe it is due to the number of dead sailors washed ashore from this portion of the Atlantic Ocean, which is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Local gift shops sell maps of the shipwrecks on the ocean floor. An impressive array of ships have been sunk due to storms, shoals, and German U-boats in World War II.

This lighthouse appears in the background of the 1963-1964 Federal Duck Stamp.

Bodie Island Light restoration work in March 2010

Restoration

After years of raising funds and postponement, work to restore the cast iron and other parts in need of work began on the lighthouse in August 2009. As of March 2010, the outside scaffolding was 100% complete while interior scaffolding was 50% completed. There will be a re-lighting ceremony on April 18, 2013 and the lighthouse will be open for the general public to climb on April 19, 2013 for a fee.

Damage to Watch Room Glass

Hurricane Irene

As the category 1 hurricane raked up the Outer Banks, the newly restored watch room lantern glass was blown out as was the deck railing. As late as October 13th tarps placed on the upper portions of the structure flew in tatters. The visitors center remains closed as well. The condition of the lens glass was not apparent.

Timeline

Historic Light Station Information - NORTH CAROLINA

BODIE ISLAND LIGHT:

• 1847 - The contractor on the first project was Mr. Francis Gibbons, of Baltimore, who would later become a prominent lighthouse builder on the West Coast. Cost was $5,000 but problems with location and design of the tower caused a ten year delay in construction. The tower was highly unstable and soon after it was completed, it began to lean toward the sea.
• 1859 - The Bodie Island Lighthouse had deteriorated and the Lighthouse Board secured a $25,000 appropriation from Congress to erect a new tower. This new tower was 80 ft (24 m). and its lantern was a third-order Fresnel lens.
• 1861 - In the fall of 1861, Confederate troops stacked explosives inside the tower and blew it apart.
• 1871 - A third lighthouse was completed in 1871 partially with material left over from construction of a new tower at Cape Hatteras. The tower was 156 ft (48 m). with a first order Fresnel lens that made its light visible for 18 nautical miles (33 km). The Bodie tower is painted with white and black horizontal bands.

United States Coast Guard

Gallery

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  The interior of the lighthouse consists largely of a massive spiral staircase.

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  Bodie Island Lighthouse, view from NC 12, June 2007

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  Bodie Island Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, July 2007

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  The Watch Room Deck and Lantern of the Bodie Island Lighthouse

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  Walkway view, 2006

References

Bodie Island Lighthouse, USCG Archive photo

• 1963-1964 Federal Duck Stamp by Edward J. Bierly. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
• "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: North Carolina". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Retrieved 2008-08-16. 

External links

• The Bodie Island Lighthouse, National Park Service
• LighthouseFriends.com
• Bodie Island Light on Federal Duck Stamp