Light Stations

Guardians of the Sea
Throughout history, the watery perils that exist off North Carolina's coast have endangered mariners as well as any ocean going passengers. Hundreds of ships have fallen prey to formidable currents, fierce storms, and shifting shoals in the infamous "Graveyard of the Atlantic." The construction of lighthouses on the Outer Banks, therefore, was crucial to protect both lives and commerce against the hazards of the sea.

Two tall coastal lights, Bodie Island and Cape Hatteras, were built in the 1870s to warn ships traveling along the Outer Banks of the dangerous shoals along the islands. The Ocracoke Lighthouse, a harbor light at the southern end of the seashore, was completed in 1823 as a light to mark Ocracoke Inlet and Silver Lake.

Today, these three light stations, so called because they have multiple buildings including a lighthouse and a keepers' dwelling, still serve as active aids-to-navigation along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.