Cape Hatteras

The first push beginning the 2900 feet journey is now expected to begin as early as noon on Thursday, June 17, and no later than sunset on Friday, June 18.

Did you know that there are 9000 6" X 6" X 4' crib blocks being used to support the tower during the move. Each block weighs 58# and will be handled by construction workers 16 to 18 times as the lighthouse is moved to its new location.

Large loads of crushed stone have been arriving all day, dumped, graded and compacted as final preparation of the move corridor continues. The final prep currently extends out to nearly across from where the traffic intersection and the temporary visitor center are located.

International Chimney Corporation is confident that the first push will occur between noon Thursday, June 17 and sunset Friday, June 18. When asked when the move will start, Jerry Matyiko of Expert House Movers says simply, "When its ready....We'll move." My mole at the site opinionates that the work needed to be done before the move can begin, can be completed in several hours with the manpower on hand, and is looking for a first push effort Thursday evening between 3:00pm and 5:00pm. It may be a short effort, only a dozen feet or so, kind of a "look/see" to see how it goes. Then off to the races on Friday.

The weekend will see the cribbing (about 9000 pieces remember) removed from the old site and either moved to the new location for later use, or removed from the construction site completely if a decision is made to use the metal shoring towers at the new site for setting the lighthouse on its new foundation.

At 3:05 PM, June 17, 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse move 4 inches to the southwest, beginning the 2900 feet journey to its new home. During the next hour in which 2 rotations of the 5-foot throw push jacks were completed, the lighthouse had moved a total of 10 feet down the corridor. Pushing was halted for the day and work continued on preparation of the corridor.

Check out NBC's Today Show on Friday Morning, 7 to 9 AM EDST for a live broadcast from the lighthouse. The rest of Friday will be devoted to moving the lighthouse further down the corridor to its new location.

ICC plans to continue working 7 days per week until the lighthouse has reached the end of the first transport phase, which is 850 feet. After that they may switch to a 6-day week with Sundays off for their personnel. We will keep our website visitors who plan to visit the lighthouse appraised of the ICC work schedule so that they have the best opportunity to see the lighthouse move in progress.

It appears that the National Park Service internet server was down today for some reason; nothing was available on the NPS's ParkNet (www.nps.gov), which provides the gateway for our project page. If you are reading this, it has been fixed; sorry for any inconvenience.

Work stopped early today so that computer readouts for the sensors attached to the lighthouse could be checked by a surveyor with transit and adjustments made if necessary.

Monday, I climbed to the top of the lighthouse and stood there during a 5-foot push. Folks, you cannot feel any movement during the process. Only by looking down the back side of the lighthouse and watching the push jacks extend, could I tell that the lighthouse was moving.

There was an editorial in the Raleigh News and Observer by Susanna Rodell who visited the site with her daughter last week and recorded her feelings as she watched. I would like to share a portion of what she put down on paper with you.

"What I was watching was a mammoth act of human will, a huge, unusual effort being made to save something solely because of its place in our emotions, in our collective history. It was, and is, an enormous act of love. All these humans, from the guys in hard hats driving the forklifts to the members of all the historical societies to the engineers to the Park Service folks, working their hearts out.

Watching the operation, you can't help thinking of the pyramids. It does the heart good to know that here in the late 20^thcentury people are still willing to put all this collective wisdom and energy — not to mention millions of bucks — to work to save something that's really just a symbol, not religious, not political, just something tall and grand and old that has stood there all those years delivering the purest gift imaginable: light."

Amen Susanna! And from us, this generation, a gift to those that will follow in the years to come.

There has been much public interest today as to when exactly the lighthouse will be over its new foundation. After discussion with ICC and Expert House Movers it is estimated that the lighthouse will be moved over its new foundation Friday, July 9th or Monday, July 12. There will be no pushing of the lighthouse over the weekend, but work activity necessary for setting the lighthouse will continue. The lighthouse will be moved to the edge of the new foundation by Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Work will then begin on the cribbing necessary to support the roll beams that will carry the lighthouse over the foundation; this will take some time. ICC has relayed to me that they will know something more definitely by noon on Thursday, July 8th. At that time I will publish an early daily report with what has been decided upon.

Its been very hot on the site and I believe our archival photographer fried his breakfast eggs on one of the main beams this morning.

Besides the small move, preparation of the new foundation footer and installation of cribbing towers took center stage. See the digital pictures shot today in the image section of this website to get an idea of what was going on.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: After the surveyor left at 5 pm, Jerry decided to move the lighthouse some more; he moved the lighthouse 29 feet further making the daily move total 77 ft., and the grand total 2821 ft. There will be no pushing of the lighthouse on Thursday as crews prepare the cribbing towers to extend the roll beams over then new foundation.

There was no movement of the lighthouse today; the lighthouse sits at the edge of the steel mat, ready for its final approximately 80-foot push to the center of its new foundation. Today's activities centered around the preparations necessary to make the final push - cribbing, roll beams, etc.

Barring any unexpected contingencies, the lighthouse will rest over its new foundation by sunset tomorrow, Friday, July 9, 1999.

A special press/media conference/tour is scheduled for Noon, Friday in Buxton NC. Credentials needed. Visitors welcomed in the public viewing area.

Have we done the right thing? Some say we have destroyed history. I prefer to let our visitors to the site 100 years from now answer that question. What we have done has been for them and for the preservation of our nation's great maritime heritage.

The mood was festive as you might expect and the construction folks from International Chimney and Expert House Movers, and other subcontractors, celebrated with toasts to their success. My toast to them was that they had made history in the spirit of the 19th Century Lighthouse Keepers with the dedication and commitment they had brought to this project; and that they had become part of the recorded history of this lighthouse, would not be forgotten, but remembered by visitors who would come 100 years from now to learn and experience through this structure the great maritime history of America.

The weekend will be slow but removal of platform elements and the lowering of the structure to its historical relationship with the other structures of the station will be occurring over the next week. Interesting to be sure, maybe even "moving" for some, but not like the excitement of the last 23 days.

The "Daily Reports" will continue, but maybe not daily. As the work progresses I will continue to post significant activity and milestones; and continue to add pictures to our image link.

Temporary electricity has been strung to the new site and the contractor will move the company office trailers down to the work area this week. I mention this because there has been a lot of questions about what is to happen to the webcams. Well... we need the electricity AND a place to keep the webcam support equipment out of the weather. When we have this, the plan is to reposition the ground cam so that website visitors can see the work being done on the foundation (including the lowering of the tower which will be done in 3 increments). The "birdseye" cam will be reposition as well to provide a view either northward, over the move corridor, the old site and along the coastline, or southward looking down the coastline towards the cape. Bear with us please.

Remember, now that the project activity is somewhat slower and repetitive, my updates will occur every 2, 3 or 4 days, but certainly as any milestones are reached.

I think this lighthouse not only captures some of the best qualities of the American character, particularly commitment and dedication, but the best hopes for our society as well - especially care and concern, ones for which our society is already well known. Care and concern for others are qualities exemplified by the work of the Lighthouse Keepers and their families who manned these stations during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. In this context the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is truly America's Lighthouse.

My visits to the site have slowed a bit now that the lighthouse is in place; and I have turned my attention to needs at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site where I serve as Unit Manager. I will continue to keep this website updated (with reports and pictures) as the final stages of the lighthouse move are completed and the construction of the infrastructure for visitor use and convenience begin - expected in October. We continue to strive towards a Memorial Day, 2000 reopening for the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

Meanwhile, electricity has been programmed to be undergrounded into the lightstation and we have scheduled the relighting of the Cape Hatteras beacon at 8pm on Saturday, September 4, 1999. No agenda for the ceremony has yet been prepared.

The old station site has been cleaned and regraded to its original look, minus the buildings of course. Remaining granite plinth stones have been used to mark the original site of the lighthouse and the Keepers' Quarters. The original area is open and now accessible to the public. The new station site remains in the construction zone.

The bracing that was placed on the chimneys for the move of the quarters has been removed from both facilities. The Oil House is over its new foundation and has been lowered to its proper elevation; all that remains there is to brick in the foundation wall. Landscaping (grading) of the new station site continues as we move towards duplicating the original scene.

Check out the link to the press release on the relighting of the light on Saturday, September 4th. This event will symbolically signal the beginning of a new historical era for the lighthouse; one in which stewardship, trusteeship, and our own individual responsibilities to the preservation of our national heritage will become part of the history of this structure. The first 129 years of history of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse are not lost. The American people chose their best places for their parks because they felt themselves at their best in them. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse's history captures the best of the American character. Saving it has only added to its history and strengthened it as a place of wonder and reverence, and as a container of the American experience.

An agenda is in preparation for the Lighthouse Relighting Ceremony which will occur on Saturday, September 4, 1999 at the original site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. A press release with details will appear as part of this website and will be released to the media in plenty of time for publishing in the newspaper.

The brick foundation of the lighthouse was about 70% complete at the close of business on Thursday, August 26th. The "bricking" will continue through the weekend according to International Chimney Corporation, and by Monday, August 30th, should be about 90% done. What will remain will be two 5' wide tunnels which will extend from the outside edge to the center. The brick spine and ribs have cured and much of the space between them has been filled (with more bricks). The foundation, even at 90%, provides a more secure footing for the lighthouse than it had at the ocean's edge, 2900 feet away. The bricks of course sit upon a reinforced 60' X 60' X 5" concrete footer. The foundation is in a "hole" so if there is overwash from a hurricane, it will fill the hole with sand (and not erode it). After a storm we can go back and dig out where we need to finish any "bricking" and then refill. Because the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a round structure, wind has never been a big problem because there was very little surface on the lighthouse for the wind to "purchase" a foot hold. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is safer now from hurricanes (even if the foundation is only at 90%) that it was when it sat at the ocean's edge.

Meanwhile, the other structures at the new site are being secured the same as they were at the old site - windows boarded, etc. The new foundations for the Double Keeper's Quarters and the Principle Keeper's Quarters are stronger than the old ones were at the original site. And the whole station is much further from the ocean's edge which means any coastal erosion, which was our main concern and reason for moving the station, presents no threat.

If there is a storm strong enough to take out the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, there would be a much greater human tragedy on the Outer Banks to deal with than the loss of the lighthouse.

There appears to be road damage just north of Buxton; a complete assessment by county, state and National Park Service people will be made today of the extent of the road damage. See Relighting Ceremony Information.

The last brick of the brick foundation was placed at 3:33PM on Tuesday, September 14th. There are some new pictures of this event coming up on the image file shortly. Check it out. The fill dirt was also beginning to be placed around the lighthouse base so there will not be a "hole" there to catch rainwater runoff. Several foundation blocks for the steps were put into place as well.

Phase II, which is the construction of the necessary infrastructure (parking, entry roads, restrooms, utilities, etc.) which will make the relocated station accessible, will begin shortly. This website will continue to show and tell the progress in pictures and words on a routine basis. Pictures of the finished relocation work will be up shortly.

The relighting of the lighthouse is scheduled for Saturday, November 13, 1999; ceremony being at 4 PM, relighting around 5:15 PM. Check the new press release posted as one of the links on this entry page. Many questions have come up about the relighting ceremony (and the actual relighting). We are going to schedule the relighting (and ceremony) for Saturday, November 13, 1999. Look for the press release on this website sometime shortly.

The Phase II contract for the development/construction of the infrastructure for the relocated station — roads, parking, restrooms, utilities, etc. — has been awarded and work should begin in a couple of weeks. The plan is to also have a webcam or two operating for this part of the project, but right now there are no nearby facilities with electricity than can accommodate the computer and other equipment needed to transmit the image to your computer screen. We will be getting this into place just as soon as possible.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 13, at approximately 5:15 PM, when the beacon will be relit beginning a new era for an already historic structure. The relighting will follow a ceremony which will begin at 4PM at the original site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. See the press release with the agenda which is available through a posted link on this page.

The relocation portion of this project is now officially over. It was my pleasure to have had the opportunity to turn the engineering adventure of moving the lighthouse into a learning experience for the whole country through the magic of the Internet. If you had the chance to visit the site during the move, I am sure you felt the excitement and electricity that flowed through the thousands of sidewalk superintendents that came to witness the relocation of this historic structure (officially weighing in at 4830 tons); if you didn't get down to Hatteras Island, I hope your experience via the internet helped to make this an event to be remembered for all time.

My feelings about this event, and I hope yours, reflect the best of the traditions of the lighthouse keepers and their families — pride, hope, courage, commitment, determination, caring and concern — universal values that represent the best of the American character and touch us all, and which work to make us better people, better communities and a better nation. This lighthouse is truly America's lighthouse, not only because of its great maritime heritage, but what it says about us as people, deciding what is important and why, and then successfully doing something about it.