Tilman F. Smith

Cape Hatteras Light Station, 1893

National Park Service

Quick Facts

Significance:

Second-Longest Serving Keeper of Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

Date of Birth:

1852

Tilman F. Smith served as assistant keeper from 1878-1887 and primary keeper from 1887-1897, the second-longest serving keeper in Cape Hatteras history.

In addition to his tenure at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Smith lit the Hatteras Beacon Light, a smaller light one and one-half miles from the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse designed for guiding local vessels in and out of Pamlico Sound, for the last time on November 24, 1898, due to a losing battle with erosion.