On the grounds of the Currituck Beach Light Station are two homes: a white, two-and-a-half story, 1876 duplex built from plans for a “First Order Dwelling” to house three keepers west of the newly constructed ocean-wise tower with a first-order lens; and a smaller, white, story-and-a-half dwelling built in 1881, much like the original Keepers’ … Read more
What’s in a Photograph? A Second Look at the Oldest Image of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse By: Meghan Agresto, Currituck Beach Lighthouse Site Manager & Historian Prefer to learn about this with a video? Click here if so. In June 1893, a “government surveyor,” as the lighthouse keeper called him in his journal notes that month , … Read more
By: Meghan Agresto, Currituck Beach Lighthouse Site Manager and Historian In 2018, the State Archives of North Carolina posted a blog about the many photos they had of North Carolina children in goat carts. Our State Magazine saw the blog and wrote a short article about it, which we read – and then smiled! Here’s what … Read more
By: Meghan Agresto, Currituck Beach Lighthouse Site Manager & Historian After its illumination in 1875, the Currituck Beach Lighthouse supplied a need “long felt by the commerce of the country” after 56 vessels had gone ashore “in a period of less than twenty-two years.”[1] The tower was considered “one of the most important works constructed … Read more
By: Outer Banks Conservationists Staff As we do every so often, the Outer Banks Conservationists (OBC) signed a contract for big preservation work to be done on the Currituck Beach Lighthouse; the work began early in 2020. Since 1999, the International Chimney Corporation, (now called ICC Commonwealth) has helped us with iron, glass and brickwork … Read more
By Meghan Agresto, Currituck Beach Lighthouse Site Manager Have you ever wondered what lighthouse keepers do in the winter? At the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, Corolla gets sleepy after October. Our lighthouse door is locked, the vacationers are gone, the docents resting, and the lighthouse doesn’t require a supply of oil for its light that’s been … Read more
From To Illuminate the Dark Space by Jenny Edwards In 1964, the Coast Guard hired Gene Austin to take care of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. By this time, no one had been living in the keepers’ quarters for more than two decades, but the light continued to operate for the benefit of small ocean and sound … Read more
From To Illuminate the Dark Space by Jenny Edwards Horatio’s tale is the oldest known surviving account of any keeper at the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. His story dates from the Civil War and related events that took place so far back in time that it is remarkable to find any oral histories on him at all. … Read more