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Bodie Island Light

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 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 Nag's Head, a few miles before Oregon Inlet. It is currently not climbable by the public, but plans are in place to make it safe for climbing.

Contents

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 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
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.[1]

Timeline

Gallery

<gallery> Image:Bodie's_innards.jpg|The interior of the lighthouse consists largely of a massive spiral staircase. Image:BodieIslandLighthouse.JPG|Bodie Island Lighthouse, view from NC 12, June 2007 Image:Bodie Island LH 2007 020BI.jpg|Bodie Island Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, July 2007 Image:Bodie_LH_Top_copy.jpg|The Watch Room Deck and Lantern of the Bodie Island Lighthouse Image:Bodie_Island_Lighthouse.jpg|Walkway view, 2006 </gallery>

References

Bodie Island Lighthouse, USCG Archive photo
Bodie Island Lighthouse, USCG Archive photo

Notes

External links




Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article



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