The 21-mile stretch of Cape Lookout Shoals has a history as long and interesting as its country’s. The land has been inhabited for centuries; in 1524, the Florentine explorer Giovanni da Verrazano reported native peoples living in the area, and between 1540 and 1570 Spain sent several explorers to the region, although none attempted to colonize. It wasn’t until the English settlers came that the Old World got its foot firmly in the door of this part of the New World.

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North Carolina saw the first attempts at English colonization in 1585, and by 1650 hundreds of settlers had moved south from Virginia. At that time, the region was under control of the Lord Proprietors—complete with a constitution drafted by John Locke—until 1729, when North Carolina became a royal colony. But on April 12, 1776, North Carolina became the first colony to call for independence from England.

Meanwhile, the surrounding waters had seen their share of excitement. The convoluted and protected coast around Lookout and Ocracoke provided ideal locations for pirates to launch attacks against other ships and to hide with their captured booty. Lookout Bight was a favorite refuge for colonial sailors seeking safe harbor during the frequent hurricanes and storms. But the most lasting activity came from the ever-increasing maritime commerce along the eastern seaboard.

Because of opposing currents, the Outer Banks proved tricky to navigate. Vessels sailing south needed to keep close to land to avoid the northbound waters of the Gulf Stream, and vessels sailing north needed to stay in the Gulf Stream to avoid the southbound Labrador Current. However, all vessels had a common problem: the warm Gulf Stream mixed with the cool Labrador Current to produce intense fog and dangerous shoals. The particularly treacherous area off Cape Lookout earned the name the “Horrible Headland.”

In 1803, Congress appropriated $5,000 for a committee to evaluate the possibility of building lighthouses along the eastern seaboard. The long-term plan was to build lights along the Outer Banks approximately 40 miles apart, so that as soon as ships lost sight of one light, the next would come into view. In 1804, Congress authorized a lighthouse at Cape Lookout, and in February, 1805, a four-acre plot of land was deeded to the government by Joseph Fulford and Elijah Piggot. Getting construction for the lighthouse underway took some time, though, and it wasn’t until 1812 that the first Cape Lookout Light was completed, at a cost of $20,678.54.

Built on a sand dune, the 96-foot brick tower was encircled by a hexagonal wooden tower covered in cedar shingles and painted with wide, horizontal red and white stripes. The first keeper, James Fulford, was appointed by President James Madison and given a salary of $300 per year.

Sadly, it was immediately apparent that the much-anticipated light was a busted flush. Thirteen oil lamps produced a fixed white light that was supposed to be visible 16 to 18 miles out to sea, but in actuality was visible only 11 miles in good weather, and less than that in bad. Additionally, because the tower was too low to be effective, mariners griped that seeking the light was more dangerous than braving the shoals. The captain of the mail steamer Illinois, Lieutenant H.J. Hartstene, complained that “…the lights on Hatteras, Lookout and Cape Florida, if not improved had be better dispensed with as the navigator is apt to run ashore looking for them.”

By 1850 the lighthouse was in serious disrepair, and the keeper had to constantly shovel piles of sand that would build up against his quarters. Additionally, the coast had eroded enough that the ocean was now dangerously close to the light. In 1856, a first-order Fresnel lens was installed, but it wasn’t until 1857 that Congress appropriated $45,000 to build a new lighthouse.

First lit on November 1, 1859 by Keeper John Royal, the second Cape Lookout Lighthouse proved to be a model for the other lighthouses that would be rebuilt along the Outer Banks—Cape Hatteras, Bodie Island, and Currituck Lighthouses. Standing 163 feet tall, the graceful new tower was just over 28 feet in diameter at its base with 9-foot thick walls. It was made of red brick and displayed the Fresnel lens from the old tower. At the new height, the fixed white light was visible for 19 miles and could easily be seen above the almost opaque salt spray whipped up by fierce winds.

The new tower was not destined to be in peaceful service for long, however. Just 18 months after its completion, North Carolina joined the Confederacy. As Union forces advanced on the Carolina coast, Confederate troops dynamited the Bodie Island Tower and dismantled the Cape Hatteras light. In the spring of 1862, retreating Confederate troops attempted to blow up Cape Lookout. They were unsuccessful, but they did manage to damage the lens and lantern. By the beginning of 1865, the entire coast had fallen into Union hands, and in their attempt to thwart the encroaching enemy, the people of North Carolina ended up darkening the coast they had lobbied so hard to illuminate.

After the war, the Lighthouse Board lost no time repairing the damages. Congress authorized $20,000 for Cape Lookout Lighthouse in 1866, and the next year, the decrepit wooden stairs were replaced with cast iron. A third-order lens was placed in use temporarily until the first-order lens, "injured by the rebels" could be repaired and restored. In 1871, Congress appropriated $5000 for a new keeper’s dwelling, complete with summer kitchen and woodshed.

1873 was a big year for Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The keeper’s cottage—large enough to house two assistant keepers and their families—was completed, and the tower was painted. Because the four lights on the Outer Banks were so similar, the Lighthouse Board designed striking patterns for each to make them easily distinguishable. On April 14, Cape Lookout was painted with large checkers that appear as alternating black and white diamonds. Following the traditional day-mark aids to navigation, the black checkers are orientated north and south toward the shallow waters of the shoals and around the headlands, while the white checkers are orientated east and west facing the deeper waters of Raleigh’s Bay to the east and Onslow Bay to the west.

The next few decades proved relatively uneventful, with only minor changes to the lighthouse. The price of whale oil became prohibitive, so in 1885 the lamps at Cape Lookout alternated between whale oil and kerosene, changing to only kerosene in 1907. Also, that year saw the addition of a head keepers quarters, built for $4,479. In 1904, a lightship was stationed off the coast to provide additional help, and in 1914 Cape Lookout’s light was changed from fixed to flashing. But by 1916, war had again come within sight of Cape Lookout, as German submarines began plying the Atlantic. Cape Lookout became subject to “brown outs” in an effort to avoid helping the enemy.

However, the submarine threat of WWI was child’s play compared with what lay ahead. In the early days of WWII, Germany instigated a secret plan, named Operation “Paukenschlag” (drumbeat), for a massive submarine attack against the eastern seaboard. By the beginning of 1942, “wolf packs” of German U-boats prowled the Carolina coast looking for easy prey. Sadly, they found it in the merchant-rich waters guarded by woefully ill-prepared Navy patrol vessels.

Between January and April of 1942, German U-boats sank over 80 ships off the coast of North Carolina. This time, neither any of the lighthouses nor any of the offshore lighted buoys had been darkened, causing German sub commanders to dub the exercise the “Atlantic Turkey Shoot.” The 5th Naval District, part of which included the waters off Cape Lookout, was protected by the Coast Guard vessel Dione, a cutter that had been built during Prohibition to combat rum-runners. Although perfectly suited for the Coast Guard, the vessel was no match for the U-boats.

Dire warnings as well as offers of help came from the British allies, who had developed successful convoy tactics and had broken the German code, but, inexplicably, America initially ignored them. The area off the North Carolina coast became known as “Torpedo Junction” as the casualties mounted. At one point in Lookout Bight, a tanker burned for three weeks.

By the end of 1942, the U.S. Navy responded in earnest. They deployed anti-submarine vessels, adopted the British convoy tactics, and initiated aircraft patrols. The U-boats’ marauding days were over, but not before hundreds of sailors had joined those already buried in the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

The peaceful days of 1950 changed Cape Lookout Lighthouse forever. The light was completely automated and the keeper no longer needed. The keeper’s cottage was subsequently moved down the island and is now a private residence.

Beginning in 1979 and continuing through the 1990s, dredging operations have helped to stave off erosion from the tidal currents in Bardens Inlet. On nearby Shakleford Banks, wild ponies said to be the descendants of those brought by Spanish explorers still roam freely. Friends of Cape Lookout National Seashore was formed in 2008 to partner with the National Park Service in preserving and interpreting the seashore. One of their first goals was to rehabilitate the lighthouse, which has been owned by the park service since 2003, so it can regularly be opened to the public.

A celebration recognizing the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse began October 10, 2009. Over the following three weeks, two 1,000-watt spotlights illuminated the tower each night from sunset until 11 p.m. Various activities were held during the celebration including an art contest and events to recognize members of the U.S. Lighthouse Service, U.S. Lifesaving Service, and U.S. Coast Guard who once served at Cape Lookout. On Sunday, November 1, the anniversary of the lighting, the lighthouse was ceremonially relit after having been extinguished for one day.

Perhaps the most important event during the celebration was the announcement by the U.S. Department of Interior that the Cape Lookout Lighthouse would receive $487,000 for repairs needed to reopen the tower, which has been closed to visitors since an inspection in 2008 found the structure to be unsafe. The repair work will include stabilizing the spiral iron staircase that corkscrews up the lighthouse, adding a new handrail, improving accessibility to the lantern room, and installing a new guardrail around the outside gallery. If all goes well, the tower will reopen to visitors for the 2010 summer season.

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References

1. Lighthouses of the Carolinas: A Short History and Guide, Terrance Zepke, 1998.
2. Historically Famous Lighthouses, U.S. Coast Guard.
3. Cape Lookout Lighthouse, John Loonam, 2000.

The visitor center in the keepers' quarters adjacent to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April to November. The tower had been open to the public during special open house tours, but these were suspended in 2008 for safety reasons.