OUTER BANKS, NORTH CAROLINA SEPTEMBER 7 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 16, 2002   Cape Hatteras Light Tropical Storm "Gustav" Ocracoke Light Cape Lookout Light Bodie Island Light Currituck Beach Light   September 14, 2002   The first Bodie Island Light was poorly constructed and began to lean out of plumb almost as soon as it was finished in 1848.  The leaning tower of Bodie Island was rebuilt in 1859, but its replacement lasted only two years.  Confederate troops blew it up during the opening months of the Civil War.
The soaring 163 foot tower seen at Bodie Island today rests on a granite foundation set atop iron pilings and a grillage of pine timbers.  This technique (also employed at Cape Hatteras) enables the tower to stand straight, as it has since 1872.  Automated in 1931, when its beacon was electrified, the Bodie Island Lighthouse remains vital to navigation.  The lantern retains its original giant lens.  Its twice-a-minute white flashes shine out to a distance of 18 miles. Although we weren't allowed to climb the steps to the top of Bodie Lighthouse,  we were allowed inside the workhouse connected to the lighthouse to look around.  This is the sign above the entrance to the stairs.   Bodie Island Lighthouse's spiral staircase.  Unfortunately, we weren't permitted to climb to the top.  A staff member told us that they are hoping to allow visitors to climb the stairs in 2003.  There is still much work to be done.   This old fireplace is in one of the two rooms in the workhouse connected to the lighthouse.   Bodie Island Lighthouse and Keeper's House    

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Opening Page	More Lighthouses
Maine Lighthouses Vacation Photographs by Grandma Carol	Outer Banks Lighthouses Vacation Photographs  by Grandma Carol
Lighthouse Lenses and   Other Things	Haunted Lighthouses
Loyal Lighthouse Ladies	Forever Christmas
The Life of  a Lighthouse Keeper and His Family	Some Of My Collection
About Grandma Carol