 |
 |
|
|
Bodie Island Lighthouse:
Favorite of Photographers and Lightning Bolts
Bodie Island Lighthouse Facts:
Years Built: 1870-1872
Third Lighthouse in the location (first lasted from 1847-1858, second lasted from 1859-1861)
Still Active: Yes
Activated: October 1, 1872
Latitude: 44.8149 Longitude: -66.9508
Day Markings: Black and White Horizontal Bands
Type of Lamp: First Order Fresnel Lens
Signal: Stationary light that runs from sunset to sunrise
Light Signal Sequence: 2 ½ seconds on, 2 ½ seconds off, 2 ½ seconds on, 22 ½ seconds off (30 seconds total for sequence)
Height of Lighthouse: 164 feet
Height of Lighthouse Above Sea Level: 170 feet?
Focal Point Height Above Sea Level: 162 feet?
Light Visibility: 19 nautical miles out to sea
Public Accessibility: Visitor center is open year around; lighthouse closed to the public for safety reasons
Best Unofficial Website: http://www.outerbanksguidebook.com/bodieisland.htm
Introduction
The Bodie Island Lighthouse stands three miles from the location where the Wright Brothers flew their first airplane in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, and two and a half miles from the location of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. It is the third of a four-part series of lighthouses built by the U.S. Lighthouse Service to guide ships through North Carolina’s Outer Banks, an area on the Atlantic coast that is highly dangerous to navigate and has claimed thousands of ships and innumerable lives over the centuries. The lighthouses were positioned approximately 40 miles apart on the premise that as ships lost sight of one light, the next light would come into view, and that together the network of lighthouses would guide ships safely through the Outer Banks. Because the area off of Bodie Island was not quite as difficult to navigate as Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear to the south of it, the original idea was for it to be a smaller and shorter light. But a series of circumstances caused the U.S. Lighthouse Service to instead build an augmented version of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, the southernmost of the Outer Banks light towers, in the Bodie Island location.
Although the current Bodie Island Lighthouse’s prehistory is relatively turbulent, it has led a relatively peaceful life since it was finally completed in 1872. As a stately tower standing proud and alone in the middle of picturesque flat terrain, the Bodie Island Lighthouse has been a favorite of two unlikely bedfellows: lightning bolts and photographers. But with its photogenic beauty and regular appearances in calendars and magazines, why has the Bodie Island Lighthouse made the famous Lighthouse Digest’s Doomsday List of threatened lighthouses? Read on to find out…
Failed Lighthouse #1: You Get What You Pay For
The ninth piece of legislation the United States Federal Government ever passed was the Lighthouse Bill of 1789. This bill brought all of the lighthouses under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government and established the U.S. Lighthouse Service to oversee the United States’ network of lighthouses. U.S. Lighthouse Service would be under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Treasury.
One of the first priorities the U.S. Lighthouse Service took was to light North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The cold southbound Labrador Current and the warm northbound Gulf Stream collide on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, causing storms, fog, and shoals that make the area difficult and dangerous for ships to navigate. The Lighthouse Board’s long-term plan was to build a series of lights that would safely guide ships through these perilous waters. The first priorities for lighting the Outer Banks were Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout, because of the deadly shoals located directly in those areas. After these two areas were addressed, Bodie Island (or Body’s Island as it was also called) was chosen as a spot for a preparatory light to ready ships for the oncoming Cape Hatteras.
At the beginning of the United States’ history, finances were relatively scarce, and the fledgling country was understandably concerned about keeping a solid bottom line. When the lighthouse-building program was in full swing in the 1820’s-1840’s, Steven Pleasonton, fifth auditor of the U.S. Treasury, was responsible for the purse strings. Pleasonton managed to build 276 lighthouses and 42 lightships for the United States of America on an amazingly small budget between 1820 and 1851. Some of the buildings, such as the Oracoke Lighthouse (also on North Carolina’s Outer Banks), still stand and are used today, but some were so cheaply built that they ended being razed but a short time later. During Pleasonton’s period of service, the U.S. Treasury learned the hard way that many times it is wiser to invest the extra money to begin with instead of trying to cut corners.
The first Bodie Island Lighthouse is one of the most embarrassing examples of a cheap American lighthouse from the Pleasonton period. After securing the land for building the light station (which in itself created a ten-year delay), the 54-foot tall tower was built and lit in 1847. Pleasanton ignored the engineers’ advice to build the lighthouse on a piling foundation, and instead built the tower on a shallow brick foundation. As a result, the foundation settled into the soft, cushiony ground, causing the tower to lean one foot out of plumb. The resulting lean in the tower caused the mechanisms that rotated the light to malfunction regularly, making the light unreliable for mariners at sea. After unsuccessful attempts at stabilizing the foundation, the building had to be razed in 1858, a mere eleven years after it was built.
Failed Lighthouse #2: Blown Up
Having learned their lesson, the U.S. Lighthouse Service decided to replace the failed first light with a more sturdily built light in 1859. The second Bodie Island Lighthouse was built at the same time as the current Cape Lookout Lighthouse was built. Standing 80 feet tall, the new Bodie Island tower was still on the short side, but seemed to be an improvement over the original tower. But it was the Civil War that put this lighthouse to the test two short years later only to find it lacking.
In 1861, Union troops took over the Confederate fortresses built on the Outer Banks. The Confederates decided it would be best the keep the Outer Banks Lighthouses from aiding the Union’s efforts, so they rigged both the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the Bodie Island Lighthouse with explosives in an attempt to blow up both lighthouses. While the attempts at exploding the Cape Lookout Lighthouse did little more than damage to the stairs and the lamphouse, the Bodie Island Lighthouse was successfully blown to bits. Thus ended the life of the second Bodie Island Lighthouse.
Lighthouse #3: Success At Last!
The Cape Lookout Lighthouse to the south of Bodie Island was the first effort to finalize the intended four-part series of Outer Banks lighthouses. The Civil War delayed the Lighthouse Service’s plans, but after the war was over, they went back to work, picking up where they had left off. With the Cape Lookout Lighthouse having withstood Confederate attempts to destroy it with explosives, the Lighthouse Board decided apply the pattern of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse to the Bodie Island Lighthouse, using approximately the same dimensions, and adding design augmentations that improved upon some of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse’s shortcomings.
Previously, in 1846, a hurricane had carved a new inlet called the Oregon Inlet into the sand near location of the first two Bodie Island lighthouses. Because the Oregon Inlet was encroaching upon the location of the old Bodie Island lighthouses, the Lighthouse Service decided to purchase land to the north of the lighthouse to build the new lighthouse there. This turned out to be a wise move because the foundations of both of the previous Bodie Island lighthouses are now underwater in the Oregon inlet. The Lighthouse Service purchased 15 acres of land from former lighthouse keeper John B. Etheridge and his wife on June 13, 1871, and began work on the new Bodie Island Lighthouse soon thereafter. The lighthouse was completed in July of 1872, a first order Fresnel lens was installed in September, and the beacon was lit on October 1, 1872. The Fresnel lens is still in use today; in fact, the Bodie Island Lighthouse and its twin sister the Currituck Beach Lighthouse are two of only a few lighthouses that continue to use a Fresnel lens, most of them having been replaced by airport beacons. Soon after the lighthouse was completed, its day markings of black and white horizontal bands were added; in fact, of the four Outer Banks lighthouses, it was the first to receive its day markings.
Other than a “brown-out” dimming of the Bodie Island Lighthouse in World War II, the lighthouse has otherwise led a peaceful life. The worst attack on the lighthouse occurred a mere eighteen days after the Bodie Island Lighthouse was first lit, when a flock of geese attracted to the light crashed into the lamphouse, breaking through the glass panes and damaging the Fresnel lens. The Lighthouse Service put a protective screen around the lamphouse to keep this from happening again.
Lightning Bolts and Photographers
The Bodie Island Lighthouse stands tall and prominently on a very wide and spacious lawn, surrounded by marshy flats on one side and pine woods on the other side. These geographic qualities have caused it to be an attraction for two unlikely bedfellows: lightning bolts and photographers.
 |
Bodie Island Lighthouse is a favorite of photographers (and lightening bolts). |
The wide range of picture angles available due to the geography, the constantly moving patterns of the sun and clouds, the picturesque natural surroundings, and the warm glow of the Fresnel lens in the twilight hours make the Bodie Island Lighthouse a favorite with photographers. Fred Hearteau, amateur photographer and author of the Outer Banks Guidebook, states, “No matter when I go to Bodie Island Lighthouse, I usually run into at least one professional photographer there on an assignment taking photos for a calendar or a magazine.” If you live in the United States, check a lighthouse calendar and you’re likely to see a photo of the Bodie Island Lighthouse.
It is common knowledge that lightning is attracted to the tallest thing standing in a flat field. Because the Bodie Island Lighthouse stands far above everything else in the area, it should be of no surprise that lightning is attracted to the light tower. Unfortunately, the lighthouse was initially not grounded properly, which made it somewhat dangerous for the lighthouse keepers to be in the tower during a storm. The sum total of lightning bolts was taking a toll on the structure itself via cracks the landings between the stairs, the Lighthouse Service engineers tried to stop the problem grounding the lighthouse via the handrail. They learned the folly of this idea the hard way when lightning struck as one of the keepers was scaling the stairs in the lighthouse. The handrail gave the poor light keeper a very shocking experience that left him paralyzed for a short time.
The engineers finally fixed the problem of regular lightning strikes by running a cable underneath the stais out to a cast iron plate buried in the ground outside the lighthouse. The Bodie Island Lighthouse would only have one problem with lightning bolts after this took place (had only one more incedent with lightning). In 1939, a bolt of lightning struck the tower and traveled through the telephone lines to the keepers’ dwelling. The jolt of electricity broke out some of the windowpanes in the house and caused the telephone to explode. No one was hurt, but it did give the people in the keepers’ quarters at the time a bit of a scare.
The Lighthouse Evolves
Through most of the 1800’s, whale oil was the primary fuel used by all lighthouses. But as whales became scarcer and whale oil consequently became more expensive, the Lighthouse Service moved to using kerosene as a replacement for whale oil. Within about 50 years time, electricity in turn replaced kerosene, providing a brighter light, lower costs, and almost no upkeep.
In 1932, two electric generators were installed onsite at the Bodie Island Light Station, and the lighthouse was converted to electricity. On May 22, 1940, the lighthouse was fully automated, eliminating the need for a lighthouse keeper. The U.S. Coast Guard then assumed maintenance of the lighthouse. The generators continued to run the lighthouse until October 9, 1953, when the lighthouse was connected to a power line and run from commercial power.
Around the time that the Bodie Island Lighthouse was converting to electricity, the outer banks island to the south of it was converting into America’s first national seashore, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Congress authorized the creation of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in 1937, but the National Park Service had to acquire more land in order for it to qualify as a National Park. Two years later, in 1939, the U.S. Lighthouse Service was absorbed into the U.S. Coast Guard, which made the Bodie Island Lighthouse and the immediate ground around it Coast Guard property. In 1945, the Coast Guard purchased land around the Bodie Island Lighthouse with the intention of expanding the Bodie Island Light Station. The Coast Guard ended up not undertaking the expansion projects and, in 1952, sought to sell off the extra 56 acres they has purchased as surplus. When the National Park Service heard that the Coast Guard was planning to sell off the property, they immediately moved to absorb the property into the proposed Cape Hatteras National Seashore. A Secretarial Order secured the property on January 12, 1953, which was enough for them to found the Cape Hatteras National Seashore.
On October 15, 1953, the Coast Guard officially handed over all of the land they owned around the lighthouse to the National Park Service, with the exception of a 100’ x 100’ plot that the lighthouse itself stood on. The Coast Guard held onto the Lighthouse and this plot of ground until July 13, 2000, when this too was handed over to the National Park Service and became an official part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The Coast Guard continues to retain ownership of the Fresnel lens and the lamp; however, they are planning to hand the lamp and lens over to the National Park Service in 2010. When this happens, the National Park Service will own the lighthouse in its entirety for the first time ever.
Doomsday List and Disrepair
After the Coast Guard and the National Park Service split ownership of the Bodie Island Lighthouse and its grounds in 1953, the two administrative agencies reportedly “cooperated” on the maintenance of the lighthouse. As early as 1972 the two agencies were discussing plans to open the lighthouse to visitors. However, over 35 years later, this has yet to happen because the two agencies slid into a disagreement as to how the responsibilities of maintaining the lighthouse were divided betwwen the two agencies. According to the NPS’ 2004 Bodie Island Lighthouse Historic Structure Report, “In August of 1990, J. A. Chop, CWO2 of the U.S. Coast Guard…reported that ‘a significant problem … is the confusion in maintenance responsibility. The Park Service allegedly holds the responsibility for all maintenance on the [lighthouse,] though this cannot be confirmed until the individual lease agreements are reviewed. Presently, some work is not being accomplished because one party (Park Service) thinks the other (Coast Guard) is responsible to do it. In addition, the procedure for one agency to submit work requests or report problems to another is not clear. Work is not done until major complications arise.’”
In the meantime, the original small list of repairs that needed to be done in order to open the lighthouse to the public in the 1970’s turned into inspection after inspection and report after report as the lighthouse fell into serious disrepair. By 1992, an inspector reported, “This light is in the worst shape out of any that I inspected on this trip,” and recommended that $55,000 worth of emergency repairs be made to the lighthouse. The deterioration continued and became extreme enough that in 2000, the Lighthouse Digest added the Bodie Island Lighthouse to its Doomsday List of endangered lighthouses.
When the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service in 2000, the estimated cost of repairing the lighthouse had risen to $2 million. The NPS has moved to apply for government funds to complete the renovations. However, the Federal Government has consistently refused to supply the funds in favor of restoring the larger and more famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. In the meantime, the restoration costs for the Bodie Island Lighthouse have risen from $2 million to $3 million, and the lighthouse remains on the Lighthouse Digest’s Doomsday List.
Because of the serious disrepair, the lighthouse is not open to the public. However, the keepers’ quarters have been renovated into a visitors’ center and gift shop, and the ground floor of the lighthouse is open to visitors when a staff person is available to open the doors.
Click here for more information on visiting the Bodie Island Lighthouse.
Experience Bodie Island Lighthouse:
National Park Service report on Bodie Island Lighthouse repair needs
Bodie Island added to Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List
National Park Service seeks funding for Bodie Island Lighthouse repairs
The Story of Cape Lookout Lighthouse (includes information on Bodie Island Lighthouse)
