Roanoke River Lighthouse

Year Built

1887

Cost

$10,000

Type

Square house w/tower at corner

Height

35 feet

Location

In Albemarle Sound at the mouth of the Roanoke River; moved to Edenton, North Carolina

Automated Year

N/A

First Lit

1903

Lens Type

Fourth-order Fresnel lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1941

Color

White tower on brown tiles

Last Keeper - Date

Amasa J. Quidley (1930 – )

Description

The lighthouse was moved to the current location in Edenton, NC and open to the public.

Brief History

•  In January 1886, just five months after the light was established, ice severed two of Roanoke River Lighthouse’s spindly support legs causing the structure to collapse into the sound.
•  In 1955, waterman Elijah Tate purchased Roanoke River Lighthouse, along with two other Albemarle Sound lighthouses, from the Coast Guard for $10 each.
•  In May 2007, the Edenton Historical Commission purchased the lighthouse for $225,000 and paid Worth H. Hare & Son House Movers Inc. $75,000 to load the lighthouse onto a barge and transport it to Colonial Park at Edenton’s downtown waterfront area.
•  On May 1, 2012, the lighthouse was moved to its new foundation atop pilings in the harbor by the same company responsible for its move in 2007.
•   Restoration of the interior began in March 2014, and after years of anticipation, the historic Roanoke River Lighthouse finally opened to the public on August 15, 2014.