Cape Lookout Lighthouse

Year Built

1859

Cost

$20,678.54

Type

Conical

Height

163 feet

Location

Cape Lookout

Automated Year

1950

First Lit

1859

Lens Type

Third order Fresnel lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

Black/white diagonally checkered, black lantern

Last Keeper - Date

James A. Newton (1938 – 1945)

Description

The Cape Lookout Lighthouse Keepers Quarters Museum located near the base of the lighthouse remains open and the National Park Service expects repairs to be completed by 2025.

Brief History

•  In 1851 Cape Lookout Lighthouse was reported as one of nine coast lights "which require to be improved.
•  On May 20, 1861, North Carolina joined the Confederacy and all of the lenses were removed from the coastal lighthouses and navigational beacons to prevent Union forces from using the lights to navigate the coast.
•  In 1871, Congress appropriated $5,000 for a new keeper’s dwelling, complete with summer kitchen and woodshed.
•  The Fresnel lens was removed from the tower in 1975 and replaced by two aero-beacons.
•  In September 2017, the Coast Guard and National Park Service completed the solarization of Cape Lookout Lighthouse.