Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Old/New Spot (OBX Part 2)

As well as seeing the cool sunset at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse during our adventure to the Outer Banks we also stopped by to take some (a-lot of!) pictures at and around the tallest lighthouse in the US. The opening picture you see is the sign that welcomes you to the grounds of the lighthouse at its new location some 3000 feet away from the shoreline. And the shots below are some that we took from the car as we were approaching the light station after crossing over the Oregon Inlet from Bodie Island to Hatteras Island.

It's crazy how you can see it from miles away as your approaching along the skinny neck of land off of North Carolina's main-land.
This picture shows the entire view of the lighthouse from the viewing gazebo on the grounds.

 

After we left the site of the lighthouse we headed to the beach just off the grounds where we got the sunset pictures but first visited the original site where the lighthouse used to stand. Throughout the '90s there were many discussions on how to move the lighthouse from its endangered location only 120 feet away from the shoreline. When the tower was originally completed in 1870 it was more than 1500 feet from the ocean but countless storms leading to shoreline decay had shifted the structure and its eventual destruction seemed imminent. Finally in 1998 it was decided that the national park service would hire contractors to move the tower (along with its six supporting dwellings) to a new safer spot almost 3000 feet from the old location and funding was approved. Here are some pictures we got at the old spot.

The second picture is a part of one of the supporting groins that the park service put in as a temporary measure to protect the lighthouse before they finally got the funding to move it. Here are some more quick facts about the move:

-The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is the tallest brick structure ever moved.

-When it was built in 1870, it stood 1,500 feet from the shore. By 1999, the lighthouse was within 100 feet of the ocean.

-To protect it from the encroaching sea, it was moved inland a total of 2,900 feet over a 23-day period.

The next day we went back to the lighthouse to climb it (next post!) and to take a few more pictures in some better sunlight. Here are a few of the highlights.