In 1823, Massachusetts-based builder Noah porter built a lighthouse on Hyde Country in
Ocracoke Island,
North Carolina. This lighthouse became the Ocracoke lighthouse, which stands 23 meters tall. It was erected on two acres of land near Silver Lake harbor, which was bought from a Jacob Gaskill for a measly $50.
The diameter at the base is 8 meters while the diameter at the peak is 3.7 meters. It is 75 feet above sea level. The walls of the base are approximately 8 feet thick. The present Ocracoke lighthouse is the twelfth oldest in the country, and cost $11,359 when it was made.
Before the construction of the 1823 tower, an original lighthouse, located a mile away from the present lighthouse, was built in 1795. The old tower is heralded as the fifth oldest in the country. The construction of the old tower was due in part of the North Carolina General Assembly's goal to create a lighthouse at Ocracoke Island.
In 1864, Confederate soldiers removed the Fresnel lens attached on the lighthouse. The Union soldiers, however, replaced it.
Presently, the Ocracoke lighthouse is the oldest operating station in the state of North Carolina. In 1955, the lighthouse became automated. During summer, a U.S. National Park Ranger is on duty at the lighthouse. During this time, visitors might take a peak at the base of the lighthouse. Access to peak, however, is restricted.
In 1977, the Ocracoke Light or Light Station was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
