Bodie Island Lighthouse

Bodie Island Light

Bodie Island Lighthouse
Location	4 miles (6 km) north of Oregon Inlet, Near North Nags Head, North Carolina
Coordinates	35°49′07″N 75°33′48″W / 35.8185°N 75.5633°W / 35.8185; -75.5633
Tower
Constructed	1847 (First) 1859 (Second) 1872 (Current)
Foundation	Timber, Granite, Rubble
Construction	Brick, Cast Iron, Stone
Automated	1940
Height	164.4 feet (50.1 m)
Shape	Conical
Markings	White and black bands with black lantern house
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places contributing property
Light
First lit	1872
Focal height	50 m (160 ft)
Lens	First order Fresnel lens[1] (current)
Range	19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi)
Characteristic	White 2.5 seconds on, 2.5 seconds off, 2.5 seconds on, and 22.5 seconds eclipse with 2 cycles each minute
Bodie Island Light Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Area	15 acres (6.1 ha)
Architectural style	Italianate, First-order brick lighthouse
NRHP reference No.	03000607[2]
Added to NRHP	July 4, 2003

The current Bodie Island Lighthouse (pronounced “body island”) is the third that has stood in this vicinity of Bodie Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and was built in 1872. It stands 156 feet (48 m) tall and is located on the Roanoke Sound side of a portion of a peninsula that is the first part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouse is just south of Nags Head, a few miles before Oregon Inlet. It was renovated from August 2009 to March 2013, and was made climbable by the public. There are 219 steps that spiral to the top. The 170-foot structure is one of only a dozen remaining tall, brick tower lighthouses in the United States — and one of the few with an original first-order Fresnel lens to cast its light.^[3]