Currituck Lighthouse: The northernmost of the Outer Banks Lighthouses
Currituck Lighthouse Facts:
Height of Tower: 162 Feet, 158 feet to focal point
Year Completed: 1875
Signal Distance: 19 nautical miles
Signal Pattern: white 3 seconds on, 17 seconds off
Currituck was the northern most lighthouse my mom and I visited.
Currituck lighthouse is located in Corolla NC.
As I mentioned before, this was the first lighthouse my mom and I visited on our grand lighthouse tour, and boy did it set the tone of what to expect.
Currituck is located in between Cape Henry lighthouse to the north and
Bodie Island lighthouse
to the south. This tower was created to fill an 80-mile void in between Cape Henry and Bodie. Currituck first began to fill this dark void on December 1, 1875. In 1939, Currituck lighthouse’s light was automated for the first time. After the lighthouse was automated, keepers were no longer needed and were therefore removed.
Apparently after World War II, Currituck lighthouse was abandoned and fell into poor condition. The keeper’s house also fell into disrepair, but in the 1950s, in was placed on the National Registry of Historical places for its architecture. In the 1980s, Currituck lighthouse began to be restored. I personally think Currituck is the best lighthouse in terms of upkeep.
The lighthouse is absolutely stunning and took my breath away. Currituck's bricks are exposed, which makes the visitor truly appreciate how many bricks went into the creation of this grand building. According to one website, one and a half million bricks were used to create this tower. I think that number really proves how amazing Currituck truly is.
If I thought the outside of the lighthouse was stunning, I didn’t know what lay ahead of me after I climbed to the top of Currituck. Two Hundred and Fourteen steps later (yes, I got my work out for the day), I was astonished by the beautiful panoramic view of both the ocean and the bay. My mom and I stood next to each other speechless and at a loss for words as we looked out upon nature’s beauty.
In addition to having a beautiful view and a beautiful outer exterior, Currituck offers an experience that I felt none of the others could. Currituck’s complex is complete with a keeper’s quarters, in addition to numerous exhibits that help the tourist understand the Maritime history from the era in which Currituck was built. My mom is a history buff and really enjoyed this aspect of Currituck.
Currituck is really unique from the other lighthouses in terms of what it had to offer. The most similar lighthouse to Currituck is Cape Hatteras lighthouse since you can climb both. I personally favored Currituck over Cape Hatteras because of the atmosphere and I felt you could absorb everything at Currituck without the crazy crowds Cape Hatteras had.
I also want to point out that there is a small fee to climb the lighthouse. Currituck is open to the public daily from Easter through Thanksgiving. During the winter months, Currituck lighthouse is closed to climbers for maintenance.
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Currituck was the northern most lighthouse my mom and I visited.
Apparently after World War II, Currituck lighthouse was abandoned and fell into poor condition. The keeper’s house also fell into disrepair, but in the 1950s, in was placed on the National Registry of Historical places for its architecture. In the 1980s, Currituck lighthouse began to be restored. I personally think Currituck is the best lighthouse in terms of upkeep.
If I thought the outside of the lighthouse was stunning, I didn’t know what lay ahead of me after I climbed to the top of Currituck. Two Hundred and Fourteen steps later (yes, I got my work out for the day), I was astonished by the beautiful panoramic view of both the ocean and the bay. My mom and I stood next to each other speechless and at a loss for words as we looked out upon nature’s beauty.
