Reaching only 76 feet in height, the stubby white Ocracoke Lighthouse may not be the tallest along the North Carolina Coast, but it is the oldest. Some resources claim that it is the second oldest in the United States. To help ship’s captains navigate through the Ocracoke Inlet, a wooden light was constructed in the vicinity of Shell Island in 1794. A second lighthouse was constructed in 1822 by Massachusetts builder Noah Porter, and is the current, white conical shaped beacon that stands today. Located at the southern end of Cape Hatteras National Seashore on Lighthouse Road, the lighthouse’s original Fourth Order Fresnel Lens was replaced with it was automated in the early 1900s. The Ocracoke lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as Ocracoke Light Station.
Ocracoke Island was once an important trading route off of the coast of North Carolina dating back to the late 1500s. It was known to harbor pirates, including the most famous of all buccaneers, Blackbeard. Although he sailed up and down the coast as well as scouted the Caribbean Islands, it was said that Ocracoke was his favorite of the islands. It was here where he would set up camp, when he was not pillaging of course and where his notable brigand lived, drank and caused many a raucous.
Blackbeard’s given name was Edward Drummond and he became a seafarer at an early age, starting out as a cabin boy. He eventually went to work for the Queen of England, attacking French merchant ships and sharing the wealth of their plunder with his crew. He would eventually receive the title of privateer, a sort of legal pirate for the royal families. All one would need was a government issued license and of course the pay was incredibly rich. Yet, when England and France became alliances once again, the role of privateer was abolished.
At the end of Queen Anne’s War, the privateers were offered amnesty, were required to end their pirating ways and forced to swear that they would no longer raid the merchant ships. It was at this time that Drummond changed his name to Edward Teach and refused to adhere to the new requirements. Naming his ship Queen Anne’s Revenge, he continued his life as a pirate.
Teach later settled in Bath, North Carolina, continuing his pirating ways until he was shot by LIeutenant Robert Maynard in a shootout on November 22nd, 1718.
To learn more about Blackbeard, visit the Teach’s Hole Blackbeard Exhibit and Pirate Specialty Shop.
The Ocracoke Island Lighthouse does not allow visitors to climb to the top of the light. Local shops provide plenty of memorabilia, souvenirs and lighthouse books about the Ocracoke Light Station.
What to See and What to Do:
Ocracoke Island Lighthouse
Telephone: 252 928 4531
Where to Stay:
The Castle B&B
155 Silver Lake Drive
Ocracoke, NC 27960
Telephone: 252 928 3505
Where to Eat:
1718 Brewing Ocracoke
1129 Irvin Garrish Highway
Ocracoke, NC 27960
Telephone: 252 928 2337
Stopping just for a drink, we enjoyed the Essential Pale Ale.
What to Eat:
- Seafood along Irvin Garrish Highway for large shrimp in July when they are in season. You can purchase them either plain or seasoned. Check out Ocracoke Seafood Company at 416 Irvin Garrish Highway.
What to Read:
- Blackbeard the Pirate: A Reappraisal of His Life and Times, by Robert Earl Lee
Photo Guide for Ocracoke Island
- The Outer Banks Scenic Highway that runs along the island for photos of the wild mustangs
- Ocracoke Harbor
- Ocracoke Island Lighthouse