Currituck Lighthouse

Currituck Beach Lighthouse stands majestically in Corolla on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It's noticeably different from the other North Carolina lighthouses, because it's red bricks were never painted, and many of the others were painted some combination of white and black. The red brick seems to go well with the Gothic Revival architecture of the lighthouse.

Built in 1875, the town grew around it, and it doesn't seem as secluded at the the other lighthouse sites. It's shadow falls on an old one room schoolhouse that's still being used today, a bookstore, gift shops, and some residencies. The Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education (see my April 28 blog) is only a short walk away. The lighthouse is now owned by the Outer Banks Conservationists.

This lighthouse is about 150 feet high, has 220 steps, and took one million bricks to build. It lies 34 miles south of the Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia and 32.5 miles north-northwest of Bodie Island Lighthouse. It has one of the largest lens, making it a "first order lighthouse." This was the last major lighthouse built of brick on the Outer Banks.

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