• North Carolina Lighthouses on the Internet

 Expected to ship
in September 2001

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Photo © Rod Watson

Currituck Beach, North Carolina

Harbour Lights Open Edition #436

W.J. Tate, keeper of Currituck Beach Light, received an unusual letter one day while tending his duties. His wife, the postmistress in Kitty Hawk, brought him his mail, noting the name on the return address - Wilbur and Orville Wright.

With curiosity, he opened the letter, revealing a correspondence from the legendary brothers. The two aerial pioneers were requesting information about the local topography, curious about the birds-eye view from the tower.

After disclosing their intentions to attempt human flight, keeper Tate and his wife eagerly joined in the quest, providing their assistance whenever possible. Because life at the isolated post at Currituck Beach provided little respite for its keepers, this exciting distraction was eagerly welcomed.

There was plenty of work to be completed at the lighthouse. Each day the Tate’s cleaned the lens, trimmed the wicks, wound the huge clock mechanism that rotated the beacon and finished all their duties in record time, hoping for a few extra minutes to donate to the flight project.

For three years, they provided tools, labor, meals and moral support for the Wright Brothers. Mrs. Tate lent her treadle sewing machine to the task of stitching the wing covers. Years after the momentous flight, Mr. Tate was able to view his lighthouse from above and made an aerial inspection of local lighthouses with his aviator son-in-law.

The lighthouse itself, with its unpainted red brick tower, stands 158 feet tall and flashes its first order Fresnel lens for 18 nautical miles. Visitors to the historic sentinel can climb the 214 winding steps to view the magnificent Outer Banks from high above, just as the Wright Brothers may have seen it on their first flight.

After years of exposure to the salty, oceanic environment, Currituck Beach Lighthouses began to corrode and needed considerable restoration. The International Chimney Corporation began refurbishing the ironwork, while the Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. signed a fifty-year lease for residential privileges. Even though the keeper's house was falling into disrepair, it won recognition for its architectural significance and was placed on the National Registry of Historical Places. The small fee paid by Currituck visitors raises funds for current restoration efforts.

Other Currituck Beach NC Lighthouses by Harbour Lights

HL158 Limited Edition	LL149 Little Light

Photography by Paul L. Brady © Harbour Lights 
December 24, 2001