Constructed in 1855, workers erected the Beacon a quarter mile from Cape Hatteras Point, and about three quarters mile from the spot where the tall Cape Hatteras lighthouse stood. One can never imagine how a little, wooden structure could survive the pounding waves, despite having been knocked over on more than one occasion. During its years of service, the beacon was rebuilt and moved, all to save its future as a navigational aid.

In comparison with the brilliant light from the tall Cape Hatteras sentinel, the beacon’s fixed white light from its sixth order lens cast a much dimmer signal from atop its twenty-five foot height. But it provided ample guidance for local fisherman and pleasure vessels maneuvering the Cape Hatteras Cove area. It assisted ships navigating the Diamond Slough (or Slue) Channel between the shoreline and the first shoals. The beacon, when paired with the Cape Hatteras tower, formed a range for larger ships that relied on the light to assist in pinpoint positioning.

The Third Assistant Keeper at Cape Hatteras Light was the person responsible for the range beacon. It was his job to light the lantern each day, without fail and in any kind of weather. On one dark and dismal night, the Third Assistant Keeper boarded the partially submerged lighthouse during a hurricane, when the ocean had overtaken the foundation. He fought powerful breakers to reach the lantern room, only to be left hanging when the lighthouse tilted to a 45-degree angle. With one last effort, he clung to the toppling sentinel and somehow managed to light and adjust the lamp so that approaching mariners could avoid the hazardous sand bar.

Over time, the beach eroded to the point that the lighthouse stood in the sea at high tide. In 1897, a severe storm overtook the beacon, submerging it completely. Eventually, the crew was forced to remove the lens and any other valuable property. Head Keeper Smith reported, “Anything like an ordinary gale will demolish the structure.” The sentinel was replaced with a lens lantern placed on a light post.