Illuminating the entrance to the Cape Fear River, Oak Island Lighthouse is the most brilliant beacon in the United States.

Officials realized that a lighthouse on Oak Island was crucial in safely guiding mariners to the Cape Fear River entrance. Completed in 1958, Oak Island Lighthouse was the first sentinel built in the area in 54 years.

Using the Swedish-developed “moving slip” form, workers erected a solid 169-foot tower of eight-inch reinforced concrete. Builders poured concrete into the form and once it dried, moved the form up to complete another section.

The walls are merely eight inches thick from bottom to top, unlike older brick lighthouses that were several bricks deep at the base and tapered to the top. The gray color bands are integrated into the concrete, so the tower never needs painting.

A helicopter lifted the heavy lighting equipment to the top of the tower and on May 15, 1958, the white beacon flashed for the first time. At 2,500,000 candlepower, Oak Island Lighthouse is second in brilliance only to a French light on the English Channel. The scorching heat generated by the Oak Island beacon is so intense that repairmen must wear protective clothing and work for short periods of time in the lantern room. The Charleston Lighthouse in South Carolina once exceeded the brightness of Oak Island, however, its beacon was dangerously intense, so it’s power was greatly reduced..

In 2002, the noble Keeper’s Quarters, resembling a Lifesaving Station of days past, burned to the ground in a massive inferno. The United States Coast Guard used the dwelling as a base of operations, housing personnel and historic records. The station was a total loss and the old station logs were destroyed, but fortunately no one was injured.

With plans for rebuilding the Keeper’s Quarters in the works, the Oak Island Lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation and will continue to illuminate the waters of the Outer Banks for generations to come.