The Lighthouse is closed but the Lightkeeper's House is Open!
2025…another year when the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, located at the most southern point in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina will be closed to the public for climbing. However, the Lightkeeper’s House, located directly in front of the Lighthouse, is open.
That home however was not the original Lightkeeper’s House. Interestingly, the Lighthouse as we know it today also was not the original Cape Lookout Lighthouse!
The First Lightkeeper's Quarters was built in 1812. This Keeper's Quarters was built at the same time as the first Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The house was to be 24 feet square and 1.5 stories tall. Each of the three rooms had a fireplace that fed into the chimney in the center of the house. The exterior was made of pine and covered with pine or cedar shingles. In 1869, this house received extensive repairs.
A kitchen was to be built at least 6 feet away from the house and connected with a covered walkway. The proposal request indicated that this kitchen should be 14'x16' and one story tall. A well was also part of this request.
It is unknown how long these structures remained standing. Photographic records indicate that the Keeper's Quarters remained standing at least until 1893. Part of the foundation of this dwelling can be seen on a sand dune in the lighthouse area. Sadly, the structure got destroyed.
The Second Keeper's Quarters, the one that we know today, (see photo above by Captain Mark) was built in 1873. Soon after the second Cape Lookout lighthouse was completed, Assistant Keepers were assigned to the station. This new Keepers' Quarters were built to accommodate these keepers. The house was designed as a single-family residence, but by the early 1900s, all three keepers were living in this building. In response to complaints that their families could not be with them, a new Head Keeper's Quarters was built in 1907. The two Assistant Keepers and their families then shared the Second Keeper's 1873 home.
Today, this Second Keepers' Quarters serves as a museum, giving visitors a glimpse into the lives of Lighthouse Keepers and Surfmen of the US Life-Saving Service, now the US Coast Guard. The museum is open from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week during the boating season.
H2O Captain Eco-Tour Private Boat Excursions runs trips from Atlantic Beach to the Lighthouse via the North Atlantic Ocean, the only powerboat company with a permit to do so from the National Park Service. Captain Mark will anchor just off the beach in front of the Lightkeeper’s house and will walk you in while also showing you the area around the Lighthouse.
Excerpts above are taken from the Cape Lookout National Seashore, part of NPS.gov
