Oak Island Lighthouse

Oak Island hosts the most recent lighthouse built in America. The Oak Island Lighthouse was raised in 1958 to replace one on nearby Bald Head Island and also holds the distinction of being the brightest lighthouse in the US. In fact, it is the second brightest in the world, surpassed only by a French lighthouse on the English Channel – the Oak Island Lighthouse beam can be seen nineteen miles out at sea to assist navigation through the perilous Frying Pan Shoals.

The beam’s intensity is so overwhelming that when maintenance crews need to make repairs, they wear special protective clothing and can only work in short shifts. Though not a particularly attractive lighthouse (compared to the beauties on the nearby Outer Banks), it is interesting that the black-white-gray bands of the tower are not painted: the colors were actually incorporated into the concrete. Tours are available and rather than type it all out I took the lazy man’s path and snapped a picture – so please refer to the attached photo if you would like to explore this wonderful lighthouse!