Buxton in Dare County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Life at the Light

Photographed by Patrick G. Jordan, June 12, 2010

1. Life at the Light Marker

Inscription. There have been words written to the effect that the lighthouse keepers and their families had a very lonely life; however, we did not have this experience. In fact, just the opposite would be more apt to apply. The lighthouse was always a favorite place to visit by the village folk so we would have lots of company, especially on Sunday afternoons and the evening hours, when the heat of summer was unbearable in the wooded areas of the villages. Swimming, baseball games, croquet, chasing wild horses and penning them in the yards for breaking to the saddle, and climbing the lighthouse were all a big part of our lives."

Two residences served the keepers and their families at the Cape Hatteras Light Station. The larger building, the Double Keeper's Quarters (1854), was built for the staff of the first Lighthouse and today serves as Cape Hatteras National Seashore's Hatteras Island Visitor Center. The smaller building is the Principal Keeper Quarters (1871), constructed from materials left over from the present day lighthouse. It accommodated the head lighthouse keeper and his family.

Topics and series. This historical

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marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list.

Location. 35° 15.065′ N, 75° 31.736′ W. Marker is in Buxton, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from State Highway 12. Marker is to the right side of the paved walkway leading to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 46375 Lighthouse Rd, Buxton NC 27920, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Outer Banks.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Keepers of the Light

Photographed by Patrick G. Jordan, June 12, 2010

2. Life at the Light Marker

(about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Light House Move Path (about 600 feet away); Lighthouse Move Path (about 600 feet away); Inching Inland (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Lighthouse Move Path (approx. ¼ mile away); a different marker also named Lighthouse Move Path (approx. 0.3 miles away); a different marker also named Lighthouse Move Path (approx. 0.3 miles away); Commonwealth War Graves Commission (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Buxton.

Also see . . . Cape Hatteras Light Station National Historic Landmark Study. (Submitted on June 16, 2010, by Patrick G. Jordan of Graham, North Carolina.)

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 19, 2021

3. Life at the Light Marker

Cape Hatteras Light image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Patrick G. Jordan, June 12, 2010

4. Cape Hatteras Light

Keeper's Quarters image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Patrick G. Jordan, June 12, 2010

5. Keeper's Quarters

View of the Keepers Quarters From the Top of the Lighthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Patrick G. Jordan, June 12, 2010

6. View of the Keepers Quarters From the Top of the Lighthouse

Cape Hatteras Light House Erected A.D. 1870 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Patrick G. Jordan, June 12, 2010

7. Cape Hatteras Light House Erected A.D. 1870

This marker is located on the interior of the lighthouse and shows the original coordinates of the light.

National Historic Landmark image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Patrick G. Jordan, June 12, 2010

8. National Historic Landmark

Left Marker:
Cape Hatteras Light Station has been designated a National Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of United States of America, 1998, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior
Right Marker:
National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark 2000
Completed 1870 Designated 1999
Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement 2000
The Cape Hatteras Light Station Relocation Project
Designated: April 29, 2000

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Geodetic Survey image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 19, 2021

9. Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Geodetic Survey

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2010, by Patrick G. Jordan of Graham, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,144 times since then and 12 times this year. Last updated on September 11, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 16, 2010, by Patrick G. Jordan of Graham, North Carolina. 3. submitted on January 24, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on June 16, 2010, by Patrick G. Jordan of Graham, North Carolina. 9. submitted on January 24, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.