Bodie Island Light Station

Today we headed over to visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse. It is the second tallest lighthouse on the OBX.

Quick Facts

• Popular folklore says that the island got its name because of the many bodies that were found around it, washed up from shipwrecks


• The inside plaque reads “Body Island” – no one is certain on the spelling change


• Bodie Lighthouse stands 156 feet tall


• The height of each stripe is 22 feet


• It has 214 stairs to the lantern


• The beacon is visible up to 19 miles


• It currently has One 1000 watt lightbulb activated by photocell


• The land for Bodie Lighthouse cost $150 in 1846


• The total cost of construction was $140,000


• The first keeper of Bodie Island Lighthouse was paid an annual salary of $400.


• The tower still houses a 1st-order Fresnel lens

The brick lighthouse with alternating stripes of white and black that we see today is not the original lighthouse on Bodie Island. There were actually two lighthouses that came before it. Because Oregon Inlet continually shifts southward, the remains of the two original lighthouses have since been washed away.

The lighthouse is currently awaiting funds so a restoration can take place. The gentleman working there told us all about that. I missed most of it because I was fascinated (grossed out) by a snakeskin on his desk. I did get the impression that you might be able to walk inside of the building once it is restored. We had fun just touring the outside today.

I love lighthouses so it is a real treat to me when we can visit them up close and personal. It was a great day!



Living the life in North Carolina!