Oak Island Lighthouse Pictures

* Warning: This is a picture heavy post*
I have finally gotten around to looking at my Oak Island Lighthouse pictures. The fine print on the sign says "The National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, donated this land to the Town of Caswell Beach for public recreation use through the Federal Lands to Parks Program.

Some trivia:

• The Oak Island Lighthouse is the second-newest lighthouse on the East Coast, and the last lighthouse built in North Carolina
  
• Instead of stairs, this lighthouse has ship's ladders.
• The lighthouse is made entirely of concrete. Concrete was poured continuously for seven days to ensure that there would not be any weak joints.
• The colors of the lighthouse were mixed into the cement; it will never need painting.
• The tower is designed not to sway in 100 mph wind.

We went on Saturday, and were taken up the first set of ladders. My sister and I were able to sign up for a tour that was going all the way to the top on Monday.

Then we walked down the boardwalk that led to the beach - it gives a great view of the lighthouse, and you can see Old Baldy - just barely.

Old Baldy

The lighthouse has a total of 131 steps, with landings every so often for people to rest on. Although I'd been
exercising for a few weeks before the trip, I was out of breath by the time we got to the top. It was very windy on top, as you might expect, being 150-some-odd feet above the water. We were on the lower balcony in the picture to the left.

This is the view that greeted us when we first stepped outside. The ocean is on the left and to the right is part of the International Waterway.



 When I looked down, I noticed some gardens, and took a few pictures. (See this post is garden-related - a little)

I like the way this one is shaped - it makes a gorgeous setting for sitting and talking, or even a dinner. I also liked how the purple plants offset the Yucca in the center.

This was at the entrance to a driveway. It's not overly flashy, but it definately makes a statement.

Since purple is my favorite color, I had to photograph this one!

This picture looks down at the boardwalk in front of the lighthouse. The compass rose in the center could not be seen from the ground.

Me and my sis getting new hairdos from the wind.

Before going back down, I got to take a picture of the light. It runs 24/7, so I was able to see the lights turning and flashing.

This picture is looking straight down into an elevator shaft that is used to move supplies (but not people) up and down the lighthouse.

I got most of the facts about the lighthouse from its official site, here, and from a brochure about the lighthouse.

~Sarah