Cape Hatteras Light is located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks in the town of Buxton, North Carolina, and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouse’s semi-unique pattern makes it easy to recognize and famous. It is often ranked high on lists of most beautiful, and famous lighthouses in the US. Its 210-foot height makes it the tallest brick lighthouse structure in the United States and 2nd in the world. Located in the Outer Banks, a group of barrier islands on the North Carolina coast that separate the Atlantic Ocean from the coastal sounds and inlets. Atlantic currents in this area made for excellent travel for ships, except in the area just offshore at Cape Hatteras. The large number of ships that ran aground because of shifting sandbars gave this area the nickname ""Graveyard of the Atlantic."" It led the U.S. Congress to authorize the construction of the Cape Hatteras Light. The original Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was constructed in 1802. At the behest of mariners and officers of the U.S. Navy, Congress appropriated funds to construct a new beacon at Cape Hatteras in 1868. Completed in just under two years by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the new Cape Hatteras lighthouse completed in 1870 was the tallest brick lighthouse tower in the world. It was 200 feet above the ground and the focal height of the light was 208 feet above the water. The light displays a highly visible black and white diagonal daymark paint scheme. It shares similar markings with the St. Augustine Light. Another lighthouse, with helical markings. The National Park Service acquired ownership of the lighthouse when it was abandoned in 1935. Today the Coast Guard owns and operates the navigational equipment, while the National Park Service maintains the tower as a historic structure. The Hatteras Island Visitor Center, formerly the Double Keepers Quarters located next to the lighthouse, elaborates on the Cape Hatteras story and the lifestyle on the Outer Banks. The light is still active. Used by the U.S Coast Guard as an Aid to Navigation, protecting Mariners from the icy depths of the Graveyard of the Atlantic.—Wikipedia
