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The Ocracoke Lighthouse is the oldest working lighthouse in North Carolina, it was established in 1803 and the present tower was constructed in 1823. The current 76-foot-tall Ocracoke Lighthouse, located in the fishing village of Ocracoke on Ocracoke Island, replaced the first Ocracoke lighthouse which was 55-foot-high and made from wood. The original lighthouse was struck by lightning in 1818 and burned down. The 1823 lighthouse was controlled by both northern and southern troops at the time of the Civil War. Confederate troops removed the lense from the lamp in the beginning of the war, while it was replaced by Union troops in 1863. The fuel used to light the lanterns behind the lense was, whale oil, then kerosene, and finally electricity. The light now functions like a street lamp, it is on at night and off in the morning. The tower was cemented and covered with its first coat of whitewash in 1868. The whitewash was made from one-half bushel of lime with boiling water, a peck of salt, one-half pound of powdered Spanish whiting (fish), three pounds of ground rice put in boiling water, and a pound of glue. This lighthouse is not open to the public. However, the grounds are open year round.
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