Roanoke River Lighthouse — Attraction in Edenton

The only screw-pile lighthouse still standing in North Carolina is the Roanoke River Lighthouse near Edenton, a unique and durable piece of maritime history. It was constructed in 1886 and lit in 1887 with the intention of directing ships into the Roanoke River from the Albemarle Sound. An inventive answer to the delicate, changing soils of coastal rivers was its distinctive screw-pile foundation, which consisted of steel pilings that were physically screwed into the riverbed. In contrast to the majority of lighthouses of its type, this one was two floors tall and had a lantern tower with a fourth-order Fresnel lens positioned on a corner of the roof instead of in the middle.

The Coast Guard sold the lighthouse to Elijah Tate in 1955 after it was discontinued in 1941 because of dwindling river traffic. The building was severely damaged by Hurricane Isabel in 2003, which led to a preservation effort. With the help of the public and private sectors, the Edenton Historical Commission bought it in 2007, relocated it to Colonial Waterfront Park, and repaired it. It now proudly sits on Edenton's port as a museum and a testament to the tenacity of the local community and historical preservation.

The lighthouse is free to tour and the "grounds" are accessible 24 hours. It is well worth a stop. I'm only bummed that I wasn't here to see it at sunrise or at sunset as I am sure it is...

this was a dope surprise along our route between bath, nc and duck. being from nc, i was surprised i hadn’t heard more of this unique architectural marvel that adds another layer to the series of lighthouses along the obx.

i was also enthralled by the story of harriet jacobs, and how she escaped slavery here and lived to write a book about it. and also how the ferrymen and other maritime workers were often black people who helped provide a communication infrastructure for slaves to use to escape to freedom. it was disheartening to see that this plaque was hidden behind a tree and not featured. i couldn’t help but link this to the jacked up truck with confederate flag stickers i saw in the parking lot as i departed. just wish places like this would own and embrace the history that jacobs and others are a testament to. it looks like there other plaques for jacobs in the area from pics online, but the presentation for her at the lighthouse seemed strange.

on a lighter note, they also had bathrooms (a little stinky) and water fountains, and a playground that was new and modern and therefore out of place among the old historical beauty, but great for kids and...

There are no scheduled tours, just a sign that says, "Tour in progress. Please wait here for next tour." We waited twice for nearly 30 minutes and gave up along with about 8 other people. During our second wait, we did catch a glimpse of a tour guide flipping through a book for 15 minutes with another group, but we had to give up because it didn't look like he was interested in concluding any time soon. Hopefully, you'll get lucky, but be prepared to wait for an indeterminate amount of time. It is a nice view of you have the...