National Park Service History Electronic Library & Archive

CAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORE, North Carolina

The NPS History Electronic Library & Archive is a portal to electronic publications covering the history of the National Park Service (NPS) and the cultural and natural history of the national parks, monuments, and historic sites of the (U.S.) National Park System. Also included are documents for national monuments managed by other federal agencies, along with a collection of U.S. Forest Service publications.

The information contained in this Website is historical in scope and is not meant as an aid for travel planning; please refer to the official NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Website for current/additional information. While we are an independent endeavor and not affiliated with the National Park Service, we gratefully acknowledge the contributions by park employees and advocates, which has enabled us to create this free digital repository.

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Exploring the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument Region
(Marc Hoshovsky, Peter Schiffman, Bob Schneider and Tim Messick, 2026)

The "New Deal" at Tumacácori National Monument (Nicholas J. Bleser and Anita Badertscher, 08/08/2012)

Archeological Investigations Arches National Park, Utah Midwest Archeological Center Technical Report No. 3 (Karen Kramer, 1991)

Archeological Resource Study, Historical Archeology at Bunker Hill Monument, Boston National Historical Park, Massachusetts Cultural Resources Management Study No. 5 (Thomas F. Mahlstedt, 1981)

Trail Guide to Fort Bowie (Date Unknown)

Historic Handbook #29: Chalmette National Historical Park, Louisiana (J. Fred Roush, 1958)

Traditional Ojibway Resources in the Western Great Lakes (M. Nieves Zedeño, Richard W. Stoffle, Fabio Pittaluga, Genevieve Dewey-Hefley, R. Christopher Basaldú and María Porter, May 1, 2001)

Foundations for Cultural Affiliations: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (M. Nieves Zedeno and Richard W. Stoffle, September 14, 1995)

American Indians And Fajada Butte: Ethnographic Overview and Assessment and Traditional (Ethnobotanical) Use Study for Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico (Richard W. Stoffle, Michael J. Evans, M. Nieves Zedeño, Brent W. Stoffle and Cindy J. Kesel, February 28, 1994)

Takuśkanśkan Ćannomoke: The Everchanging Pipestone Quarries — Sioux Cultural Landscapes and Ethnobotany of Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota (Rebecca S. Toupal, Richard W. Stoffle, Nathan O'Meara and Jill Dumbauld, June 30, 2004)

Native American Cultural Affiliation and Traditional Association Study: Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota (María Nieves Zedeño and Robert Christopher Basaldú, June 30, 2004)

Traditional Saguaro Harvest in the Tuscon Mountain District, Saguaro National Park (Rebecca S. Toupal, Henry F. Dobyns and Richard W. Stoffle, December 15, 2006)

Native American Ethnographic Study of Tonto National Monument (Richard W. Stoffle, Rebecca Toupal, Kathleen Van Vlack, Rachel Diaz de Valdes, Sean O'Meara, Jessica Medwied-Savage, Mascha Gemein, Phillip Dukes and Daniel Borysewicz, February 10, 2008)

Cultural Landscape Report: North Manitou Island Life-Saving Station, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan (April 2026)

Cultural Landscape Report: South Manitou Island Life-Saving Station and Village, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan (April 2026)

Cultural Landscape Report — Part II 2026 Update, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (Vireo and STRATA Architecture, January 2026)

About Our National Parks and National Monuments (For Use In Schools) (1958)

The Mather Albright Years (©Lon Garrison, 1980)

Guide to Your National Forests, Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites (Phillips Petroleum Company, September 1963)

Inside Outside Newsletter: Date Unknown • Date Unknown (Parks As Classrooms)

Manual for Museums (Ralph H. Lewis, 1976)

Nationwide Digest of Management Initiatives (May 1984)

Productivity Enrichment in the National Park Service (May 1984)

Thoughts on a New Interpretation (Donald R. Field and Gary E. Machlis, May 1985)

The Coronado Expedition 1540-1542 Fourteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology (George Parker Winship, 1896)

Draft Historic Structure Report: Angel Island Immigration Station Detention Barracks (Architectural Resources Group, November 2001)

People of the Poudre: An Ethnohistory of the Cache La Poudre River National Heritage Area, AD 1500-1880 (Lucy Burris, 2006)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report, Volume I of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report: HS-03 Superintendent's Residence, Volume II of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report: HS-04 Fire Office Building, Volume III of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report: HS-05 Quarters, Volume IV of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report: HS-06 Quarters, Volume V of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report: HS-07 Quarters, Volume VI of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report: HS-08 Quarters, Volume VII of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Historic Housing Area, Historic Structures Report: HS-11 Upper Garage, Volume VIII of VIII (Susan Richards Johnson & Associates, Inc., January 27, 2016)

Alaska Park Science: Partners in Research (Vol. 24 No. 1, March 2026)

Know Before You Go! A Field Survey of the Preparedness of Wilderness Day Hikers and Trail Runners in Rocky Mountain National Park (John T. Lambert, Davidson H. Hamer, Taylor N. Weckstein and Gregory A. Wellenius, extract from Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, Vol. )

The state of the giant sequoias: losses, risks, and opportunities (Kristen L. Shive, Brianna Baker, David Soderberg, Linnea J. Hardlund, Marc D. Meyer, P. Bryant Nagelson, Sarah M. Bisbing, Adrian J. Das and Nathan L. Stephenson, extract from Fire Ecology, Vol. 22 Article No. 30, March 27, 2026)

Factors contributing to regeneration refugia in reburns, Lassen Volcanic National Park California, USA (Dani Niziolek, Alan H. Taylor and Lucas B. Harris, extract from Forest Ecology and Management Vol. 602, February 15, 2026)

Tower in Motion: Resonance Mode Analysis of Devils Tower, Wyoming, USA (Jeffrey R. Moore, Kathryn Vollinger and Jan Burjánek, extract from GSA Today, Vol. 36, March-April 2026)

Adapting to Climate Change-Driven Loss of Ecologically Important Species and Processes from Park Ecosystems: A Study of Management Options for Glacier National Park Streams in the Context of National Park Service Policy and Guidance—Public Version NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/418 (Gregor W. Schuurman and David J. Lawrence, April 2026)

A global assessment of microplastic abundance and characteristics on marine turtle nesting beaches (Zara L.R. Botterell, Jed Ardren, Elly Dove, Ellen McArthur, David S. Addison, Oyeronke M. Adegbile, Pierre Didier Agamboue, Andrews Agyekumhene, Phil Allman, Alexandra Alterman, Adren Anderson, Theresa Arenholz, Daniel Ariano-Sánchez, Zephania Arnold, José C. Báez, Anat Bahar, Castro Barbosa, Hector Barrios-Garrido, Eyup Başkale, Michael L. Berumen, Vanessa S. Bézy, Janice Blumenthal, Manuela R. Borja Bosquirolli, Alysia J. Boyce, Elizabeth Brammer-Robbins, Maria Branco, Annabelle M.L. Brooks, Nancy Bunbury, Luis Cardona, Helen Chadwick, Giannis Chalkias, Kimberly Chug, Jessica Clark, Matthew Cole, Rachel L. Coppock, Eduardo Cuevas, Tiffany M. Dawson, Maria Denaro, Rodrigo Donadi, Corrine Douglas, Ryan Douglas, Emily Drobes, Chloé Dubois, Emily M. Duncan, Chloe A. Elston, Nicole Esteban, Gabriela Fernandes, Maria B. Ferreira-Airaud, Sarah A. Finn, Jerome Fisayo Christie, Angela Formia, Sabrina Fossette-Halot, Mariana M.P.B. Fuentes, Tamara S. Galloway, Matthew H. Godfrey, Joanna Goodfellow, Vicente Guzmán-Hernández, Catherine E. Hart, Graeme C. Hays, Sarah E. Hirsch, Sandra Hochscheid, Karen G. Holloway-Adkins, Julia A. Horrocks, Emi Inoguchi, Gélica E. Inteca, Claire Jean, Yakup Kaska, Brice Didier Koumba Mabert, Amandine Lambot, Yaniv Levy, Ceri Lewis, César P. Ley-Quiñonez, Penelope K. Lindeque, Israel Llamas, Sergio Lopez-Martinez, Javier López-Navas, Kelsey Mack, Fernando M. Madeira, Fulvio Maffucci, Roksana Majewska, Agnese Mancini, Katherine L. Mansfield, Adolfo Marco, Dimitris Margaritoulis, Isabel Marques da Silva, Samir Martins, Andrew S. Maurer, Wendy J. McFarlane, Carmen Mejías-Balsalobre, Maxine A. Montello, Jeanne A. Mortimer, Sarah E. Nelms, Josep Nogués Vera, Christelle Not, Olga Novillo-Sanjuan, Karen Oceguera Camacho, Omri Omessi, Breanna Ondich, Mark Outerbridge, Nicolas Paranthoen, Jessica Pate, S. Michelle Pate, Ana R. Patrício, Odysseas Paxinos, Tami Pearl, Justin R. Perrault, Angela S. Picknell, Susanna Piovano, Ernesto I. Pococa Arellano, Alwyn Ponteen, Shritika S. Prakash, Jairo Quiros Rosales, Vicky Rae, Azzakirat B.A. Raman, Tyffen Read, Katie E. Reeve-Arnold, Richard D. Reina, Stefanie Reinhardt, Flavia Riberiro, Andrew J. Richardson, Marga L. Rivas, Dani Rob, Joseph Roche Chaloner, Christopher E. Rogersm extract from Marine Pollution Bulletin, Vol. 215, 2025)

Wastewater pollution undermines coastal marine protection: Implications for 30x30 and effective conservation (David E. Carrasco Rivera and Amelia S. Wenger, extract from Ocean and Coastal Management, Vol. 276, 2026)

National parks as a collective experience (Bing Pan and William L. Rice, extract from Tourism Management, Vol. 116, 2026)

Conserving the Nation's Coasts and Estuaries — A Strategic Plan for National Estuarine Research Reservation System: A State and Federal Partnership (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, January 1995)

Alpine vegetation composition and structure monitoring for Yellowstone National Park: 2022 Trip Report (Alexa Armstrong and Terutaka Funabashi, September 2025)

The Influence of Modern Man on the Vegetation of Yosemite Valley University of California Division of Agricultural Sciences Manual 36 (Robert P. Gibbens and Harold F. Heady, July 1964)

Fire and Landscape Diversity in Subalpine Forests of Yellowstone National Park (©William H. Romme, PhD Thesis University of Wyoming, December 1979)

Salt Marsh Elevation Monitoring at Acadia National Park: 2011-2024 (April 17, 2026)

Inventory of Rare Bryophytes to Inform High-Use Recreation Site Management in Shenandoah National Park NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/420 (Eric D. Shershen, Aspen J. Mazzatta, Wendy B. Cass, Stephen J. Paull and Jessica M. Budke, April 2026)

Trends in Passerine Abundance in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska from 1995-2025 NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/421 (Jeremy D. Mizel, Joshua H. Schmidt, Jared B. Hughey and Carol L. McIntyre, April 2026)

Lichen and Bryophyte Inventory and Visitor Use Effects: Mount Rainier National Park, August 2024 NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/422 (John Villella, Dave Kofranek, Jesse Miller, Jason Clark, Julie Spelletich, Richard Callagan, Jay D. Scelza and Nikki Hart-Brinkley, April 2026)

Status of Terrestrial Vegetation and Soils at Big Bend National Park, 2020-2024 NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/424 (Sarah E. Studd, J. Andrew Hubbard, Cheryl L. McIntyre, Jason Mateljak and Adam, D. Pingatore, April 2026)

Coyote Ecology and Management on the Barrier Islands of North Carolina: Estimating Population Dynamics, Investigating Movement, and Evaluating Fladry as a Targeted Deterrent to Protect Shore-Nesting Birds and Sea Turtles NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/426 (Daniel Sossover, Elizabeth Kierepka and Roland Kays, April 2026)

Terrestrial Vegetation Monitoring at Cape Hatteras National Seashore: 2023 Data Summary—Cycle 2 and Newly Established Cycle 1 Plots NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/429 (M. Forbes Boyle and Mallorie A. Davis, April 2026)

Assessing Park Staff Perceptions and Use of Climate Futures NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/427 (Natalie Bennett and Wylie Carr, April 2026)

Moose Distribution and Abundance in Rocky Mountain National Park: 2025 Inventory Results NPS Science Report NPS/SR-2026/428 (William W. Deacy and Hanem G. Abouelezz, April 2026)

Forest Resource Mapping Products for Acadia National Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument NPS Science Report NPS-2026 (Valerie K. Watson, Kyle A. Lima, Colton E. Arnspiger, William B. Monahan, Peter R. Nelson, Jesse S. Wheeler, Abraham J. Miller-Rushing, Kiah Walker and Nicholas A. Fisichelli, April 2026)

Preserving Coastal Parklands, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park (2026)

Preserving Coastal Parklands, Colonial National Historical Parkway (Date Unknown)

NPS Fire & Aviation Management Success Stories: People, Parks & Fire...Better Together: National Fire Plan Success Stories — April 2002 • Fire Management Success Stories 2002 • Division of Fire & Aviation Highlights of Our Success — 2003 • Fire Communication and Education — Reflections on 2004

The Educational Program of the National Park Service (Dorr G. Yeager, extract from The Museum News, Vol. XVII No. 11, December 1, 1939)

Museum Work in the National Parks (Hermon Carey Bumpus, extract from The Museum News, Vol. VII No. 14, January 15, 1930)

National Parks Make Progress in Museum Program (extract from The Museum News, Vol. IX No. 14, January 15, 1932)

A New Trailside Museum in Yosemite (C.C. Presnall, extract from The Museum News, Vol. X No. 6, September 15, 1932)

The Museum of National Expansion Opened (extract from The Museum News, Vol. XX, No. 13, January 1, 1943)

An Historical Interpretive Center (Roy Edgar Appleman, extract from The Museum News, Vol. XX, No. 13, January 1, 1943)

Service to War Agencies by Nat'l Park Service (extract from The Museum News, Vol. XX No. 14, January 15, 1943)

Business Plan: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (FY 2001)

Business Plan: Mammoth Cave National Park (2003)

Business Plan: Olympic National Park Fiscal Year 2001 (2003)

Business Plan: Virgin Islands National Park (Summer 2001)

White-Tailed Deer Management Plan Environmental Assessment (April 2026)

Kauleolī Unit Management Plan Newsletter (April 2026)

Boca Negra Canyon and Lava Shadows Site Planning Newsletter (Spring 2026)

Glimpses of our National Parks (Isabelle F. Story, 1929)

Glimpses of our National Monuments (1926)

Glimpses of our National Monuments (1929)

Rules and Regulations Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (1922)

Circular of General Information Regarding Mount McKinley National Park, Alaska (1928)

Circular of General Information Regarding Hawaii National Park (1928)

Circular of General Information Regarding Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado (1928)

Circular of General Information Regarding Mount Rainier National Park, Washington (1928)

Circular of General Information Regarding Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (1928)

Circular of General Information Regarding Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota (1928)

Circular of General Information Regarding Acadia National Park, Maine (1930)

Circular of General Information Regarding Mount McKinley National Park, Alaska (1930)

Circular of General Information Regarding Hawaii National Park (1930)

Circular of General Information Regarding Lassen Volcanic National Park, California (1930)

Circular of General Information Regarding Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota (1930)

Circular of General Information Regarding Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, Utah (1931)

Nooksack Recreation Area and Mt. Baker Highway Recreation Guide No. 26 (1941)

NPS Reflections

Inspecting the lens. (NPS photo)

Cultural Landscape Report:
Bodie Island Light Station

Susan Hitchcock

The Light-House Board classified lighthouses according to their position and use. Primary coast lights were located at the most prominent points along the coast. The Light-House Board believed that lights on prominent points should be at least 150 feet above mean sea level. The more important the classification, the larger the order of lens used. First-order lenses provided the largest range; sixth-order provided the smallest. The Light-House Board also developed a system with different numbers of flashes at timed intervals, as well as use of color.

Light tower plan, 1871. (CAHA Collection)

First Bodie Island Lighthouse

The first Bodie Island Lighthouse (1848) was a tower fifty-four feet tall, crowned by a lantern ten feet in diameter with fourteen Argand lamps. Its design was a flashing signal achieved by completing a revolution every three minutes. It suffered from a poor foundation that eventually damaged the lighting apparatus, which was probably thrown out of kilter by the leaning tower. Although repaired in 1851, the newly created Light-House Board replaced the Argand lamp in 1854 with a fourth-order Fresnel lens with a fixed white light, varied by red and white flashes. Foundation defects led to the abandonment and eventual razing of the first lighthouse.

Light tower, 1893. (CAHA Collection)

Second Bodie Island Lighthouse

The second Bodie Island Lighthouse (1859) was a white brick tower rising eighty feet crowned by a lantern with a third-order Fresnel lens that revolved, flashing every ninety seconds. Retreating Confederate troops destroyed the light tower in 1862, but the lens was saved and shipped to New York.

Light tower and oil house, c. 1928. (The Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, NC, Meekins Collection)

Third Bodie Island Lighthouse

The third Bodie Island Lighthouse (1872) was a tall brick tower rising 156 feet. Its cast-iron lantern held a first-order Fresnel lens that exhibited a fixed white light that could be seen for over 18 nautical miles. In 1883, the Light-House Board changed illuminants from the original lard oil to mineral oil (kerosene) and the following year installed regular kerosene lamps. The low flash point of the kerosene led to the construction of an oil storage building separate from the lighthouse in 1896. In 1912, they introduced an incandescent oil vapor lamp as the principal source of light. In 1932, electrification of the lighting apparatus occurred using two generators and a large battery. At this time, the light changed from a fixed light to a flashing one.

A major project to repaint the tower began in 1934. At the request of Keeper Gaskill, the Commissioner of Lighthouses agreed to let him hire local labor to complete the work. John Gaskill described the process they used to paint the tower over the years. He noted that painting was done from the “top down” and that the most difficult part was painting underneath the balcony and the roof of the tower.

During the USCG operation of the lighthouse, commercial electric power replaced two original Kohler generators in 1953. The light tower was repaired and painted several times over the years of the USCG’s tenure. Replacement of the gallery railings occurred in 1964.

In 1973, the USCG signed an agreement with the NPS to allow public access to a portion of the interior of the lighthouse, provided that the NPS made some safety modifications to the tower, including rebuilding and modifying the gallery structure by installing additional railing and repairing, replacing, and restoring existing railing. Additionally, the NPS would maintain other elements of the tower and oil house open to the public. By 1977, the roof and front door of the oil house had been replaced. By 1981, inspection reports noted an increasing number of maintenance items and structural concerns.

Light tower, 2001. (HABS NC-395-5)

In 1984, a security fence was installed at the bottom of the spiral stairs and one window replaced in the lower level. In 1989, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook the first of a series of inspections to the lighthouse. They found the tower and oil house to be in generally good condition structurally but noted deterioration of the ornamental iron work of the exterior edge of the lantern gallery. Later in 1989, the USCG reported that the electrical wiring needed to be inspected and replaced as needed, and the work was apparently completed in 1992, although several of the tower stairs were damaged by falling conduit.

The inspector for the 1992 report described the lighthouse as being “in the worst shape out of any that I inspected on this trip.” Years of deferred maintenance and harsh coastal conditions had finally caught up with the Bodie Island Lighthouse, yet it was years before any repair work was undertaken. Finally in 1997, the lighthouse was repaired and repainted, but nothing was done to address the deteriorated ironwork.

Additional reports in 1997 and 2000 affirmed the findings of earlier studies and warned of potential falling debris from the support system of the gallery deck. The NPS took ownership of the lighthouse in 2000. As a first step towards preservation and rehabilitation, the NPS initiated development of a historic structure report (HSR) in 2002. Findings of the physical investigation and review of historic documents indicated that substantial repair of the cast-iron components was necessary to retain both the structural and historic integrity of the building. Additionally, repairs to the windows, doors, historic ventilating system, masonry, marble finishes, and minor architectural components of both the lighthouse and oil house were needed.

Bodie Island Lighthouse, 2013. Note climbers on the lantern. (SERO Collection)

Two cast-iron pieces fell from the gallery level in 2004, closing the base of the tower to visitors. Preservation/rehabilitation studies and plans were completed in 2006, and the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources concurred in 2007 with a determination of no adverse impact, provided that the number of stair treads replaced did not exceed 21. Federal funding requests failed the next two years.

Congress finally appropriated $3.1 million in the 2009-2010 Omnibus Budget Bill for repair and replacement of ironwork as well as repair of masonry and stone, treatment of floors, and other interior treatments. Funds had already been secured for restoration of the first-order Fresnel lens. Work stopped in 2009 when metal braces supporting the gallery and lantern decks were discovered to be cracked and had to be replaced before any other work could move forward. The NPS received an additional $1.89 million in 2012 and completed the project in December.

Text from Cultural Landscape Report: Bodie Island Light Station, August 2014.

Preparing for an aerial perspective of the Cape Hatteras Light Station landscape. (NPS photo)

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