Roanoke River Light
Encyclopedia
The Roanoke River Light is a historic lighthouse
which once stood in Albemarle Sound
at the mouth of the Roanoke River
in North Carolina
. The only surviving screw-pile lighthouse
in the state, it has since been moved twice, and a replica of a predecessor light has been erected at a fourth location.
, when it was captured by confederate forces and was eventually taken up the Roanoke River and scuttled.
The first permanent structure was erected in 1866, a square screw-pile lighthouse
similar to others in the region. This light burned in March 1885 and was reconstructed the same year; however, in the following winter moving ice broke two of the pilings and threw the house into the sound.
A new light was constructed at the same site in 1887, another screw-pile structure of an atypical design. The new light had two stories rather than the usual single story, and the lantern housing the lamp sat on a tower arising from a corner of the building, rather than being mounted at the center of the roof. The light was equipped with a fourth-order Fresnel lens
.
Traffic through the area decreased in the twentieth century, and in 1941 the light was decommissioned, but left in place. It remained unoccupied into the mid 1950s, when in 1955 it was purchased from the coast guard by Elijah Tate, a local waterman, for $10. Tate had also purchased two other screw-pile lighthouse in the region, but both were destroyed in attempts to move them from their pilings. He sold the Roanoke River light to Emmett Wiggins, a tugboat operator who also ran a marine salvage business. Wiggins's solution to moving the light was to take a surplus Landing Craft Infantry
(LCI) out to the light and place it beneath the structure, having partially flooded his improvised barge and removed all pilings but those at the four corners. The ballasting water pumped out, the LCI rose up under the house and supported it as the remaining connections to the foundation were severed. The lighthouse was moved to a shore location at the mouth of Filbert's Creek just west of Edenton, North Carolina
, where it would remain for over fifty years; it served as Wiggins's residence from 1960 until his death in 1995.
Officials of the maritime museum in Plymouth
had approached Wiggins about purchasing the light, but a sale was not completed before his death, and the million dollar price asked by his heirs was rejected. Instead, they decided to build a replica of the earlier light, using archived plans. Construction on the replica began in 2001 and was completed in 2003, with the replica structure standing across the street from the maritime museum.
In 2007 the Edenton Historical society succeeded in purchasing the original lighthouse for $225,000, and on May 23, 2007, it was moved by barge to the town waterfront. Further work to construct a proper iron foundation and complete the move is expected in 2010.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
which once stood in Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a long barrier peninsula upon which the town of Kitty Hawk is located,...
at the mouth of the Roanoke River
Roanoke River
The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The only surviving screw-pile lighthouse
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
in the state, it has since been moved twice, and a replica of a predecessor light has been erected at a fourth location.
History
A lightship was placed at this location in 1835, designated "MM" in the 1939 USCG list of early lightships. This vessel sported an arrangement of red, blue, and green lenses, and survived until the Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when it was captured by confederate forces and was eventually taken up the Roanoke River and scuttled.
The first permanent structure was erected in 1866, a square screw-pile lighthouse
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
similar to others in the region. This light burned in March 1885 and was reconstructed the same year; however, in the following winter moving ice broke two of the pilings and threw the house into the sound.
A new light was constructed at the same site in 1887, another screw-pile structure of an atypical design. The new light had two stories rather than the usual single story, and the lantern housing the lamp sat on a tower arising from a corner of the building, rather than being mounted at the center of the roof. The light was equipped with a fourth-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
.
Traffic through the area decreased in the twentieth century, and in 1941 the light was decommissioned, but left in place. It remained unoccupied into the mid 1950s, when in 1955 it was purchased from the coast guard by Elijah Tate, a local waterman, for $10. Tate had also purchased two other screw-pile lighthouse in the region, but both were destroyed in attempts to move them from their pilings. He sold the Roanoke River light to Emmett Wiggins, a tugboat operator who also ran a marine salvage business. Wiggins's solution to moving the light was to take a surplus Landing Craft Infantry
Landing Craft Infantry
The Landing craft, Infantry or LCI were several classes of sea-going amphibious assault ships of the Second World War utilized to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches. They were developed in response to a British request for a vessel capable of carrying and landing substantially...
(LCI) out to the light and place it beneath the structure, having partially flooded his improvised barge and removed all pilings but those at the four corners. The ballasting water pumped out, the LCI rose up under the house and supported it as the remaining connections to the foundation were severed. The lighthouse was moved to a shore location at the mouth of Filbert's Creek just west of Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton is a town in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Chowan County. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for...
, where it would remain for over fifty years; it served as Wiggins's residence from 1960 until his death in 1995.
Officials of the maritime museum in Plymouth
Plymouth, North Carolina
Plymouth is the largest town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,107 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...
had approached Wiggins about purchasing the light, but a sale was not completed before his death, and the million dollar price asked by his heirs was rejected. Instead, they decided to build a replica of the earlier light, using archived plans. Construction on the replica began in 2001 and was completed in 2003, with the replica structure standing across the street from the maritime museum.
In 2007 the Edenton Historical society succeeded in purchasing the original lighthouse for $225,000, and on May 23, 2007, it was moved by barge to the town waterfront. Further work to construct a proper iron foundation and complete the move is expected in 2010.