Historical Markers
A group of people standing on a dock by a lighthouse - historic lighthouses

Self-guided · County in North Carolina

Historic Lighthouses in Carteret County, NC

Lighthouses and light stations on the coasts, lakes and rivers, with the history of the keepers who ran them.

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Photo: Peggy Sue Zinn on Unsplash

Carteret County is one of 100 counties in North Carolina. Some of these sites are open to visitors, some are private, and some are ruins. All of them are on the record, and all of them can be seen from the public way.

A group of people walking towards a light house - historic lighthouses
Photo: Yeji Jun on Unsplash
Two people walk towards a lighthouse on a rocky coast - historic lighthouses
Photo: Jim Tran on Unsplash
People walking near white and black lighthouse under blue and white cloudy sky during daytime - historic lighthouses
Photo: Nong on Unsplash

On the record near Carteret County, NC

The 12 nearest

17 listed sites on the record match historic lighthouses within 200 miles of Carteret County, NC, out of 11 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles. 8 listed sites carry Carteret County as their county.

  1. Ocracoke Light Station53 miles from the center of Carteret County · Building · Ocracoke · listed 1977National Register of Historic Places
  2. Bald Head Island Lighthouse91 miles from the center of Carteret County · Building · Southport · listed 1975National Register of Historic Places
  3. Oak Island Lighthouse92 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Caswell Beach · listed 2007National Register of Historic Places
  4. Bodie Island Lighthouse102 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Nags Head · listed 2003National Register of Historic Places
  5. Currituck Beach Lighthouse125 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Corolla · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places
  6. LIGHTSHIP No. 101, PORTSMOUTH147 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Portsmouth (Independent City) · listed 1989National Register of Historic Places
  7. Newport News Middle Ground Light Station154 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Newport News (Independent City) · listed 2002National Register of Historic Places
  8. Cape Henry Lighthouse157 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Virginia Beach (Independent City) · listed 1966National Register of Historic Places
  9. CApe Henry (Second Tower) Light Station157 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Fort Story · listed 2002National Register of Historic Places
  10. Old Point Comfort Lighthouse158 miles from the center of Carteret County · Building · Hampton (Independent City) · listed 1973National Register of Historic Places
  11. Thimble Shoal Light Station160 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Hampton City (Independent City) · listed 2002National Register of Historic Places
  12. Cape Charles Light Station172 miles from the center of Carteret County · Structure · Kiptopke · listed 2003National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Carteret County, NC. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Lighthouses in Carteret County, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Carteret County, NC ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Carteret County, NC?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Carteret County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Carteret County, NC the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Carteret County, NC are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Carteret County, NC

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Lighthouses near Carteret County

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