A newly-formed eastern North Carolina nonprofit is taking action to help save Cape Lookout, while the National Park Service has major repairs to the lighthouse in its sights.
Founder Joni Dennis says the Save Cape Lookout Foundation's goal is to raise enough money to protect the lighthouse and its surrounding buildings from the continued erosion, which she said has put many of them in jeopardy of washing into the Atlantic.
The lighthouse, Dennis says, is more than an iconic structure guiding boats into and around eastern North Carolina, but also a treasured piece of her own family history and lore.
“My great uncle Thurston was the lighthouse keeper when all the German U-boats were sitting on the other side of the island. My grandfather ran the oil from Beaufort, at night, with no running lights, on the back side of Shackleford to Cape Lookout and rolled it out of the skiff with my Uncle Thurston, to the oil shed, and that’s how they fueled it,” she explained, “And while he was over there, I’m sure he helped him with many things that a lone man can’t do by himself because, I tell you, men were men back then.”
While the lighthouse has been in need of maintenance for several years, Dennis said addressing the problems caused by the rising Atlantic should be the first priority,
“If we do not fix the erosion problem first, there’s not going to be a lighthouse,” she said. “The Keepers Cottage is sitting right there, being one big storm away from being washed away and the summer kitchen, the water’s already going underneath it.”
Cape Lookout National Seashore Superintendent Jeff West said there are other pressing needs at Cape Lookout beyond the shifting sands.
“I wish folks had asked what we needed, but they have a perception and they’re raising funds towards that perception. So, that’s absolutely fine. If they get funds that can help us, I’ll absolutely take a donation any time, and it can be a targeted donation toward a specific thing in the park,” he said.
As for the concern that the next storm could was the Keeper’s Quarters and the Summer Kitchen into the ocean. West said eight historic structures at the seashore were lost in Hurricanes Florence and Dorian, and, until the storms hit, those buildings were not considered to be in danger.
“We’re subject to storms out here all the time,” West said, “It doesn’t have to be a named storm, either. Sometimes we get as much or more damage from a nor’easter.”
West said there is no doubt that the Keeper’s Kitchen and the Keeper’s Quarters are dangerously close to the high tide line. He said, “In 1945 they were 400 yards from the sound.”
The lighthouse has been closed since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Once COVID-19 restrictions were listed, West said an inspection was performed and the decision was made to keep it closed to prevent further damage to the structure. He said there is no timeline for reopening it to the public.
He also said, though, that because of the ever-changing nature of any barrier island nothing constructed there can ever be considered permanent.
West said, “It’s constantly moving. So, the sand you build stuff on today may not even be there 20 years from now. Perfect example of that is the World War II gun emplacements that were built out there ate the camp out there. They are 80 to 100 yards out in the ocean now.”
In addition to the historic significance of the lighthouse, Dennis says it’s also a driver of the local economy.
“It also brings $30 million dollars a year to this county … the restaurants, the hotels, the shops, the boats, the gas station. For every kind of way you can spend money. I mean, it’s incredible the amount of revenue that lighthouse brings in.”
She said the needed repairs to the lighthouse and its buildings are constantly on her mind.
“It’s hard to see the neglect that’s been going on over there, if we lose that … it’s a beacon of hope to people. I cannot … I think about it every day. I wake up at night. I cannot sleep knowing that it’s like that right now.”
West said he fully understands how engrained the Cape Lookout Lighthouse is in the lives and hearts of people Down East and beyond.
“I can’t argue with emotion,” he said, “All the facts in the world don’t beat emotion. People feel very emotionally attached to this and I know they’re worried. I’m worried, too.”
West said the erosion has been closely monitored for a very long time.
“We’ve known full and well since the inception of the park that there was a problem there. It changes, though. In 1976 we had a report that by 1984 the shoreline would erode all the way to the lighthouse and we’re 300 feet, 360 feet from the lighthouse. That didn’t happen. It’s because there are changes all the time. The weather, simply the weather can change the way tides flow through there.”
Among the list of work West said the lighthouse needs is stripping all eight layers of paint from the exterior, because it’s not allowing moisture to escape – impacting the masonry; work on the cast iron stairs; removing and rehabbing the cap atop the lighthouse; window pane replacement and more.
He said the work will be done in phases and meeting at the end of the month will determine the timeline for each project.
What was intended to be a two-year project may now be done over four years. West said the first phase would tackle the issues on the exterior of the lighthouse, the second would address the remaining structural issues and the third would include upgrades to wiring and lighting.
West said that once the timeline is set and work gets underway, it will be pretty apparent to those that live and work in the area.
“When we disassemble the cap and start the painting process – I mean, that will become pretty apparent then,” he said. “The paint that’s on there has got to be stripped. There are layers of paint, not just one but several, that do not allow water, vapor, to exit the building. It won’t pass through. So, we’re going to take it all the way down to the red brick for the most part. That’s about as deep as we can go without actually having to use something that will damage the brick underneath it. And that will be the most visible thing people will see.”
Dennis said everyone should want to preserve the coastal treasure because, ““It’s the most beautiful place. There’s nothing like Cape Lookout. There’s no roads to Cape Lookout, How many places How many places do you know of that there’s a beach that goes on forever? There’s no buildings there, there’s no shops, there’s no carnival. It’s just beautiful; it’s just pure nature and we need to preserve that.”
A community meeting about the Save Cape Lookout Foundation fundraising and restoration efforts will be held on September 21st at the North Carolina Maritime Museum Auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m.
Learn more about Save Cape Lookout Foundation:
On Facebook -- https://www.facebook.com/savecapelookout
On the web -- www.savecapelookout.com
A two-day meeting to discuss the lighthouse restoration project is scheduled for September 27-28 and we’ll speak with West again once the timeline for the project is finalized.
