Visit the lighthouse in Edenton

EDENTON, NC - Our annual celebration of National Lighthouse Day observances will be held at the historic 1886 Roanoke River Lighthouse, here on the waterfront in Edenton. We invite you to celebrate with us and explore how the Riverlights kept those traveling by water safe. We’ll have the lighthouse open free to visitors 10 am – 5 pm.
Built in 1886, the fully restored Roanoke River Lighthouse now stands proudly in the harbor at Edenton, NC. The lighthouse first served as a guide for ships navigating the waters of the Albemarle Sound into the Roanoke River, and then, after being decommissioned in 1941, was moved by barge across the sound to private land, where it ultimately deteriorated as a neglected residence.
Its history, as one would expect, is filled with fateful events and colorful characters. After being acquired by the State of North Carolina, Department of Cultural Resources, a band of dedicated volunteers, preservationists and public officials; with Federal Stimulus, State and privately raised funding, brought it to Edenton’s waterfront where structural restoration work was completed and furnishings were gathered.
The Roanoke River Lighthouse sits in its permanent location overlooking Edenton Bay. The lighthouse was originally located on screw-pilings in the Albemarle Sound marking the entrance to the Roanoke River near Plymouth.
The lighthouse is believed to be the last extant example in the United States of a squarer frame building built for a screw-pile base. The lighthouse was in commission from 1887 until 1941. National Lighthouse Day, an annual commemoration of the anniversary of the federal lighthouse establishment and a day to celebrate lighthouses and the commitment and service of those who tended America’s lights for generations.
For the bicentennial of the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1989, the Society petitioned Congress to declare National Lighthouse Day on August 7 -- the date in 1789 that the Ninth Act of the First Congress, establishing federal control of lighthouses, was passed and signed by President George Washington. Sen. John H. Chaffee of Rhode Island sponsored the joint resolution, which was championed in the House by Rep. William J. Hughes of New Jersey, and the measure was signed by President Ronald Reagan as Public Law 100-622 on Nov. 5, 1988.

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