{"nrhp_refnum":"78000266","name":"Cape Hatteras Light Station","other_names":["Museum of the Sea","Cape Hatteras Lighthouse"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"SE of Buxton off NC 12 in Cape Hatteras National Seashore","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buxton","county":"Dare County","state":"NC","lat":35.25406271250006,"lon":-75.52089388885088,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-03-29","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1998-08-05","areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Commerce","Social History","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["national","state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A light station complex at Cape Hatteras in Buxton, Dare County, North Carolina, within Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It includes the lighthouse, a brick oil house, a double keepers' quarters and a principal keepers' quarters.","why_significant":"The complex was listed under criteria A and C. The surviving text is mostly about relocating the station away from beach erosion, and it does not include the original significance statement. The documents describe the move as the way to preserve the lighthouse and its related buildings.","narrative":"Cape Hatteras Light Station is a historic lighthouse complex on the Outer Banks at Buxton, North Carolina, now part of Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It consists of the lighthouse, a brick oil house, a double keepers' quarters used as a museum, and a principal keepers' quarters planned as a historic house museum. It was listed in 1978 under criteria A and C. The surviving papers focus on a threat from shoreline erosion, which had already destroyed the remains of the earlier 1803 lighthouse. The National Park Service proposed moving all four structures inland to keep the group intact, and approval was given in 1990. In 1998 the plan was reaffirmed with a move of 2,900 feet instead of 2,500, because the shoreline had kept retreating. The buildings were to keep their relative arrangement and a setting about 1,600 feet from the shore. Archeological testing along the route and at the new site found no cultural remains, and survey drawings and photographs were recorded beforehand.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed in 1978. The Park Service approved a relocation plan in 1990 and reaffirmed it in 1998 with a longer move because erosion continued. The move was planned for spring 1999, subject to funding. The double keepers' quarters serves as a museum, and the principal keepers' quarters is planned as a historic house museum.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:58:57.740629-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/9/7199/47719909/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/78000266.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000266/5155667d84-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000266/5155667d84-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Henryhartley","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cape_hatteras_lighthouse_img_0529.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Henryhartley</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cape_hatteras_lighthouse_img_0529.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719909","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Hatteras_Lighthouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2508238"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/dare-county/cape-hatteras-light-station-78000266/"}