{"nrhp_refnum":"99000911","name":"Currituck Beach Lighthouse Complex (Boundary Increase)","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"NC 12, N of NC 1185","address_restricted":false,"city":"Corolla","county":"Currituck County","state":"NC","lat":36.37705470100008,"lon":-75.82814585441649,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-01-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Maritime History","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A lighthouse complex on a 30.58-acre tract in Corolla, in the northernmost Outer Banks of North Carolina, established in 1873. It includes a brick tower, keepers' houses, cisterns and storehouse, plus surrounding dunes, forest and marsh.","why_significant":"The documentation expands the boundary of the earlier 1973 listing to include the whole landscape surrounding the lighthouse compound. The complex was the last lighthouse built on North Carolina's Outer Banks and operated under federal lighthouse authorities from 1873 to 1939. Its buildings, first order Fresnel lens and largely intact setting illustrate lighthouse station design and operation.","narrative":"Located just south of Corolla in the northernmost part of North Carolina's Outer Banks, this lighthouse complex was established in 1873 and was the last lighthouse built on the Outer Banks. The 30.58-acre tract includes about five acres of fenced grounds holding the buildings, with the rest in maritime forest, dunes, oceanfront and marsh along Currituck Sound. The 162-foot unpainted red brick tower, built 1873-1875, holds a first order Fresnel lens and is joined to a brick office. Nearby are the 1876 Stick Style keepers' duplex with two rainwater cisterns, a storehouse, and a small keeper's house moved from Long Point Station in 1920. The complex operated under federal lighthouse authorities until 1939, and its grounds have remained largely intact since the government bought them. The added acreage recognizes the natural landscape that frames the buildings and screens them from nearby development. Restoration in the 1980s and 1990s returned the buildings to use for visitors.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian / Stick Style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored in the 1980s and early 1990s. The lighthouse office serves as an admission center and exhibition space, and the Small Light Keeper's House is now the museum shop. The site is leased to a local preservation group and open to visitors.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:57:54.132006-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/66/7198/47719866/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/99000911.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47719866","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/currituck-county/currituck-beach-lighthouse-complex-boundary-increase-99000911/"}