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Coming Home
July 12, 1999
Cheryl Roberts
UPDATE
HATTERAS ISLAND, NC
At 1:22 PM Friday, July 9, 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse reached home.
The National Historic Landmark now hovers over the new foundation that will
become its permanent residence for the next century and beyond. Joe
Jakubik, project manager for International Chimney, comments that the move
has progressed well and movers, including the Matyiko brothers of Expert
House Movers, are very happy with the accomplished engineering feat.
Photos courtesy National Park Service
A look from the summit of the tower (above). A gorgeous
view of the ocean awaits future visitors. In this image, [Large Image] you are looking
back at the move corridor and the original site.
Today (Monday), movers will begin to pull the support steel and reinstall the
shoring towers. In about two weeks bricklayers will begin to build the
permanent support columns that will conjoin the underside of the lighthouse
with the concrete pad to form the strong, new foundation.
The Park Service is working on details to relight the Cape Hatteras
Lighthouse during this upcoming Labor Day weekend. We will keep you posted as we receive information
here at the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society.
The tower is planned to be reopened for climbing Memorial Day, 2000.
Photos courtesy National Park Service
In the second photo, [Large Image] a view of the new light station's relocation site can
be seen; when visitors climb the lighthouse next year, a beautiful view of
the Pamlico Sound, beyond the new site, will complete the panoramic view of
Hatteras island, the sound, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Photos courtesy National Park Service
In the third photo, [Large Image] the Hatteras Lighthouse nears its final destination.
Legend has it that the movers got a speeding ticket for running a stop sign
posted at the midpoint near the visitors center. The last message received
reports that the movers were excused for this oversight.
Jerry Allegood, Raleigh News & Observer's journalist, wrote an excellent
article in Saturday's, July 10, newspaper "Lighthouse safe at home." Jerry
begins, "Defying critics who said it would crumble and crack, the Cape
Hatteras Lighthouse safely ended its half-mile journey about three weeks
early Friday, with its tower intact...Jubilant workers cheered as the
spiral-striped landmark slid into place over a concrete pad 2,900 feet away
from the old site near the ocean's edge. The landward retreat to protect
the lighthouse from erosion took just 22 days...'All right!' said mover Jim
Matyiko as the lighthouse slowly rolled to a stop. 'It feels good.'"
In an earlier News & Observer article by columnist Susanna Rodell, Tuesday,
June 29, "N.C. can take heart from a symbolic move," Rodell makes
observations on the move while she visited Hatteras. "What I was watching
was a mammoth act of human will, a huge, unusual effort being made to save
something solely because of its place in our emotions, in our collective
history. It was, and is, an enormous act of love. All these humans, from
the guys in hard hats driving the forklifts to the members of all the
historical societies to the engineers to the Park Service folks, working
their hearts out...It does the heart good to know that here in the late
20th century people are still willing to put all this collective wisdom and
energy--not to mention millions of bucks--to work to save something that's
really just a symbol, not religious, not political, just something tall and
grand and old that has stood there all those years delivering the purest
gift imaginable: light."
Hatteras in Motion
June 30, 1999
Cheryl Roberts
UPDATE
HATTERAS ISLAND, NC
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse moved an additional 288.5 feet on Tuesday, June 29, 1999! After a short delay, adjustments to the hydraulic jacks were made, and on she went!
As of today, Wednesday at noon the lighthouse had glided a total 1,561.5 feet, putting her over the halfway mark to home.
Photos courtesy Margaret Harker
One of the best images we've seen is "Hatteras in Motion" [Large Image] by Dr. Margaret Harker of Morehead City, NC. Margaret captured the moving lighthouse in a multiple-exposure photograph, shot over a six-hour period from 1 pm until 7 pm. She has offered the use of the picture to the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society.
Sign Up for Lighthouse Society Announcements
Feb 1, 1999
Staff Report
The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society will update the progress of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse move throughout the Spring ... sign up to receive e-mail updates.
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Aquarium Construction Update
July 12, 1999
Michael Halminski
UPDATE
ROANOKE ISLAND, NC
Even though the North Carolina aquarium at Roanoke Island is closed for major
expansion, the staff is quite busy in expansion related details. Husbandry
staff began collecting aquatic specimens, and adding them to special quarantine
and holding tanks on the site. Collecting trips were made in the Croatan and
Pamlico Sounds as well as Oregon and Hatteras Inlets. Species collected
include Black Drum, Croakers, Spadefish, Pinfish, Red Drum, Sea Mullet and
Bluefish. Exhibits staff has also been busy preparing Expansion Graphics, The
Rivers of North Carolina Changing Exhibit, and The Coastal Gallery Changing
Exhibit.
Photos courtesy Michael Halminski
Advisory Committee members inspect progress of the centerpiece
exhibit Graveyard of the Atlantic Tank (above).
Construction contractor T. A. Loving Co. of Goldsboro has indicated that
construction of the $15 million project is 55% complete including placement of
the large acrylic viewing port for the 185,000 gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic
fish tank. The tank will not only hold an assortment of sea life, but also a
50-foot replica of the Monitor, the Civil War ironclad ship that sunk off of
Cape Hatteras in 1862.
Photos courtesy Michael Halminski
Steel roof framework was installed for the Greenhouse Project. The
Greenhouse will contain trees and other vegetation as well as the River Otter
Exhibit. (above).
Completion of the 68,000 square foot project is scheduled for March 21, 2000.
Already in the planning stages, an official grand opening ceremony is set for
May 17, 2000. This will include special guests, speakers and activities to be
announced at a later date.
Photos courtesy Michael Halminski
General overall view of the construction site shows the new expansion
project taking shape (above).
The other North Carolina Aquariums at Fort Fisher and Pine Knoll Shores are also
scheduled for expansion in the near future. All 3 Aquariums host over 1 million
visitors annually.
A Comfortable Passenger
July 2, 1999
Cheryl Roberts
UPDATE
HATTERAS ISLAND, NC
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse moved 354 feet on Thursday, July 1, 1999. To date, a total 2,123 feet have been accomplished.
Movers are pleased with the progress of the relocation. The lighthouse has been a comfortable passenger while enroute to the relocation site 2,900 feet to southwest, placing the tower 1,600 feet from the ocean. This is approximately the same distance the lighthouse was from high tide when it was built by the U.S. Lighthouse Service with Dexter Stetson as foreman of construction beginning in 1868.
The National Historic Landmark is predicted to reach the new site sometime during the week of July 4! This will go down in history as a large effort by man to save historic buildings that have served humanity; relocation enables this lighthouse to continue to be a source of education and joy for future millions of visitors. An excellent article on this subject is in the Raleigh News & Observer, Tuesday, June 29, by Susanna Rodell on page 11-A.
Photos courtesy Bruce Roberts
In the image above, "roll beam and soap" [Large Image] you can see evidence of Ivory soap, an excellent mover's lubricant, on the hardened steel top of the roll beam track. Seven roll beams enable the lighthouse to glide towards the relocation site. A photographer is taking a picture of one jack (there are 100 jacks in all) that comes out of the massive main beam and the encased Hilman rollers that sit atop the roll beam. He is standing under the lighthouse to get this image.
Photos courtesy Bruce Roberts
In the second image, "push jacks and hydraulic clamps" [Large Image] a clear view of the long-armed, hydraulic push jacks is shown. The hoses suspended in the top of the image serve to power the hydraulic clamps that hold the push jacks securely on the roll beams. The hydraulic clamps have greatly reduced the time movers have had to spend readjusting and reactivating the push jacks.
Out of Harm's Way
UPDATE
June 27, 1999
Cheryl Roberts
International Chimney Corporation and their team of movers, including the pros of Expert House Movers, continue to move the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse closer to the relocation site.
The lighthouse has reached the critical distance of 850 feet from the ocean, considered a safe buffer from potential storm winds.
Photos courtesy Bruce Roberts
In the photo above [Large Image] by Bruce Roberts, taken at 2:30 pm, Sunday, June 27, you can see the tower has passed the temporary visitors center to the right.
Schedule of Events
UPDATE
July 2, 1999
Cheryl Roberts
The new lighthouse site is an area of 3.1 acres surrounded by natural growth. The
light of the lighthouse will gain an advantage at a new height to put the
beacon out across Diamond Shoals. A Notice to Mariners for light-out was
issued for March 1st.
May until early June: installation of the main beams with hydraulic jacks
that lifted the tower. The next step was to install the roll beams
upon which the tower will move.
Eary June the slide
began. It can take up to six weeks, moving about 50-100 feet per day.
This is now predicted to last until early-July.
Early July until early September the tower will arrive at the new foundation, be
lowered onto the concrete pad, all steel removed, and concrete infill to
complete its new foundation will be done.
Phase 2 will begin and work on details including parking, utilities and
such begins.
Memorial Day 2000 reopening is planned. Nothing specific has been
announced, but a ceremony will likely be in order.
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