Height of tower: 165 feet, 156 feet to focal plane, Year Completed: 1872, Signal Distance: 19 Nautical Miles, Signal Pattern: white 2.5 seconds on, 2.5 seconds off, 2.5 seconds on and 22.5 seconds eclipse with 2 cycles each minute. Bodie Island Lighthouse is halfway between the Currituck Beach and Cape Hatteras Lighthouses on Highway 12 south of Nags Head and west of Coquina Beach. Built in 1872 on the isolated Body's Island (as it was originally called) it remains today one of the most classic settings of American light stations. Its magnificent first-order Fresnel lens may be seen flashing its warning each night. The original spelling "Body" is thought to be named after the family who owned the land. The first and second Bodie Island Lighthouses tell the story of the great change in America's way of lighting her coast. The first Bodie Island Light was built under the reign of Stephen Pleasonton, the fifth auditor of the Treasury Department, whose main concern about lighthouses was saving money. His inspector would not let the contractor spend money for a proper foundation when the first lighthouse was built in 1848. In addition, it was equipped with a reflector lighting system and never considered an effective light. A short time after it was put to use, the tower started sinking on one side and had to be abandoned. Congress ordered a new light tower at Bodie Island, completed in 1859. And a fine one, indeed, it was. The U.S. Lighthouse Establishment had reorganized in 1852 and began rebuilding many American lights that were considered inferior. The second Bodie Island Light was representative of the new look of lighthouses: conical, brick, iron lantern room equipped with a Fresnel lens and a sold foundation built on piles driven into the earth. Unfortunately, the Civil War began and in only a few years, the Bodie Island Light was destroyed in 1861 by Confederate solders trying to deprive the Union Navy of a navigational aid for its fleet.

In 1870 just after the completion of the Cape Hatteras tower, construction foreman Dexter Stetson broke down the messroom, barracks, blacksmith shop, and various work buildings and moved them to the site of the new Bodie Island, about a mile north where Oregon Inlet would not threaten the new tower with erosion. The tower was another example of the tall coastal lights, defined as being at least 150-feet-tall, that would make North Carolina a destination for lighthouse enthusiasts a century later. Today, the tower and outbuildings are one of the most classic settings for an American light station. After a long legal process, the U.S. General Services Administration officially transferred the Bodie Island Lighthouse from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to the National Park Service (NPS) on July 13, 2000. The USCG will maintain the lighting apparatus, as Bodie Island remains an active aid to navigation The beautiful tower is in need of complete restoration. The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society is assisting with plans to renovate the tower and make it strong once again. The National Park Service continues to submit a budget request for federal government restoration funds. 214 iron spiral stairs lead to the lantern room but are not open to the public at this time. For more information call the Bodie Island Visitor Center at (252) 441-5711.