Photography © J.B. Ruffin

Ocracoke Island can only be reached by ferry. A ferry leaves Cedar Island, north of the Morehead City / Beaufort area, five times each day; call 1-800-BY-FERRY for schedule and rate information; call (252) 225-3551 for reservations. Another ferry operates out of Swan Quarter with two round-trips daily; call (252) 926-1111. A free ferry run by the state and leaving every half hour during the summer links Hatteras Island and Ocracoke.

The first Ocracoke Lighthouse was built in 1803 on Shell Castle Island inside the Ocracoke Inlet not far from Blackbeard's hideout. Destroyed by lightning in 1818 it was replaced by the current light in 1823 on the banks of the inlet near Ocracoke Village.

Ocracoke Light remains among the oldest lighthouses still active on the southern coast.

Ocracoke Lighthouse & Lighthouse Society Notes

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