The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is about 210 feet tall from its base to the top of its lightning rod.
Built in 1870 on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the lighthouse warned ships away from Diamond Shoals, an especially dangerous area where ocean currents and storms contributed to the region’s nickname, the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Its black-and-white spiral daymark makes it instantly recognizable.
The tower is commonly described as the tallest lighthouse in the United States and one of the world’s tallest brick lighthouses. Measurements can vary depending on whether a source gives structural height, height above sea level, or focal height of the light.
Erosion threatened the structure, so in 1999 engineers moved the approximately 200-foot brick tower about 2,900 feet inland. The National Park Service maintains the historic structure, while the U.S. Coast Guard operates the navigational light.