Cape Hatteras Light

The tallest brick lighthouse in the world, Cape Hatteras Light is the standard-bearer of all American sentinels. Built on a lonely storm swept headland, this symbol of steadfast endurance has long stood perilously close to the same fate suffered by the many ships lost to the infamous Graveyard of the Atlantic.

This award-winning 90-minute documentary recounts the first attempts to construct lighthouses on the Carolina coast, how materials were delivered and how shipwrecks and sickness caused delays and hardships. Learn why the original 1803 tower was built upon a migrating natural dune and how this location would doom the structure and dictate the course of events at Cape Hatteras for more than two centuries.

Rediscover a long forgotten, storm beleaguered beacon built to guide watermen through the inner channels of Diamond Shoals, twice relocated and eventually taken by the sea. Stories of near catastrophe include the time when Confederate troops advanced toward the Cape with the stated objective to “demolish the lighthouse at Hatteras if we do no more,” and the night when a devastating earthquake nearly toppled the tower and almost tossed the keeper overboard.

Climb the 268 steps to visit the lantern gallery at night as the lighthouse faithfully flashes its warning to mariners at sea. You’ll soon appreciate how keepers had to climb hundreds of steps on a creaking, wooden stairway, lugging heavy oil carriers to the top. In the worst of storms, these brave but modest men kept watch in the room below the lantern while the tower swayed and vibrated, and glass storm panes rattled, buffeted by the unfettered wind. It was not a job for the faint-hearted.

This sweeping saga, spanning the two centuries before the historic “Move of the Century,” honors one of the greatest symbols of America’s maritime heritage at a place where the heroic deeds of men are matched only by the marvels of human labor, perseverance and ingenuity.

A Narrative of the 200 Year History of America’s Greatest Sentinel

The Cape Hatteras Light

New Release on DVD!

DVD details: Ninety minutes viewing time. Filmed in broadcast quality standard definition video. Winner of 1999 Gold Aurora Award. Narrated by Douglas Campbell. Retail: $19.95

UPC: 689076809924 Retailers call: 919 845-9244

Call 1-800-647-3536 to order today

“An in-depth, beautifully filmed documentary for the lighthouse aficionado and novice alike..” Our State Magazine