Ocracoke Light was built in Hyde County, on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina in 1823 by Massachusetts builder Noah Porter. The lighthouse stands tall. Its diameter narrows from at the base to at its peak. The lighthouse was built to help guide ships through Ocracoke Inlet into Pamlico Sound. In 1864, Confederate troops dismantled the fourth-order Fresnel Lens, but Union forces later restored it. Ocracoke Light is the oldest operating light station in North Carolina and the second oldest lighthouse still standing in the state. The lighthouse was automated in 1955. During the summer months when there is a U.S. National Park Ranger on duty, visitors may access the base of the lighthouse. Access to the top of the lighthouse is not allowed due to the simple steel spiral staircase being safe only for maintenance activity. However, this is not the original staircase; the original staircase was a wooden step spiral built into the inside of the exterior wall. This was removed during the 1950s due to excessive rotting to the boards and a lacking necessity for a substantial staircase because of the automation of the light. The wooden stairs were removed and the holes in the all-brick lighthouse were cemented closed. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as Ocracoke Light Station. Controversy Various claims have been made about the light, including "the Ocracoke Light is the second oldest operating lighthouse in the nation," from the National Park Service. The original 1795 construction a mile away would qualify only as fifth oldest and the current 1823 tower is about twelfth oldest. References Lighthouses completed in 1823 Buildings and structures in Hyde County, North Carolina Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina Outer Banks Tourist attractions in Hyde County, North Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Hyde County, North Carolina Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in North Carolina 1823 establishments in North Carolina