Chowan County NcArchives News.....1887 LIGHTHOUSE BEACON SHINES LIGHT ON HISTORY May 11, 2005 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: GERALD WIGGINS gwiggins@inteliport.com May 9, 2006, 6:54 pm THE CHOWAN HERALD May 11, 2005 PLANS ARE UNDERWAY TO MOVE SALAVAGE LIGHTHOUSE: BY EARLINE WHITE: RECORD KEEPING FOR THE ARTICLE PETER RASCOE AND JOHN MOREHEAD ARTICLE APPEAR IN THE CHOWAN HERALD ON MAY 11, 2005 PERCHED LIKE AN EAGLE OVERLOOKING EDENTON BAY IS A STRUCTURE THAT CAPTURES THE EYE OF MANY AND THE INTEREST OF THOUNSANDS, THE LATE EMMETT WIGGINS A FORMER MARINE, BOAT CAPTAIN AND UNERWATER SALVAGER MOVED THE ROANAKE RIVER LIGHTHOUSE TO ITS CURRENT LOCATION IN 1955. TODAY THE FATE OF POSSIBLY THE ONLY SURVIVING SQUARE SCREW-PILE LIGHTHOUSE IN THE WORLD AWAITS ITS FATE. THE HISTORY AND TRANSPORTING OF THE LIGHTHOUSE IS AN INTERESTING AS THE LIGHTHOUSE ITSELF. IN THE 1700'S THE BRISTISH DESIGNATED FIVE OFFICIAL PORTS OF ENTRY FOR THE COLONY OF NORTH CAROLINA; EDENTON BECOMING A COMPONENT OF THE PORTS OF ENTRY FOR THE COLONY OF NORTH CAROLINA; EDENTON BECOMING A COMPONENT OF THE PORT OF ROANOKE, THE MAJOR WESTERN PORTION OF THE ALBEMARLE SOUND. EDENTON HELD THIS DESIGNATION DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND INTO THE 1800'S SIXTY-SEVEN YEARS LATER THE FIRST LIGHTHOUSE WAS ERRECTED AT THE ROANOKE RIVER MOUTH. IT WAS A SCREW PILE STRUCTURE. ONE THAT WAS INVENTED TO WITHSTAND THE CONTINUAL TIDES AND WINDS THAT WERE LATER REPLICATED IN EUROPE. ONLY SIXTEEN SIMILAR LIGHTHOUSES WERE BUILT IN NORTH CAROLINA. HOWEVER THE LIGHTHOUSE WE OBSERVE FROM COLONIAL PARK DOCK IS NOT THE SAME LIGHTHOUSE. THE ORIGINAL WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT BURNED IN 1885 AND IN 1887 WHEN ICE CONTRIBUTED TO ITS DESTRUCTION. THE LIGHTHOUSE STRUCTURE SEEN TODAY WAS REBUILT AGAIN IN 1887, AND REMAINS ONE OF THE FEW SURVINVING RIVER LIGHTHOUSES. THE ROANOKE LIGHT IS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR INCLUSION ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES AS THE OLDEST FOUR SIDED WOODEN SCREW-PILE LIGHTHOUSE REMAINING IN THE WORLD. ITS GOVERNACE LIGHTHOUSE WAS ABANDONED AND THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS REPLACE BY THE ROANOKE RIVER CHANNEL ENTRANCE LIGHT WHILE THE SCREWPILE STRUCTURE SAT FOR RUIN. IN 1955 WATERMAN ELIJAH TATE, BOUGHT THE LIGHTHOUSE,ALONG WITH TWO OTHER ALBEMARLE SOUND LIGHTHOUSES FOR $10.00 EACH, FROM THE U.S. COAST GUARD. SADLY HE LOST ALL BUT THE ROANOKE RIVER LIGHT TO THE SOUND WHILE TRYING TO MOVE THEM. ELIJAH TATE SOLD THE ROANOKE LIGHTHOUSE TO . THE LATE EMMETT WIGGINS , AN OLD FRIEND, WHO LOADED AND MOVED IT. ACCORDING TO RECORDS, EMMETT WIGGINS FILLED A LANDING SHIP WITH WATER. WHICH SUNK IT AND THEN SLID THE SUBMERGED BARGE UNDER THE LIGHTHOUSE. WATER WAS PUMPED FROM THE LANDING SHIP, WHICH CAUSED THE LIGHTHOUSE TO POP TO THE SURFACE, LIGHT- HOUSE ON TOP OF THE BARGE. THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS FLOATED DOWN THE RIVER, IT TOOK 32 HOURS TO MOVE THE LIGHTHOUSE TO ITS CURRENT LOCATION. FOR YEARS THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS A RENTAL PROPERTY. FROM APPROXIMATELY 1960 , EMMETT WIGGINS USED THE LIGHTHOUSE AS HIS PRIMARY RESIDENCE UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1995. THE BELL TO WARN WEARY CAPTAINS, LIKE BUOYS THAT WARN BOATERS TO THEIR , PROXIMITY TO LAND, THE ROANOKE RIVER LIGHTHOUSE ALSO HAD A BELL TO WARN CAPTAINS SOUNDING WARINING TOLLS IN THE FOG AND BAD WEATHER, THE BELL THAT BENEATH THE ROANOKE LIGHT WAS ACTIVATED BY THE KEEPER AND OPERATED BY A WEIGHT MECHANISM, SIMILAR TO THAT IN A GRANDFATHER CLOCK. IT WAS IN THE 1970'S WHEN EDENTON TOWN ADMINISTRATOR, ARRANGED WITH THE COAST GUARD TO HAVE THE BELL DONATED TO THE TOWN OF EDENTON, THE BELL CAST IN 1901 IN BALTIMORE FOUNDRY, THE BELL THAT ONCE TOLL FOR MANY CAN BE SEEN MOUNTED FOREVER SILENT IN QUEEN ANNE PARK, DOWNTOWN EDENTON. THE FRESNEL LENS TO GUIDE THE SHIPS , FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE. NOT ONLY WAS THE SCREW-PILE STRUCTURE A PRIORITY TO SAVE, BUT ALSO THE FRESNEL LENS THAT HAD GUIDED SEAGOERS SAFELY FOR YEARS, THE LENS WAS THE INVENTION OF THE FRENCH PHYSICIST AUGUSTIN FRESNEL. IT WAS A LARGE BEEHIVE- SHAPED CONSTRUCTION OF PRISMS AND MAGNIFYING GLASS. TO REFRACT AND MAGNIFY THE OIL FLAME. SEVERAL SIZES OF FRESNAL LENS WERE CONSTRUCTED OF WHICH THE FIRST- ORDER WAS THE LARGEST. THE ROANOKE RIVER LIGHT HOUSE A FOURTH-ORDER LENS THAT COULD BE SEEN BY CAPTAINS UP TO TWELVE MILES AWAY. THE LENS IS DATED 1888 , BUT IS NOT ORIGINAL TO THE STRUCTURE. THIS FRESNEL LENS WAS ORIGINALLY HOUSED IN THE HOLLAND ISLAND BAR LIGHT IN MARYLAND, WHICH NO LONGER EXISTS, BUT IS A RARE AND VALUABLE NONETHELESS. IN 1973 THE BELL AND THE LENS THE COAST GUARD DONATED APPARATUS TO THE TOWN OF EDENTON. THE TOWN DOES OWN TITLE TO THE FOURTH-ORDER FRESNELS LENS. THE FATE OF THE LIGHTHOUSE : THE LIGHTHOUSE PRESERVATION SOCIETY OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS HAS ACQUIRED A LEGAL OPTION TO PURCHASE THE HISTORIC 1887 ROANOKE RIVER LIGHTHOUSE IN THE WORLD, FROM THE ESTATE OF EMMETT WIGGINS, THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION IS NOW SEEKING SUFFICIENT FUNDING TO ACQUIRE, MOVE AND RESTORE THE LIGTHOUSE STRUCTURE ON SOME PORTION OF PUBLIC PROPERTY FOR THE PURPOSE OF COMPLETING THE RESTORATION AND MAINTAING IT AS A MUSEUM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. PUBLIC. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/chowan/newspapers/1887ligh37gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 5.5 Kb