Roanoke River Lighthouse - 1866

Plymouth, North Carolina

There have been four Roanoke River Lighthouses if you count the 1831 lightship that was anchored at the mouth of the river until the Civil War. Pictured above is a replica of the 1866 lighthouse now on display at the Roanoke River Lighthouse and Maritime Museum in the town of Plymouth. The original structure was located about six miles below Plymouth and served until 1885, when it was destroyed by fire.

 Later that same year another lighthouse was built, but it was knocked off its pilings by ice and damaged beyond repair. The final Roanoke River Lighthouse was built in 1887, served until the early 1950s, and then was moved to Edenton, North Carolina. Click here for more about the 1887 lighthouse.

Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading Photography In Place.

Stones and redbud

Greene County, Virginia 

Redbud blossoms ended up on the ground after the rain last week knocked them from the trees. Redbuds are about the first tree to bloom in the spring around here and after the long winter, the color was most welcome.

Ed's Grocery Road

Williamston, North Carolina 

I walked down to the road one evening while we were at Farm Country Campground and took a couple of pictures. This farm is across the road from the campground. Ed's Grocery is  just up the road a mile or two.  We passed it every day on our way in and out, but it never was open while we were there.

Crossroads store

Williamston, North Carolina 

On our trip to North Carolina last month, we camped at Farm Country Campground in the travel trailer. The campground is in the country surrounded by farmland. We woke up every morning to the sound of roosters crowing nearby. Just across the road from the campground was this old store building.

Storm light

Greene County, Virginia 

The rain tapered off around dusk after the storms passed through last week. The sun, which we hadn't seen in four days, suddenly illuminated the land with that strange and wonderful light that sometimes occurs after a storm. For a few moments, the new spring red leaves of the Japanese maple tree glowed and the warm air flooded with bird song.

Roanoke River Lighthouse - 1886

Edenton, North Carolina

While we were in North Carolina last month, I photographed three lighthouses that are architecturally similar in that they all look more or less like a house with a light on the roof. Of the three only the lighthouse in Edenton is an original structure. The Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in Manteo is a replica—the original was lost during a relocation attempt— and the 1866 Roanoke River Lighthouse in Plymouth is also a replica. (The original 1866 lighthouse was destroyed by fire in 1885.)

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Roanoke river was an important inland waterway, and the Roanoke River Lighthouse stood in the western Albemarle Sound to mark the river's mouth. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1941 and moved to Edenton by a private individual. In 2007, the lighthouse was purchased by the Edenton Historical Commission and moved to its current location in Colonial Park at Edenton Harbor.

The Roanoke River Lighthouse at its original location in Albemarle Sound

The information for this brief overview came from the Edenton Historical Commission's excellent Roanoke River Lighthouse web site.

Wheelhouse??

Edenton, North Carolina 

A wheelhouse on top of a building in the middle of town? That's not something you see everyday. For all I know, the whole boat might be up there.

It appears to be on the roof of the building occupied by the Waterman's Grill but their website doesn't say anything about it so I don't know if it part of the restaurant or not. I expect there's a pretty nice view of Edenton Bay from up there.