Cape Hatteras National Seashore – North Carolina
On our vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, we visited the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. This site was established in 1953 as the first national seashore in the United States Cape Hatteras protects more than 70 miles of barrier island coastline.
Rising above the landscape is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse which was completed in 1870. It’s bold black and white spiral stripes stand at 198 feet, making it the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States. Its powerful beam once guided ships safely past the shoals that extend far out to sea.
The lighthouse’s story mirrors the dynamic nature of Cape Hatteras. As the shoreline eroded the ocean crept close to its foundation. In 1999, engineers took on the feat of moving the entire lighthouse nearly 3,000 feet inland to preserve it. We appreciate the commitment to preserving history in the face of natural change.
Cape Hatteras, with its shifting sands and strong ocean currents, reminds me that history is not frozen in time, that it moves, shifts and adapts.
Read More From Nancy
Pea Ridge National Military Park – Arkansas
Many of our National Historic Sites preserve the landscapes of America’s military past, especially Civil War battlefields. So many of these places are found in Pennsylvania, Virginia and the Carolinas, but Pea Ridge stands as one of the important Civil War sites in the West. Here a pivotal chapter of the conflict is found in the […]
Glacier National Park – Montana
One of our most majestic national parks is also one of the few I have only been fortunate enough to visit once. Glacier National Park, located in northern Montana along the Canadian border, is part of a larger protected ecosystem that extends into Canada as Waterton Lakes National Park. Together they form the Waterton-Glacier-International Peace Park. This […]
Point Reyes National Seashore – California
A great place to walk just outside of busy San Francisco is Point Reyes National Seashore. Within an hour of the city, you step into open coastline, rolling hills and windswept trails that feel wonderfully removed from urban life. This stunning stretch of California coastline was protected in 1962, when it was signed into law […]
