Everyone thinks of lighthouses as tall, often cylindrical buildings, but that description really only fits coastal lighthouses. Another style of lighthouse, often referred to as sound lighthouses or sometimes river lighthouses, were used on inland waterways. That's "sound" as in the geographical term for an inlet or seaway, not a noise. Anyway, here's a not very old and not well known Outer Banks sound lighthouse - the Marshes Lighthouse. In actuality, this is an exterior reconstruction completed in 2004 of the original Marshes Lighthouse that once stood at the southern entrance to Croatan Sound, near Wanchese. The original was decommissioned in 1955, and apparently lost in the sound when some fool tried to move it to private property.

The Marshes Lighthouse was a square cottage-style screw-pile lighthouse, typical for inland waterways where much height wasn't required. This reproduction sits on the waterfront in the town of Manteo, on Roanoke island, and houses historical exhibits.

...and a great capture !nice work!... sendao · 2008-06-24: 22:07

thanks for sharing that info. very interesting! great pictures and great post!! mindysue · 2008-06-24: 22:21

What a cute little place! Great shots. DancingDolphin · 2008-06-24: 22:35

Great shots! I took some of this a few weeks ago, but didn't bother to learn the history. Thanks for sharing! Where are you going tomorrow? :-) ncshutterbug · 2008-06-24: 23:36

great history lesson and photos! R urmysunshine · 2008-06-25: 08:29

Love those lighthouses coyoteself · 2008-06-25: 15:48

very nice post! tomie · 2008-06-27: 12:50

I looked at the lighthouses backwards - what a great series! ????? · 2008-07-10: 23:49

Tagged: outerbanks northcarolina lighthouse manteo