Cape Lookout National Seashore

Cape Lookout

Life- Saving Station

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT

Historical Architecture, Cultural Resources Division

Southeast Regional Office

National Park Service

2004
Cultural Resources

Southeast Region

National Park Service

100 Alabama St. SW

Atlanta, GA 30303

(404) 562-3117

2004

Historic Structure Report 

Life- Saving Station

Cape Lookout National Seashore

Cape Lookout Village

LCS#: 091835

Previous page, Cape Lookout Life- Saving Station, c. 1893 (CALO Coll. #G- 09)

The historic structure report presented 

here exists in two formats. A traditional, 

printed version is available for study at the 

park, the Southeastern Regional Office of the 

NPS (SERO), and at a variety of other repositories. For more widespread access, the historic 

structure report also exists in a web- based format through ParkNet, the website of the National Park Service. Please visit www.nps.gov 

for more information.
Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station

Historic Structure Report

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Project Team

Project Manager Danny Scheidt, Historical Architect

National Park Service

Southeast Regional Office

Atlanta, GA

Research, Building Investigation,

 & Author

Tommy H. Jones

National Park Service

Southeast Regional Office

Atlanta, GA

Program Reviews Bob Blythe, History

Allen Bohnert, Curatorial & Museum

Services

Danny Scheidt, Historical Architecture

Jon Buono, Historical Architect

Tracy Stakely, Cultural Landscapes

National Park Service

Southeast Regional Office

Atlanta, GA
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Contents

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List of Figures ix

Foreword xv

MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

Executive Summary 1

Research Summary 2

Architectural Summary 2

Recommendations 3

Administrative Data 7

Locational Data 7

Related Studies 8

Cultural Resource Data 8

PART 1 DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY

Historical Background & Context 9

U. S. Life-Saving Service 10

Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station 14

United States Coast Guard 22

Navy Radio Compass Station 23

Chronology of Development & Use 31

Original Construction 1887 32

Alterations, 1890-1915 37

U. S. Coast Guard Changes, 1916-1918 43

Navy Radio Compass Station Changes, 1919-1940 45

Alterations, 1939-c.1950 53

Alterations, 1950-1975 54

Alterations after 1976 56

Physical Description 61

Associated Site Features 61
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Foundation 62

Structural System 63

Roofing 63

Exterior Doors 65

Windows 66

Exterior Finishes 69

Porches 71

Interior 73

Room 100 75

Room 101 76

Room 102 79

Room 103 80

Room 104 82

Room 200 83

Room 201 84

Room 202 85

Room 203 87

Room 204 89

Room 205 91

Room 206 91

Attic 92

Utilities 93

PART II TREATMENT AND USE

Treatment and Use 97

Ultimate Treatment and Use 98

Requirements for Treatment and Use 99

Alternatives for Treatment and Use 101

Recommendations for Treatment & Use 105

Site 105

Foundation 106

Chimneys 107

Structure 107

Windows 108

Doors 108

Exterior Finishes 109

Roofing 109

Interior 110

Utilities 110

REFERENCE

Sources of Information 113
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List of Figures

1 Cape Lookout as viewed from earth orbit, 1969. Breakers and shallows around 

its dangerous shoals can be distinguished stretching away from the cape. 

(CALO Coll. #F-184) 10

2 View to northeast of 1859 lighthouse at Cape Lookout in 1899. The site of the 

life-saving station was about 1-1/4 miles south of the lighthouse. (CALO 

Coll., #D-01) 10

3 Sumner Kimball, General Superintendent of the U. S. Life-Saving Service, 1878-

1915. 11

4 Artist’s rendering of surf boat launching. (Coast Guard Collection, CALO Coll. 

#G-03) 11

5 Little Kinnakeet Life-Saving Station, built in 1874 and typical of stations built 

in the 1870s. (North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences) 12

6 Surfman on patrol in foul-weather gear. (CALO Coll. #G-08) 12

7 Map of Cape Lookout, c. 1893. (Coast Guard Coll.) 13

8 View to north of Cape Lookout LIfe-Saving Station, 1893. Lighthouse is barely 

visible on the horizon at extreme right. (CALO Coll. G-09) 14

9 Plot of Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station in 1893, showing 1887 station building 

(A), 1892 Kitchen (B), 1888 oil house (C), 1892 stable (D), 1892 Boat House 

(E), 1891 inshore Boat House (F), and Keeper Gaskill’s private residence (G). 

(Coast Guard Coll.) 16

10 Undated photograph of life boat going through surf to ship breaking up, 

location unknown. (U.S. Coast Guard Coll., CALO Coll. G-02) 17

11 View of Shackleford Banks after “Great Hurricane” of August 1899. (CALO 

Coll. F-184) 20

12 View south of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station shortly after completion of 

the new building, left, in 1917. The old 1887 station is at center, its watch 

tower still intact. (CALO-Coll. D-57) 22
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13 Drawing of radio compass device, published in Radio Amateur News in 

September 1919. 24

14 The Navy’s “radio shack” at Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station. (CALO Coll, 

D20) 24

15 Map of Cape Lookout, 1934. (Coast Guard Coll.) 26

16 View north of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, 1941. (CALO Coll. D-55) 27

17 View northeast at Cape Lookout, c. 1969. Arrow indicates location of old lifesaving station. (CALO Coll. G-37) 28

18 View of old Life-Saving Station on its present site, 1978. (CALO Coll.) 29

19 View of Cape Lookout Station, c. 1893, with oil house visible at left. (CALO 

Coll. G-09) 32

20 Plans for Georgica Life-Saving Station (c. 1886) on Long Island. Plans for Cape 

Lookout Station were almost identical. (United States Coast Guard 

Coll.) 33

21 Plan of Life-Saving Station as it was originally constructed in 1887. (T. Jones, 

NPS-SERO-CR, 2002) 35

22 Plot of Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station, 1893, annotated with dates of 

construction and of demolition of structures. (Coast Guard Coll.) 36

23 Elevations of Life-Saving Station, 1905, showing back porch added around 

1897. (U.S. Coast Guard) 38

24 Elevations of Life-Saving Station, 1905. (U.S. Coast Guard) 39

25 View of live-saving station c. 1915, showing one of two cisterns that served 

the building.. (CALO Coll, USLSS#2) 40

26 View of back porch of life-saving station, c. 1915. (CALO Coll.) 41

27 Plan of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, May 1917, with new building at 

right on site of old life-saving station, which is shown on its new site at 

center. (U. S. Coast Guard) 42

28 View to south of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station #190, shortly after the 

new station was completed in 1917. (CALO Coll. D-57) 44

29 “Location Plan” for Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, August 1920. The old 

stable and boathouse on the west side of the site would be removed that 

fall. (U.S. Coast Guard) 45
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30 Plan of old life-saving station, depicting changes that occurred between the 

world wars, most of them in the early 1920s. Room 103 may not have been 

converted into a bathroom until the late 1930s. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CR, 

2003) 46

31 View north of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, 1920. The new compass 

station, or “radio shack,” is at left, and the new concrete cistern is visible 

between the kitchen at center and the old life-saving station. (CALO Coll. 

D-52) 47

32 View of the “dock in the hook” in 1943, and the boat house that replaced the 

original boat house that was torn down in 1916. (CALO-Coll.) 48

33 View of 1919 “Radio Shack” during World War II. The concrete retaining wall 

seen here remains on the site. (CALO Coll. D-20) 48

34 Plot plan of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, August 1934. (Coast Guard 

Coll.) 49

35 View of Coast Guard Station and old life-saving station, 1943. (CALO Coll. Siff02) 50

36 View to south of old life-saving station, 1940, showing porches and dormers 

added in the 1920s. (CALO Coll.) 51

37 View to north of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station in 1941. The new 

maintenance building is visible at left. (CALO Coll. D-55) 52

38 View of life-saving station, c. 1941. (CALO Coll., O-Boyle Coll.) 52

39 Undated photograph of Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station at the end of 

World War II. (CALO Coll.) 53

40 View of old life-saving station, c. 1969. (CALO Coll.) 54

41 View of old life-saving station in 1978. (CALO Coll.) 54

42 Old Life-Saving Station, (NPS-SERO-CR, 2003) 55

43 Plot of Coast Guard Station, 1963, after removal of Life-Saving Station and 

Boat House but before walks or boat house ramps were removed. (Coast 

Guard Coll.) 56

44 View to north from road. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 62

45 View to west of modern garage; south corner of back porch is visible at right. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 62
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46 View south at Coast Guard Station complex. The flat-roofed building at center 

is the cistern (c. 1920) for the Life-Saving Station, which stood just to the 

right in the path of the present roadway. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 63

47 Typical wall section showing framing details and finishes, adapted from 

original plans and from field observations. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CR, 

2003) 64

48 View of roof framing at northeastern end of the building. Rafter at upper 

right is original; the next two, which are smaller, infill the original opening 

for the lookout. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 65

49 View of existing roofing. White “hurricane” asphalt shingles installed in early 

1950s are exposed just below the chimney. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 65

50 Plan of windows and doors. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 67

51 Four-panel door at northern end of building, typical of original doors, c. 1887. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 68

52 View of window on western side of house, typical of original opening and 

detail. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 68

53 Section and plan of typical window opening; internal framing details 

conjectural. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 69

54 View of typical exterior sidings, with wood shingles at second floor and 

asbestos over drop siding at first floor. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 70

55 View of typical gable eave bracket. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 70

56 Typical second-floor window casing with added backband. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002) 71

57 View of back or south porch, added before 1905. The door was not present 

until the renovations in the 1920s. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 72

58 View of typical post, header and roof framing on rear porch. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002) 72

59 View of front porches, added in 1920s. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 73

60 View of northeast corner of front porch, showing corner post seriously 

destabilized by deterioration of the sills at that location. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002) 73

61 Detail of typical window trim on walls where diagonal paneling has been 

added. “A” denotes the oversize stop added on top of the window stool. 

“B” denotes the 1” back band added along with the diagonal paneling. 
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(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 74

62 Section depicting original wall finishes and rail which was removed where 

diagonal paneling was installed. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 75

63 View to north in Room 100, showing location of original pantry. (NPS-SEROCRS, 2002) 76

64 View south in Room 100, showing location of original entry porch. Door 

opening at left replaced a window in the original configuration of the 

space. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 76

65 View to south in kitchen (Room 101), showing paneled chimney stack at left. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 77

66 View to east in Room 101, showing original door opening to Room 106 and 

typical diagonally-laid paneling added in the early twentieth century. 

(NPS-SERO-CR, 2002) 78

67 View of original closet on west side of kitchen and defunct boiler now stored 

in the space. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 78

68 View of north wall of kitchen. (NPS-SERO-CR, 2002) 79

69 View to southwest in dining room. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 80

70 View of ceiling in Room 102, showing cast-iron waste lines (c. 1920) from 

upstairs bathroom. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 80

71 VIew to north in Room 102. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 81

72 View of toilet and shower in Room 103. Note original wainscot on rear wall 

of toilet room. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 82

73 View of large bracket behind and above shower, installed to support water 

tank at second floor. Note original cornice on rear wall. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002) 82

74 View north in Room 104. Two pairs of large doors originally opened into the 

boat room at this location. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 83

75 View to southeast in Room 104. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 84

76 View to south in old keeper’s room (Room 202). Note original paneling and 

plate rail around chimney rising between the two windows on the south 

wall. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 85

77 View to north west in Room 202. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 86
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78 View of original door in Room 202, complete with original mortise lock and 

porcelain knob. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 87

79 View to east in Room 203. (NPS-SERO-CR, 2002) 87

80 View to west in Room 203. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 88

81 View to north in Room 203, showing tub and original 1920s water tank. (NPSSERO-CRS, 2002) 88

82 View to west in Room 204. The wall that separated the original hall from the 

crews’ quarters was located between the two windows. (NPS-SERO-CRS< 

2002) 89

83 View to northeast in Room 204. Large cased opening at right was created 

after the partioning of the crews’ quarters, probably after the building 

was moved. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 90

84 View to south in Room 205. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 91

85 View to west in Room 206, showing one of dormers added to second floor 

prior to World War II. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 92

86 View to northeast in Room 206. (NPS-SERO-CR, 2002) 93

87 VIew to south in attic showing chimney stack and unidentified brick rubble. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 94

88 Floor plans of existing building. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 95
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Foreword

We are pleased to make available this historic structure report, part of our ongoing effort to provide 

comprehensive documentation for the historic structures and landscapes of National Park Service 

units in the Southeast Region. Many individuals and institutions contributed to the successful completion of this work. We would particularly like to thank the staff at Cape Lookout National Seashore for their assistance throughout the process, especially the park’s facility manager Mike 

McGee, cultural resources manager Michael Rikard, and superintendent Bob Vogel. Special thanks 

go to Sam and Sarah Daniels, who have used the old life- saving station as a vacation retreat since 

1969 and who were kind and generous in facilitating access to the building and providing information on its history. We hope that this study will prove valuable to park management in their treatment of the building and to everyone in understanding and interpreting the Cape Lookout LifeSaving Station.

Dan Scheidt, Chief

Cultural Resources Division

Southeast Regional Office

December 2004
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MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

Executive 

Summary

Historical documentation for the Life- Saving Station has come 

from three main sources- - the log books of the Cape Lookout 

Life- Saving Station, 1888- 1942;1

 the park’s collection of maps and 

drawings from the Coast Guard’s archives, including plat maps of 

the station in 1893, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1934, 1938, and 1958; and the 

park’s collection of historic photographs. All of the log books have 

been scanned for relevant information, but continued research in 

Coast Guard records could provide additional important documentation for this building. Especially useful might be correspondence and other files of the Life- Saving Service and Coast Guard, 

as well as that of the Navy for the period 1919- 1946.

Building investigation was non- destructive and limited to a visual 

survey of all areas of the building that were accessible. Most of the 

floor and wall framing remained hidden from view. Laboratory 

1. Records of U. S. Coast Guard, Record Group 26, Norfolk District, 

Log Books, Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station, original volumes 

at National Archives and Records Center, East Point, GA (here 

after “Cape Lookout Log”).
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analysis of materials was not within the scope 

of this project, but since the historic building 

remains almost completely intact, further study 

of painted finishes should be a priority. At a 

minimum, enough samples should be retrieved 

now, before any work is done on the building, 

that would allow for full analysis and interpretation at a later date.

In addition, because the Cape Lookout Historic District was only recently designated, the 

park’s uses of the various historic structures in 

the district, including the Life- Saving Station, 

have not been fully explored or defined in 

terms of general management goals. Because of 

recent legal issues surrounding the park’s leasing of historic buildings, this and other historic 

structure reports have been developed that 

would begin to set parameters for the treatment 

and use of the district’s historic buildings.

In developing this historic structure report, 

NPS staff at the Park have been unstinting in 

their support for the project. In particular, 

Mike McGee, Facility Manager, has been extremely helpful in all phases of the work as have 

Michael Rikard, Resource Specialist; Karen 

Duggan, Interpretive Ranger; and, of course, 

Bob Vogel, park superintendent. In addition, 

Clark Davis, caretaker for the building’s recent 

lessee, was generous in providing access to the 

house and discussing its history.

Research Summary

The Cape Lookout Life- Saving Station is one 

of three nineteenth- century buildings that remain in the Cape Lookout Village Historic District, and it has played a major role in the 

history of Cape Lookout. Until the 1930s, the 

station keeper and crew were almost always local men whose families- - - Gaskill, Guthrie, 

Willis, Nelson, and others- - - had settled in the 

area in the eighteenth century. From the time it 

was constructed in 1887 until it was replaced by 

a new building in 1917, the station remained a 

landmark, a source of shelter during storms 

and of assistance during all kinds of emergencies.

A simplified but significant example of Stick 

Style architecture, popular from the 1860s to 

about 1890, the building was built by the Federal government as a life- saving station and 

served in that capacity for over thirty years. In 

1917 it was relocated a few yards from its original site for construction of the present Cape 

Lookout Coast Guard Station, which was occupied in January 1918. In 1919 the Navy established one of its new radio compass stations at 

Cape Lookout, and in 1921- 1922, the old lifesaving station was adapted to house the Navy 

personnel who operated the radio station until 

after World War II. Surplused by the Coast 

Guard in 1957, the building was moved from the 

Coast Guard’s property to its present site a few 

hundred yards north of the Coast Guard Station where it has been used as a private residence.

Architectural Summary

Structurally, the building is sound and in mostly 

good condition, the principal exceptions being 

some of the pilings and the front porches, 
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which are badly deteriorated. The porch roof at 

the second floor level has pulled away from the 

wall of the house as much as two inches, endangering the stability of the entire porch. In 

addition, the “lean- to” containing Room 100 

(which was part of the original building) is in 

very poor condition, with portions of the floor 

severely rotted. Significant termite damage 

elsewhere in the building was not seen in the 

current investigation, but there is a very good 

likelihood of finding concealed damage once 

repairs get underway.

Most of the historic exterior finishes remain in 

place, although the original shiplap siding at the 

first floor has been covered with cement- asbestos shingles. The wood shingles at the second floor level are very worn, particularly on 

the south and west sides of the building, and 

there is widespread deterioration of other 

woodwork, due mainly to the failure to periodically repaint the building. The roof covering, 

which is now approaching thirty years old, is 

long past its useful life, and shingles are missing 

from several areas.

Some of the wall partitions, doors, and windows date to the 1920s as do the front porches 

and the roof dormers, but most of the original 

1880s finishes interior remain intact as well. 

Except for its relocation in 1958 and minor 

modifications at that time, there have been very 

few changes to the building since World War II. 

Interior finishes appear to be in good condition, but because the flooring is almost completely covered with modern linoleum and 

vinyl, its condition could not be assessed.

The electrical and plumbing systems are in 

poor condition, with elements of both systems 

dating to the 1920s and a number of subsequent, often ad hoc, modifications to both systems. The historic heating system has been 

dismantled and not replaced.

Recommendations

Unlike most of the other structures in the Cape 

Lookout Historic District, which are simple 

vernacular buildings, the old Life- Saving Station is a distinguished, if deteriorated, example 

of historic architecture designed and later 

modified by the government for specific uses. 

In spite of being relocated in 1916 and again in 

1958, it has retained its historical integrity and 

has the potential to be one of the district’s most 

useful buildings for interpretation of the history of Cape Lookout.

Alternatives for use of the building have been 

considered, but since the buildings in the historic district have only recently come under the 

park’s jurisdiction, the park’s current General 

Management Plan (GMP) does not address 

their use. Continued residential use of the LifeSaving Station has been suggested, but additional exhibit space is also needed, especially as 

the Cape Lookout Village Historic District is 

incorporated into the park’s interpretive program, and the Life- Saving Station could be appropriately adapted for that purpose. However, 

the historic buildings in the district differ 

markedly from one another in terms of scale, 

significance, and condition; and some buildings 

are clearly more- appropriate for certain uses 
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than others. A comprehensive planning process 

resulting in an amendment to the park’s GMP 

will be necessary to insure that the park’s and 

the public’s needs are addressed and that the 

historic buildings are used appropriately.

Basic recommendations for treatment that will 

help preserve the building have been developed here, although a final use plan may require some amendments. Treatment would 

include returning the building to its original, 

well- documented location at the Coast Guard 

Station and restoration of the exterior to its appearance at the end of World War II. Preservation of the interior and basic rehabilitation of 

the building’s plumbing and electrical systems 

are also recommended to insure the building’s 

continued usefulness, residentially or otherwise.

Site

• Relocate building to its original site.

• Re- establish historic roadway that 

bypassed the station grounds.

• Remove pavement except for concrete 

apron in front of Maintenance Building.

• Restore concrete cistern.

Foundation

• Utilize existing pavement to form 

crawl- space slab.

• Reconstruct continuous brick foundation for main building with piers used 

internally and on porches.

• Include termite shields and access 

doors on new foundation.

Chimneys

• Repoint and preserve existing chimney.

• Reconstruct missing chimney on south 

east side of Room 100.

Structure

• Inspect and repair sills and joists when 

building is relocated.

• Reconstruct floor system in Room 100.

• Repair porches.

• Reconstruct front porch stairs.

• Rescreen front porch if desired.

• Reconstruct missing balustrades at 

both porches.

Windows

• Remove window on southeast side of 

Room 100 when chimney is rebuilt.

• Repair and preserve all other window 

sash and trim.

• Preserve steel weather stripping at all 

openings.

• Repair and preserve wood- framed 

screens.

Doors

• Repair and preserve existing back 

door.

• Remove four other exterior doors and 

return three historic doors to original 

locations.
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• Install new three- panel, nine- light 

wood doors at four exterior openings.

Exterior Finishes

• Remove and salvage cement- asbestos 

siding.

• Repair drop siding and wood- shingle 

siding.

• Repair and re- install missing gable 

finial.

• Repair all exterior woodwork as 

needed, matching existing materials.

Roofing

• Remove existing roof coverings.

• Document painted finishes, if any, on 

historic metal roofing beneath existing 

asphalt shingles.

• Install new standing- seam metal roof.

• Install half- round gutters and round 

downspouts on southeast side and 

reconnect to concrete cistern.

Interior

• Preserve all existing tongue- andgroove floor and wall and ceiling paneling.

• Reconstruct missing wall and door 

opening between Rooms 204 and 205.

• Reconstruct closet at northeast end of 

Room 103.

• Preserve door opening from stairwell 

to Room 101.

• Rehabilitate both bathrooms.

• Remove existing kitchen and install 

new kitchen in Room 100.

Utilities

• Replace all water lines and, if necessary, cast- iron waste lines and vent 

stack, running lines as they were historically run.

• Replace all existing wiring, using existing conduit if possible; install modern 

fixtures as needed.

• Install hot- water or other non- ducted 

heating system if house is to be occupied year- round; install electrical 

space heaters if not.

• Install complete fire/smoke detection 

system.

Handicapped Access

• On new site, install ramp to back porch 

between building and concrete retaining wall.
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chest of 

drawers 100

101

102

103

104

101-A UP

1' 4' 8'

north

202

202-A

water

tank

202-B

203 205

200 DOWN

204

206

201

Note 1

Note 2

1. Remove existing vestibule and replace existing door with four-over-four window to match original.

2. Remove window and reconstruct chimney.

3. Install door currently leading to vestibule in this opening.

4. Remove modern wall that partitions Room 103.

5. Remove sink, counter, and stove from this room, and install new kitchen in Room 100.

6. Reconstruct missing bannisters and install single wooden step at location shown.

7. Install steps at this location and new door similar to new door at second floor porch.

8. Reinstall four-panel door now at door opening to second-floor porch.

9. Repair floor, remove added posts when second floor is repaired; reinstall balustrades at two locations shown, matching existing second floor

 balustrade; reconstruct stairs to second floor; install single step to ground.

10. Relocate present four-panel door to opening between Rooms 101 and 102; install new three-panel, six-light door.

11. Remove vestibule; repair floor and stabilize roof; replace missing balustrades, matching existing.

12. Reconstruct missing portion of wall and door opening; install five-panel door now in storage above shower in Room 103.

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5

Note 6

UP

down

Note 7

Note 8

Note 9

Note 10

Note 11

Note 12
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Administrative 

Data 

Locational Data

Building Name: CALO Life- Saving Station

Location: Cape Lookout Village

LCS#: CALO #091835

Cape Lookout Village
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Related Studies

Denver Service Center. General Management 

Plan/Development Concept Plan, Cape 

Lookout National Seashore. December 

1982.

Ehrenhard, John E. Cape Lookout National 

Seashore: Assessment of Archaeological 

and Historical Resources. NPS: Southeast Archaeological Center, Tallahassee, FL, 1976.

Holland, Francis Ross, Jr. Bodie Island Light 

Station, North Carolina. NPS, Division 

of History, 1967.

Holland, F. Ross. A Survey History of Cape 

Lookout National Seashore. NPS: Division of History, Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, January 

30, 1968.

Loonam, John. Cape Lookout Lighthouse. Bertie, NC: Self- published, 2000. <http://

www.itpi.dpi.state.nc.us/caroclips/

CapeLookoutstory.htm> ( 13 January 

2003).

National Park Service Staff. Cape Lookout National Seashore, Resources Management Plan and Environmental 

Assessment. May 1983

Cultural Resource Data

National Register of Historic Places: Contributing structure in Cape Lookout Village Historic 

District, listed June 2000.

Period of Significance: 1887- 1950

Proposed Treatment: Relocation, exterior restoration, interior preservation, and rehabilitation of plumbing and electrical systems.
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PART 1 DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY

Historical 

Background & 

Context

Cape Lookout is one of a series of capes along the North Carolina 

coast whose shoals were a hazard to navigation from the earliest 

days of European exploration. Cape Hatteras and its Diamond 

Shoals have long been the best known, but it was Cape Lookout 

that one of the area's earliest cartographers designated Promontorium tremendum, or "horrible headland."

As shipping increased along the Atlantic seaboard after the American Revolution, so too did maritime disasters and resultant loss of 

life. The federal government began to establish light houses and 

light stations as early as the 1790s, and a light house was completed 

at Cape Lookout in 1812. The light tower was too low to be effective, however, and was replaced by the present light house in 1859. 

In spite of these efforts, the sea continued to take a dreadful toll as 

sailing vessels were routinely blown onto the shoals and broken to 

pieces by the waves. Any crew that did not drown with the wreckage had little hope of escaping death from exposure once they
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Figure 1 Cape Lookout as viewed 

from earth orbit, 1969. Breakers and 

shallows around its dangerous 

shoals can be distinguished 

stretching away from the cape. 

(CALO Coll. #F-184)

Figure 2 View to northeast of 

1859 lighthouse at Cape Lookout in 

1899. The site of the life-saving 

station was about 1-1/4 miles south 

of the lighthouse. (CALO Coll., #D01)

reached what were, even in New England, 

sparsely- populated shores. The Massachusetts Humane Society established the first 

"Huts of Refuge" along the Massachusetts 

shore in the 1790s, providing shelter at least for 

shipwrecked sailors. In 1807 they began to 

equip some of these shelters with boats and 

equipment that could be used by volunteers to 

make rescues at sea. Other volunteer organizations sprang up, but these were generally limited to areas around busy ports, especially the 

Long Island and New Jersey approaches to the 

harbor at New York, and could provide help 

but to a few of the dozens of ships that wrecked 

along the Atlantic seaboard each year.2

U. S. Life-Saving Service

The origins of the federal government's LifeSaving Service can be traced to August 14, 1848, 

when Congress passed the Newell Act and appropriated $10,000 for "surf boats, rockets, 

carronades and other necessary apparatus for 

the better preservation of life and property 

from shipwrecks" along the New Jersey shore. 

Eight lifeboat stations were built and equipped, 

and in 1849 additional appropriations allowed 

construction of fourteen stations on the shores 

of New Jersey and Long Island. 

In 1850, a station was established in Rhode Island, and lifeboats and boat houses (but no 

live- saving stations) were also funded (but apparently never built) for the shores of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and Texas. Administered by the Treasury Department’s Revenue 

Marine Division (later the Revenue Cutter Service), the life- saving service was perennially 

underfunded, and equipment and stations that 

were in place frequently fell into disrepair.

The loss of over two hundred lives in the wreck 

of the Powhattan off the New Jersey shore on 

2. The U.S. Coast Guard’s web site at http://

www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/h_USLSS. 

html provides a comprehensive history of 

the Life-Saving Service.
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April 16, 1854, spurred a Congressional investigation. Especially troublesome was the news 

that many of the bodies that washed ashore had 

been robbed by “shore villains,” and the government had “no provision to prevent such 

depredations.”3 The wreck of the New Era at 

Deals Beach, New Jersey, in November 1854 

claimed another 230 lives and solidified support for an effective Life- Saving Service; but it 

was not until 1857 that appropriations were 

made to begin implementation of the recommendations from the 1854 investigation. Fulltime station keepers were hired for the first 

time, but their effectiveness was often limited 

by the difficulty in rounding up a crew when an 

emergency arose.

Another series of disasters in the winter of 

1870- 71 exposed the sorry state of the life- saving service after years of neglect during the 

Civil War. In February 1871, responding to renewed calls for reform, the Treasury Department appointed a new director, Sumner 

Increase Kimball, for the Revenue Marine Division, which included the Life- Saving Service. 

Kimball promptly began a complete evaluation 

of the system of life- saving stations; and based 

upon his report, Congress appropriated 

$200,000 to employ life- saving crews and 

build new stations. New regulations and standards were established by Kimball, who succeeded in professionalizing the system and 

dramatically increasing its effectiveness.

Figure 3 Sumner Kimball, General 

Superintendent of the U. S. LifeSaving Service, 1878-1915.

Figure 4 Artist’s rendering of surf 

boat launching. (Coast Guard 

Collection, CALO Coll. #G-03)

 The system of life- saving stations was greatly 

expanded in the early 1870s, with twenty- three 

new stations built in 1874 alone, including stations on the Outer Banks at Currituck Beach, 

Caffey’s Inlet, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Bodie 

Island (later called Oregon Inlet), Little Kinnakeet, and Chicamacomico.4 Nonetheless, the

3. Means, Dennis R. “A Heavy Sea Running: 

The Formation of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, 1846-1878.” Prologue: Journal of 

the National Archives, Winter 1987, Vol. 

19, #4.
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Figure 5 Little Kinnakeet LifeSaving Station, built in 1874 and 

typical of stations built in the 1870s. 

(North Carolina State Museum of 

Natural Sciences)

Figure 6 Surfman on patrol in 

foul-weather gear. (CALO Coll. #G08)

recommended three- mile distance between 

stations was not yet achieved, especially along 

the isolated, southern reaches of the Outer 

Banks.

On November 24, 1877, the Huron ran aground 

and broke up off Nags Head, claiming ninetyeight lives. On January 31, 1878, amid the hue 

and cry over that disaster, the Metropolis went 

down, taking with it another eighty- five lives. 

Worse yet, the crew at the closest station were 

slow to notice the wreck and, when they finally 

did, botched the rescue. These disasters provoked another round of recriminations, and a 

bill was even introduced in Congress that 

would remove the Life- Saving Service from the 

jurisdiction of Kimball and the Treasury Department. Support for Kimball was strong, 

however, and the move failed. Instead House 

Resolution 3988 was passed on June 17, 1878, 

and signed into law by President Hayes the following day, formally establishing the Life- Saving Service as a separate agency within the 

Treasury Department. Sumner Kimball was 

named superintendent, a post he would hold as 

long as the Life- Saving Service existed as a 

separate entity.

The 1878 Act that created the Life- Saving Service also included authorization for thirty new 

life- saving and life- boat stations, including fifteen new stations on the coasts of Virginia and 

North Carolina. Eleven stations went up along 

the Outer Banks at Wash Woods, Penny’s Hill, 

Poyner’s Hill, Paul Gamiel’s Hill, Kill Devil 

Hills, Tommy’s Hummock (later called Bodie 

Island), Pea Island, Gull Shoal, Big Kinnakeet, 

Creed’s Hill, and at Hatteras (later called Durants). In 1881, a station was built at Cape Fear 

and the following year at New Inlet, Cape Hatteras, and Hatteras Inlet as well.

4. Richard L. Chenery III, Old Coast Guard Stations, Volume II, North Carolina (Station 

Books, 2000).
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Figure 7 Map of Cape Lookout, c. 

1893. (Coast Guard Coll.)
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Figure 8 View to north of Cape 

Lookout LIfe-Saving Station, 1893. 

Lighthouse is barely visible on the 

horizon at extreme right. (CALO 

Coll. G-09)

Like so much else with the Life- Saving Service, 

however, full appropriations to construct new 

stations at the recommended intervals were 

slow to be made, and not until 1886 was a station built at Cape Lookout, the first station 

along the forty- mile length of Core Banks. In 

1894, a life- saving station opened at Portsmouth at the north end of Core Banks; the following year, a station opened about half- way 

between Portsmouth and Cape Lookout. 

Called Core Banks Station (later Atlantic Station), it was the last station built on Core Banks 

and still left each station with many miles of 

shoreline to patrol.

Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station

On May 19, 1886, C.T. and Nettie Watson, 

David and Julia Bell, and Thomas and Mary 

Daniels conveyed to the United States government title to a tract at Cape Lookout for a lifesaving station.5

 It appears, however, that this 

parcel, which was located not far from the 

point of Cape Lookout and two and a quarter 

miles southwest of the lighthouse, was found to 

be unsuitable for the station. In July 1887, another transaction with the Watsons, et. al., conveyed a larger parcel further north to the 

federal government. Located less than a mile 

and a half southwest of the Cape Lookout 

Lighthouse, the property was 300’ wide and ran 

5. Carteret County Records of Deeds and 

Mortgages, Book NN, pp. 273-276. The 

deed reserved fishing rights for the grantors.
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from the high water mark on the Atlantic to the 

high water mark on Cape Lookout Bight (see 

Figure 7).6 The site lay at the southern end of 

the so- called “Cape Hills,” which were but a 

series of higher dunes, sparsely vegetated but 

offering a commanding view of the great shoals 

to the southeast.

The Construction Branch of the Department of 

the Treasury was responsible for the design of 

the Life- Saving Service’s new stations and 

generally used standardized designs and plans 

for their stations. The design and plan of the 

new station at Cape Lookout followed those 

developed in 1882, with only slight variations 

from the typical plan (see “Chronology of Development and Use,” below). Like the stations 

built in the 1870s, the Cape Lookout station incorporated a boat room and the crews’ living 

quarters into the same building. A privy was 

also included on the original plans, and other 

support buildings would be added on the site 

between 1888 and 1896.

The station was completed by the end of August 1887, but William Howard Gaskill (1857-

1914) was not appointed Keeper until December 15.7

 His first crew reported for duty on January 24, 1888, which brought the station into 

full operation. That first crew included Denard 

Guthrie, Abraham Moon, Israel S. Wade, Alexander Moon, Valentine Gaskill, David Jones, 

and John G. Hudgins.8

In June 1891, Watson and the other grantors 

from the first transaction, conveyed additional 

property to the government for construction of 

a boat house.9 Situated on “the south side of 

Cape Lookout Bay,” the boat house was completed by the time the new “self- sailing, selfrighting life boat” was delivered in January 

1892. The station also acquired a team of mules 

in November 1891, which required construction 

of a stable that winter. With the stable complete, the crew built another boathouse near 

the station in the spring of 1892 and a cook 

house in the fall of 1892. A tank house was built 

in 1894 and a boat house in the bight about 300 

yards from shore in 1896, completing the first 

phase of the life- saving station’s historic development.10

In addition, the 1893 plat of the station (see Figure 9) shows a “Dwelling Private” located 

about 120 feet due west of the station.11 Labeled 

“Gaskill,” it seems likely that it was a part- time 

residence for station keeper William H. Gaskill 

and his wife, although no sure documentation 

for that assumption has been located. Until 

1917, the Keeper himself was on duty on a

6. The deed for this transaction has not been 

located, but it is noted on the map in Figure 6.

7. Coast Guard web site provides completion 

date.

8. Records of U. S. Coast Guard, Norfolk District, Log Books (here after “Cape Lookout 

Log”), Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station, 

original volumes in Record Group 26 at 

National Archives and Records Center, East 

Point, GA. Also see U. S. Coast Guard webb 

site for Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station 

#190 at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/h_USLSS.html.

9. Carteret County Records of Deeds and 

Mortgages, Book QQ, p. 211.

10.Cape Lookout Log document these dates.

11.The site appears to have been on or just 

west of the crest of the dune or hillock 

directly in front of the present Coast 

Guard Station.
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Figure 9 Plot of Cape Lookout 

Life-Saving Station in 1893, showing 

1887 station building (A), 1892 

Kitchen (B), 1888 oil house (C), 1892 

stable (D), 1892 Boat House (E), 

1891 inshore Boat House (F), and 

Keeper Gaskill’s private residence 

(G). (Coast Guard Coll.)
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year- round basis, it would have been very convenient to have a house for his family nearby.12 

The station’s crew was present only during the 

“active season,” which ran from September 1 

through April 30 until 1897, when it was extended from August 1 through May 31. Only after the Life- Saving Service became part of the 

U. S. Coast Guard in 1915 were crews employed 

year- round.

If disaster struck during the off- season, as it 

sometime did, the Keeper was forced to round 

up a crew from local fishermen.13 During the 

active season, watch was kept from the lookout 

tower, and there were patrols of the beach itself. To insure that patrols were actually taking 

place, time clocks were stationed at the north 

and south ends of the patrol, and the man on 

duty was required to key into the clock on each 

round, making indentations on small metal 

plates that could then be checked by the 

Keeper before being sent to District Headquarters for verification. Failure to key into the 

clock could mean loss of liberty or, if there 

were repeated offenses, dismissal from the service.

Part of the crew’s duties was simply to warn 

ships away from the shoals, using kerosene 

lamps with red chimneys as a signal. Often, 

however, the crews’ first sighting of a vessel 

came when it was already aground on the 

shoals, sometimes as much as eight or ten miles 

from shore. In those circumstances, the life

Figure 10 Undated photograph 

of life boat going through surf to 

ship breaking up, location 

unknown. (U.S. Coast Guard Coll., 

CALO Coll. G-02)

boat was quickly launched and rowed out to 

the wreck site. It was grueling work that sometimes kept the crew in the boats all day and into 

the night.

Although the government kept the station supplied with equipment and provisions, it was the 

Women’s National Relief Association that provided for the victims of disaster. The station 

routinely received shipments of clothes, blankets, sugar, tea, reading matter, and other items 

from the Association that the Keeper used to 

aid those who might seek refuge at the station.14

The wreck of the 387- ton, three- masted 

schooner Sarah D. J. Rawson in February 1905, 

loaded with lumber and a crew of seven, was 

the Cape Lookout crew’s most- famous rescue. Sailing from Georgetown, S. C., for New 

York, the ship came into a gale that drove it on 

12. Log entries suggest that the house was 

never a primary residence. See especially 

June 15,1887; May 1, 1889; January 25, 

1892; and January 22, 1895.

13.Cape Lookout Log Book, July 17, 1891. 14.Cape Lookout Log Book, June 19, 1888.
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to the breakers on the south side of Lookout 

Shoals nearly nine miles southeast of the station. The ship soon began breaking up, and one 

of the crew was washed overboard along with 

most of the cargo of lumber. By then it was 

dark, and a heavy fog that settled across the 

cape prevented the crew in the watchtower 

from seeing the ship’s masts until nearly noon 

the following day. Gaskill and his crew, most of 

them ill with influenza, set out for the wreck 

within twenty- five minutes of the sighting and, 

by four o’clock in the afternoon had reached 

the stranded vessel. Beset by heavy seas and 

threatened by floating lumber and wreckage, 

the crew could get their boat no closer than 200 

hundred yards of the Sarah Rawson and, with 

nightfall, were forced to drop anchor on the 

shoals a few hundred yards away, hoping for a 

respite in the stormy weather. After a long night 

in an open boat, the crew was still not able to 

get close to the ship until nearly one o’clock the 

following afternoon. Not until five o’clock that 

afternoon, twenty- eight hours after they had 

set out, did Gaskill and his crew get themselves 

and the six surviving crew members of the Sarah Rawson back to the safety of the Life- Saving Station. For their heroic efforts, gold 

medals were awarded to the men of the Cape 

Lookout Life- Saving Station on April 12, 1905. 

Recipients were Keeper William H. Gaskill and 

Surfmen Kilby Guthrie, Walter M. Yeomans, 

Tyre Moore, John A. Guthrie, James W. Fulcher, 

John E. Kirkman, Calupt T. Jarvis, and Joseph 

L. Lewis.15

Most of the station’s rescues were not nearly so 

dramatic or arduous nor were they all that frequent in their occurrence. Through much of 

the season, the life- saving crew spent most of 

their time on duty in drills and exercises and in 

routine maintenance of the station, including 

some construction and nearly all of the painting and repairs of the station’s buildings. Almost every daily entry in the station log began, 

“House thoroughly swept, dusted and opened 

to air, all metallics polished.” And “hauling 

shells for the yard” in an effort to stabilize the 

drifting sands around the station was one of the 

more frequent entries in the log books.

Ships apparently did not hesitate to hoist a signal, to which the station had to respond, even 

though the request might be no more critical 

than that a message be sent to the New York 

Herald or to the ship’s owner attesting to the 

ship’s whereabouts. Requests for water and 

“coal oil” (kerosene) were common; but in one 

instance, having spent thirty minutes rowing 

out to the schooner Gracie Buchanan, the 

Keeper found the emergency to be the ship’s 

mess being out of potatoes!16

The crew was also engaged in salvage of material that washed ashore, like the “quantity of 

yellow pine lumber which drifted ashore” on 

March 26, 1890. While locals were apt to scavenge, the life- saving crew’s responsibility was 

to move the material out of reach of high tide 

and make a report to the Treasury Department’s Wreck Commission, which might or 

might not be able to determine ownership. 15.From the U.S. Coast Guard web site at 

http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/

10%20FEB%201905.html 16.Cape Lookout Log Book, October 25, 1907.
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Only occasionally would small quantities of 

material be salvaged by the crew for use at the 

station.17

Lumber was not all that washed ashore; on at 

least two occasions, the crew retrieved a battered corpse from the surf. Unable to identify 

the remains of one, they “placed it in a suitable 

box and buried [it] among the hills.”18 The 

other corpse, which washed ashore near the 

light house, probably came from the wreck of 

the Sarah D. Rawson; but it, too, was placed in a 

pine box and buried “in the higher ground 

among the hills.”19

Especially after the abandonment of Diamond 

City after 1899, the station crew was called on 

frequently to aid the fishermen and others who 

resided around Cape Lookout. Besides providing emergency medical transport to 

Harker’s Island or to Beaufort, the life- saving 

crew acted as undertakers for Cape residents 

on several occasions. In January 1908, for instance, the 14- year- old son of M. A. Guthrie 

drowned in the bight, and it was the station 

crew who recovered the body the next day, 

“took it in the cart to his house, stripped, 

dressed, and prepared [it] for burial.” One of 

the crew made a coffin, which was lined and 

covered, and the next day, took the remains 

back up to the light house landing for transport 

back to Harker’s Island for burial.20

The fishermen who frequented the cape often 

benefitted from the crew’s services, especially 

during the hurricanes, tropical storms, and 

“Nor’easters” that periodically buffeted the 

cape. In October 1893 and again in October 

1894, for instance, as many as fifty fishermen 

and at least “one lady and one child” crowded 

into the station to spend the night “on account 

of stormy weather and high tides.” After some 

of these storms, the beach would be so eroded 

and “cut through with gullies” that the surf 

watch patrols could not be completed.21

Cape Lookout has always suffered from storm 

damage, but the hurricane that struck August 

18- 19, 1899, was one of the deadliest ever recorded on the Outer Banks. Thought to have 

been a Category 4 storm, the so- called San 

Ciriaco or “Great Hurricane” decimated the 

Banks. Winds at Hatteras reached 140 m.p.h. 

before the anemometer blew away, and the entire island was submerged under as much as ten 

feet of water. The storm surge swept completely across Shackleford Bank, knocking 

houses from their foundations, uprooting trees, 

and uncovering bones in the graveyards. Another hurricane at Halloween produced an 

even greater storm surge, eroding the beach in 

places to the point that high tides washed all the 

way across the bank. 

Before the year was out, some of the residents 

of Shackleford Banks had already decided that 

the next storm might be their last and that it 

was time to move on. William Henry Guthrie 

was the first to go, buying sixty acres of land on

17.Cape Lookout Log Book, November 2, 

1893, and November 4, 1902.

18.Cape Lookout Log Book, February 17, 1891

19.Cape Lookout Log Book, April 6, 1905.

20.Cape Lookout Log Books, January 20, 

1908; January 30, 1910; December 17, 

1914.

21.Cape Lookout Log Book, October 13, 1893; 

October 9, 1894; October 12, 1896.
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Figure 11 View of Shackleford 

Banks after “Great Hurricane” of 

August 1899. (CALO Coll. F-184)

Harker’s Island and, in the spring of 1900, dismantling his house at Diamond City and rebuilding it on Harker’s Island. Others followed, 

creating a booming settlement on an island that 

had been mostly uninhabited in the nineteenth 

century. Other residents of Shackleford Banks 

relocated to Bogue Bank or to Morehead City; 

a few even relocated to the Cape Hills on the 

eastern side of the bight. By 1902, there was little left of the villages on Shackleford Banks. In 

1909, the last whale was killed and, after that, 

even the commercial fishermen abandoned 

Shackleford Banks, leaving only cattle and 

horses to roam the old paths that had once 

been streets in Diamond City.22 

While Keeper Gaskill rarely had difficulty recruiting his seven- or eight- member crew in 

the 1890s, the demise of Diamond City made it 

increasingly difficulty to keep a full crew, since 

few were willing to undergo the isolation and 

hardship of service at such a remote location.

The advent of “gasoline boats” in the early 

twentieth century was a boon to Gaskill and the 

life- saving service, making it practical for men 

residing as far away as Beaufort, Morehead 

City, and Marshallberg to sign on for service at 

Cape Lookout. Many, if not most, of the crew 

acquired their own power boats in the first decade of the twentieth century, thereby enabling 

them to work at the station and still get home to 

Harker’s Island, Marshallberg, Beaufort, or 

Morehead City for regular liberty, which frequently lasted less than a day.23

22.David Stick, The Outer Banks of North 

Carolina, 1584-1958 (University of North 

Carolina Press, 1958), pp. 192-194. Much of 

his narrative history of Diamond City 

appears to have been based on oral interviews with old residents, all of whom are 

now presumably deceased.
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By the early twentieth century, the age of commercial sailing vessels was over, and steam 

power and better navigational aids dramatically 

reduced the number of ships that foundered on 

the shoals of the “graveyard of the Atlantic” 

along the Outer Banks. The advent of power 

boats, too, changed the nature of the Life- Saving Service, and as early as 1905, the Keeper was 

sometimes borrowing or renting gasolinepowered boats for station operations. Not until 

the fall of 1909, however, did the Cape Lookout 

station acquire its own gasoline- powered life 

boat.24

Keeper Gaskill’s health apparently began to fail 

after 1910, and he was absent due to illness for 

increasingly long periods. After several long 

absences in 1911, Gaskill was so ill at New Year’s 

1912 that he could not leave the station. On January 10, he was finally able to be taken to his 

home in Morehead City, leaving Kilby Guthrie 

as acting keeper. He did not return, and on 

April 20, 1912, W. T. Willis, Keeper at the Core 

Banks Station, was appointed to replace him. 

Guthrie, who had been at the station almost as 

long as Gaskill, apparently had some expectation of getting the appointment himself. As a 

result, Willis noted in the station’s log, “the No. 

1 man Kilby Guthrie deserted upon my arrival.”25

Willis was apparently appalled at the condition 

of the station, noting in several of his early entries, “Station needs thoroughly overhauling, 

leaks bad and is rotten. Kitchen, Store House, 

barn and all outbuildings in bad condition; 

need a boat house at once.” The condition of 

the latter, which was the boat house that was 

constructed in the bight in 1892, was a special 

concern, its pilings so rotten that it was “liable 

to fall at any time.”26 Such major repairs were 

not immediately forthcoming, however, probably because there was already movement toward a complete reorganization of the LifeSaving Service.

The Life- Saving Service was perennially underfunded, with no retirement system and certainly no compensation for injured crew. More 

importantly, salaries remained so low that it 

was difficult to hire new recruits. Kimball had 

long recognized these problems, but not until 

1913 was there enough support to realize his 

proposals.

On May 26, 1913, Senate Bill #2337 was introduced into the Senate to combine the LifeSaving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service 

into a single entity, to be called the United 

States Coast Guard. Signed into law by President Wilson on January 28, 1915, the bill not 

only combined the two services but also provided for the retirement of Kimball and many 

of the older keepers and surfmen, something 

Kimball had advocated for years.

After forty- four years of service, Kimball could 

be proud of what he had almost single- handedly brought into being. During that period,

23.The Cape Lookout Log Books recorded the 

passing of as many as three dozen power 

boats in a day as early as September 18, 

1911.

24.Cape Lookout Log Book, October 30, 1909.

25.Cape Lookout Log Book, April 20, 1912. 26.Cape Lookout Log Book, June 8, 1912.
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Figure 12 View south of Cape 

Lookout Coast Guard Station shortly 

after completion of the new 

building, left, in 1917. The old 1887 

station is at center, its watch tower 

still intact. (CALO-Coll. D-57)

28, 121 ships and 178,741 people had benefitted 

from Life- Saving Service rescue missions, and 

the death toll where stations were in existence 

was limited to 1,455 during the same period.

United States Coast Guard

Freddie G. Gillikin was appointed keeper of the 

life- saving station at Cape Lookout on July 1, 

1914, and he retained that position after the 

Cape Lookout Life- Saving Station became the 

Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station (#190) in 

1915.

As part of the reorganization, renovations of 

the Cape Lookout station began almost immediately. Throughout the spring and summer of 

1916, the crew was busy repairing and rebuilding the outbuildings, fences, and walks. Renovation of the interior of the station itself got 

underway as well, including installation of a 

new floor in the crew’s sitting room on the first 

floor.

In addition, a new main building was constructed to replace the original station. The 

nearby 400- acre Army reservation was considered as a site for the new station, but the decision was made instead to build on the site of 

the old life- saving station. Six sets of plans, 

specifications, and bid proposal forms for the 

new building were received at the station on 

May 9, 1916, but not until two months later did 

the Seventh District superintendent arrive at 

the Cape to complete laying out the site for the 

new station.27
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On August 25, 1916, W. L. Schull of Newport, 

N. C., who had been awarded the construction 

contract, arrived at Cape Lookout to begin 

work. With the crew still in residence, the old 

station was “blocked up” and, over the course 

of several days, slowly rolled to its new site a 

few yards west of its original location. In early 

September, the move was completed, and on 

September 9, construction began on the new 

station. Bad weather caused some delays in 

construction, however, and not until May 28, 

1917, was the Coast Guard’s superintendent of 

construction, P. Julian Latham, able to make his 

final inspection.28

As the new station was under construction, the 

station’s crew was engaged in a major renovation of the entire site. In September 1916, the 

boat house built in the bight in 1892, which the 

keeper had warned was on the verge of collapse, was “handed over to John A. Dill, Jr., 

upon receipt from him of $40.50.” Presumably 

he salvaged the materials from the structure. 

Between regular duties in 1917, the crew repaired and refurbished all of the outbuildings, 

many of which were relocated to “more suitable” locations within the station compound.29

Telephone service had been inaugurated between Cape Lookout and Beaufort in March 

1898, but there were constant problems with 

downed poles and broken lines. In the spring of 

1917, work began on new telephone and telegraph lines to the life- saving stations at Core 

Banks and Portsmouth and across Shackleford 

Banks to Beaufort. Early that fall, the lines were 

complete, with the telephones at the new Coast 

Guard Station and at the Lighthouse being 

tested in early October.

Although the new Coast Guard station appears 

to have been essentially finished in early 1917, 

there was an unexplained delay in actually occupying the building. Most likely the country’s 

entry into World War I in April 1917 disrupted 

the project, and not until the end of January 

1918 was the new building actually occupied by 

the crew of Coast Guard Station #190.30

Navy Radio Compass Station

Among the reasons for the demise of the LifeSaving Service as a separate entity were the 

great improvements in ship- to- shore communications that occurred in the early 1900s. 

These improvements fundamentally altered the 

nature of the Life- Saving Service’s mission, but 

they also gave the old life- saving station itself a 

new lease on life. The Coast Guard demolished 

some of the old outbuildings at the Cape 

Lookout station after World War I, but not the 

old life- saving station, which was well built and 

remained in generally good condition. In 1919, 

plans were set for adapting the old station 

house for use as a residence for the crew of one 

of the Navy’s new “radio compass” stations.

27.Cape Lookout Log Books, May 9, July 26, 

August 9, 1916.

28.Cape Lookout Log Book, August-September 1916.

29.Cape Lookout Log Books, August 1916-

May 1917.

30. Cape Lookout Log Book, January 23-24, 

1918.
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Figure 13 Drawing of radio 

compass device, published in Radio 

Amateur News in September 1919.

Figure 14 The Navy’s “radio 

shack” at Cape Lookout Coast 

Guard Station. (CALO Coll, D20)

Historically, communication between ship and 

shore had depended entirely on visual contact, 

with flares and signal flags all that could be 

done to warn ships against impending disaster. 

The advent of battery- powered “occulting 

lights” in the early 1900s allowed the station to 

communicate through Morse code, not only 

with ships at sea but also with the life- saving 

stations at Core Banks and at Fort Macon. 

Nevertheless, visual contact was still necessary 

and even the station’s occulting light was virtually useless under foggy or stormy conditions.

Radio waves were first detected in 1887 by 

Henrich Hertz; but it was Guglielmo Marconi 

who, in 1895, built the first radio transmitter, 

marking the birth of wireless communications. 

The technology’s utility in protecting shipping 

interests was quickly realized, and the first official naval radio message, using Morse code, was 

sent from ship to shore in 1899. By the early 

1900s, the major shipping lines had on- board 

radio transmitters; but only after the Titanic disaster in April 1912 did ship- board radio transmitters become nearly universal, greatly 

reducing the isolation of ships during emergencies and bringing about an almost immediate reduction in the loss of lives in maritime 

disasters.

Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian- born inventor who had worked under the great Thomas 

Edison, is generally regarded as the “father” of 

modern radio, having made the first radio 

transmission of sound in December 1900. Early 

in 1901, working under contract for the U. S. 

Weather Bureau, he began construction of 

three signal stations at Manteo and Buxton on 
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the Outer Banks and at Cape Henry, Virginia. 

Living at Manteo for a year and a half, he was 

able to fine tune his system of continuouswave transmissions, leading to the first true radio broadcast on Christmas Eve 1906.31

The Titanic disaster gave Fessenden the impetus to perfect his submarine fathometer, an 

echo depth finder that was later known as Sonar (Sound Navigation and Ranging); and in 

the years leading up to World War I, applications of the new radio technology proliferated. 

In 1916, the Navy first used radio telephones 

between ships and, with the United States’ entry into the war in 1917, radio quickly became 

one of the Navy’s most important tools.

The need for a reliable means of locating the 

source of suspicious radio signals led the Navy 

to build on Fessenden’s work to create the “radio compass.” Utilizing a system of triangulation, the origin of signals could be determined, 

and within a short time, all radio transmissions 

not directly controlled by the Army or Navy 

were silenced.

Fears that the trans- Atlantic telegraph cables 

would be cut also encouraged the use of radio 

telegraph communications, and in 1918, the 

Navy established twenty- nine radio compass 

stations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts to 

track German submarine activity. Their utility 

as an aid to navigation was quickly recognized: 

with the radio compass, no longer did ships 

have to guess at their location, whatever the 

weather or visibility. As Secretary of the Navy 

Josephus Daniels reported in 1919, "The system 

of radio compasses on shore . . . proved such a 

useful aid to navigation that during the past 

year [a total of nineteen] additional stations 

have been constructed," including, he might 

have added, one at Cape Lookout.32 In addition to the antennae that were constructed in 

the station yard, a small, wood- framed building was constructed a few yards southwest of 

the old life- saving station, which itself was then 

remodeled as a dormitory for the four or five 

Navy men who manned the station. Until the 

end of World War II, the “radio shack” at the 

Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station would play 

a critical role in the country’s network of radio 

telegraphy.

In the decade or so before World War I, Cape 

Lookout was, according to one visitor, “a bustling place,” and there were plans to establish a 

coaling station at Cape Lookout and even plans 

for large- scale residential development of the 

cape as a resort. Construction began on an extended breakwater that would enlarge the 

bight, but appropriations ceased with the outbreak of war, and when a planned railroad from 

Beaufort to the cape did not materialize, the 

residential development was abandoned as 

well.

The widespread use of motor boats by 1910 

benefitted not only the employees of the LifeSaving Service. Motor boats also made it unnecessary for fishermen who worked the fisheries around Cape Lookout to make their

31.Thomas Yocum, “Reginald Fessenden, Pioneer of Wireless Radio,” <www.coastalguide.com/bearings/wirekess01.htm>.

32.http://www.multied.com/Navy/Tug/

Adelante.html.
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Figure 15 Map of Cape Lookout, 

1934. (Coast Guard Coll.)
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Figure 16 View north of Cape 

Lookout Coast Guard Station, 1941. 

(CALO Coll. D-55)

permanent residence there; and after World 

War I, there was “a general exodus” of yearround residents from the Cape. The one- room 

school closed at the end of the 1919 school year, 

and some thirty or forty houses were moved 

from the Cape to Harkers Island around the 

same time.

In 1921, a writer described Cape Lookout as 

“one of the ‘lonesomest’ places in the country,” 

with only two or three families in residence and 

the lighthouse station and the Coast Guard station “the only two real places in it all.”33 Even 

some of the Coast Guard employees who 

maintained residences near the station sold 

their houses; and in the second quarter of the 

twentieth century, Cape Lookout was, the National Register states, “an isolated haven for 

seasonal fishermen and hardy vacationers, 

most [but not all] of them connected to the 

place by deep family roots.”

After Pearl Harbor, the government expanded 

its military presence at Cape Lookout significantly. In April 1942, Cape Lookout Bight became an anchorage for convoys traveling 

between Charleston and the Chesapeake Bay. 

The 193rd Field Artillery was sent to the Cape 

to provide protection, replaced that summer by 

heavier guns that remained in place throughout 

the war.34

33.Fred A. Olds, “Cape Lookout Lonesome 

Place,” The Orphan’s Friend, Vol. XLVI, #26 

(Oxford, NC: The Grand Lodge of Masons 

of North Carolina)

34.Rex Quinn, The Gun Mounts at Cape Lookout, Historic Resource Study (National Park 

Service, 1986).
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Figure 17 View northeast at Cape 

Lookout, c. 1969. Arrow indicates 

location of old life-saving station. 

(CALO Coll. G-37)

Post World War II

With the end of World War II, the army and 

navy presence at Cape Lookout quickly diminished, and in 1945, most of the government 

property at the cape reverted to Coast Guard 

control, including the lighthouse station which 

had become a part of the Coast Guard in July 

1939. The compass station, or “radio shack,” 

was removed after the war had ended, and the 

Army’s lease on 95 acres south of the Coast 

Guard station was allowed to expire in 1949. 

The radio beacon was moved from the Lighthouse Station to the Coast Guard Station that 

same year. In 1950, an underwater electrical cable was laid from Harker’s Island to the lighthouse, which then became fully automated.

In 1957, the Coast Guard decided to surplus a 

number of the old structures at Cape Lookout, 

and the old life- saving station was acquired by 

Kelly Willis, a long- time resident of Carteret 

County.35 The following year, using a mule and 

capstan, Willis took a week to move the building about 500 yards northeast of its original site 

at the Coast Guard Station. At that point, it is 

reported, the building became mired in the 

sand, and there it stayed.36 Around the same 

time, the 1907 Keeper’s Dwelling at the lighthouse and one of the Life- Saving Station’s 

boathouses were acquired by private individuals and relocated off Coast Guard property as 

well. Willis made few alterations (or repairs) to 

the old building after it was moved and, like 

most of the cape’s other property owners, used 

the house as a weekend and vacation retreat 

until his death.

35.The National Register nomination for the 

Coast Guard Station gives a date of 1950 

for the move; the more-recent Cape Lookout Village nomination gives a date of 

1958, which appears to be correct.

36.Interview by the author with present 

lease-holders Sam and Sarah Daniels, 

October 2002.
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Figure 18 View of old Life-Saving 

Station on its present site, 1978. 

(CALO Coll.)

In 1966 the Federal govern- ment established 

the Cape Lookout National Seashore, a fiftyfour- mile stretch of the Outer Banks from 

Portsmouth to Beaufort Inlet. In 1969, Samuel 

L. and Sara D. Daniels acquired the house from 

Willis’ heirs and, over the next few years, continued to use the house as a part- time residence. In April 1976, the Daniels conveyed title 

to the old life- saving station to the State of 

North Carolina who conveyed it to the Federal 

government for inclusion in the National Seashore in June 1978. As were many of the other 

private property owners, the Daniels were 

granted a 25- year lease and continued to periodically occupy the house as a weekend retreat.

The Cape Lookout Lighthouse Station was 

listed on the National Register of Historic 

Places in 1972, and the Coast Guard Station was 

listed in 1989. In June 2000, the Cape Lookout 

Village historic district was listed on the National Register. The district has twenty- one 

historic structures, including the Life- Saving 

Station (1887), the lighthouse (1859), two lighthouse keeper’s quarters (1873 and 1907), the old 

Life- Saving Station’s boathouse (c. 1924), the 

Coast Guard Station (1917), and several private 

residences (c. 1910- c. 1950).

Six of the ten historic private dwellings were 

built by fishermen or Coast Guard employees 

for their families from about 1910 to around 

1950. Two houses were built about 1915 for 

Army Corps of Engineers workers, and two 
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others were built as vacation cottages in the two 

decades before World War II. With the recent 

transfer of ownership of the lighthouse, the 

National Park Service now owns all of the 

property in the district.
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Chronology of 

Development & 

Use

Land for a new life- saving station at Cape Lookout was purchased in 1886, construction was completed by the end of August 

1887, and the station went into full operation in January 1888. The 

Station was augmented by a new boat house in 1892, and construction of other outbuildings brought the life- saving station 

complex to its historical configuration around 1896. The station 

underwent significant changes in 1897 and, in 1916, was relocated 

for construction of a new Coast Guard Station. It was remodeled 

for use as living quarters for the operators of the Navy’s radio 

compass station in 1919 and continued to be used for that purpose 

until after World War II. In 1957, the Coast Guard declared the 

building obsolete and offered it for sale. It was moved to its 

present location about five hundred yards northeast of the old 

Coast Guard Station complex and used as a private residence. 

There have been few alterations to the building since that time.

A search of station log books, 1888- 1940, during the course of the 

present project provided most of the dates for alterations. In the 

following narrative, quotations are taken from the log books unless otherwise noted. Building investigation during the course of 

this study has been non- destructive; much more can be learned
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Figure 19 View of Cape Lookout 

Station, c. 1893, with oil house 

visible at left. (CALO Coll. G-09)

once the building is empty and modern floor 

coverings removed. In addition, continued research in Coast Guard and, especially, Navy 

records could provide additional important 

documentation for the building’s construction 

and subsequent evolution.

Original Construction 1887

The legislation that established the U. S. LifeSaving Service as a separate agency in June 1878 

included authorization for a number of new 

life- saving stations, including one at Cape 

Lookout, but eight years passed before land for 

the Cape Lookout station was actually acquired.

On May 19, 1886, C.T. and Nettie Watson, 

David and Julia Bell, and Thomas and Mary 

Daniels conveyed to the United States government title to a tract at Cape Lookout for a lifesaving station.37 Located not far from the point 

of Cape Lookout and two and a quarter miles 

southwest of the lighthouse, the land was apparently found to be unsuitable for the station. 

In July 1887, another transaction with the Watsons, et. al., conveyed a larger parcel further 

north to the federal government. Located less 

than a mile and a half southwest of the Cape 

Lookout Lighthouse, the property was 300’ 

wide and ran from the high water mark on the 

Atlantic to the high water mark on Cape Lookout Bight. The site lay at the southern end of

37.Carteret County Records of Deeds and 

Mortgages, Book NN, pp. 273-276. The 

deed reserved fishing rights for the grantors.
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Figure 20 Plans for Georgica LifeSaving Station (c. 1886) on Long 

Island. Plans for Cape Lookout 

Station were almost identical. 

(United States Coast Guard Coll.)
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the so- called “Cape Hills,” which were a series 

of higher dunes, sparsely vegetated but offering 

a commanding view of the great shoals to the 

southeast.

With the tropical storms and "Nor'easters" that 

regularly swept the cape, the sparsely vegetated 

landscape was constantly shifting. As early as 

1896, the Keeper was commenting that "the 

hills" north of the light house "have been 

washed away by the recent storms"; and after 

the "Great Hurricane" of August 1899, even the 

forty- foot- high dune on Shackleford Banks 

west of the light house disappeared. Over the 

next century, Cape Lookout itself would continue to shift to the west, enlarging itself at the 

same time, so that the station’s original location 

is now more than twice as far from the Atlantic 

and considerably further from the Bight than it 

was in the 1890s.

Plans for the station were standard plans that 

were used to build the life- saving stations at 

Cape Hatteras (1882, demolished 1948), Hatteras Inlet (1882, destroyed), Oak Island (1888), 

and others. Although the original plans have 

not been located, historic photographs and 

physical evidence show that the Cape Lookout 

Station was built to plans that were virtually 

identical to those that survive for the Georgica 

Life- Saving Station at East Hampton, New 

York (Figure 20).

Actual construction of the station at Cape 

Lookout apparently began in late spring or 

early summer 1887 and was complete by August 

of that year. On its original site (see Figure 4), 

which is now occupied by the Coast Guard 

Station’s main building (1917), the station was 

oriented toward the east and the Atlantic 

Ocean. Large double doors opened from the 

boat room at that end of the building, and there 

was a wooden ramp, twelve feet long, to facilitate moving the boat in and out of the building. 

A small porch, vestibule and pantry were located off the south (now east) side of the building, but there was no back porch.

The main building was two stories with a 

wood- shingled, cross- gabled roof and exterior walls finished with shiplap siding at the 

first floor level and board- and- batten siding at 

the second. The building had a small, gableroofed watchtower near its eastern end, but not 

the hipped- roof dormers that are presently on 

the building.

Nearly three quarters of the first floor of the 

building were taken up by the Boat Room, 

where the surf boat was stored when not in use. 

Maintenance of the boat, including periodic 

repainting, was a regular part of the station’s 

routine. The station had a succession of boats 

and boat houses, but until after World War I, 

the Boat Room continued to be used for boat 

storage and maintenance.

The crew entrance on the south (now east) side 

of the building was by way of the small back 

porch and vestibule into what was designated 

the Living Room on the original plans. Accessible from the Boat Room as well, this room was 

usually called “the sitting room” in station logs 

or, in at least one entry, “the surf- man loffing 

[loafing] room.” In addition, it appears that for 

the first four years of the station’s operation this
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Figure 21 Plan of Life-Saving 

Station as it was originally 

constructed in 1887. (T. Jones, NPSSERO-CR, 2002)

room also served as the station’s kitchen and 

mess. Stairs rose from the sitting room (but not 

from the exterior) to the second floor hall, 

which had lockers for the crew along one side 

and provided access to the other three rooms 

on the second floor. Nearly half of the second 

floor was an open hall designated “Crew’s 

Quarters” on the original plans. Typically the 

room would have been lined with six to eight 

iron bedsteads, some of which are reported by 

the present occupants to be those that remain 

in the attic of the building. The Keeper had

Living Room

Boat Room

closet UP

Entry Pantry Porch

DOWN

Crew's

Quarters

Hall

Store

Room

201-A

Keeper's

Room

Up to

Lookout

First Floor Second Floor

lockers

closet
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Figure 22 Plot of Cape Lookout 

Life-Saving Station, 1893, annotated 

with dates of construction and of 

demolition of structures. (Coast 

Guard Coll.)
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private quarters, the “Keeper’s Room,” at the 

west (now south) end of the second floor. 

There was also a large “Store Room,” and although the original plans place the attic stairs in 

the Crew’s Quarters, at Cape Lookout the 

stairs to the attic and watch tower were built in 

the Store Room. The attic itself was fully 

floored, and from there, the crew gained access 

to the watch tower.

The “house,” as the Keeper usually called the 

main station building, was surrounded by a 

two- foot- high “stockade” that encompassed 

an area about 75’ by 100’. Initially the only other 

structures within this compound was a privy, 

drawings for which were included on the original station plans, and one or two wooden cisterns to collect rain water from the roof of the 

building for potable water for the crew.

The first structure added in the station compound was a “store house” or “oil house” 

which the crew built in the fall of 1888. This 

building was used to store paint, linseed oil, 

and kerosene, or coal oil as it was generally 

known, which because of their flammability 

were always kept outside the main building.

Alterations, 1890-1915

The crew’s spare time when not on watch was 

spent in training drills and in maintaining the 

station. Almost daily, the Keeper’s log included 

the entry, “House thoroughly swept dusted and 

opened to air [and] all metallics polished.” 

Nearly all maintenance was done by the crew, 

including painting the exterior of the station 

every three or four years. The first repainting 

was done in April 1890; but after that, exterior 

painting of the station was generally done in 

October. Until pre- mixed paints began to be 

used in the late 1890s, the crew routinely mixed 

their own paints using white and red lead; pigments, including burnt umber and prussian 

blue; and kegs of linseed oil that were routinely 

shipped to the station. The interior was lessfrequently repainted, with the first apparently 

not occurring until February 1897 when the 

crew painted the “trimmings” and varnished 

the paneled wainscotting on the interior of the 

station.

Outbuildings and fences were routinely whitewashed, and the constantly shifting sands that 

surrounded the station made site maintenance 

an important part of the crew’s routine as well. 

Much of the first week of the station’s operation in January 1888, for instance, was spent in 

“carrying sand and shells to secure foundation 

around station.” Indeed, carting shells to 

spread around the station to reduce blowing 

and shifting sand went on almost continually.

The rooftop lookout began leaking almost immediately after construction was complete, and 

in April 1889, Keeper Gaskill noted in the log 

book that the leaks were so severe that he recommended that the lookout “be torn out” and 

replaced. Nothing apparently came from that 

recommendation, and in April 1892, Gaskill was 

still working on the lookout windows, trying to 

stop leaks.

In the 1890s, building construction continued 

at the station, beginning in late fall 1891 when 

construction was begun on a boat house in the
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Figure 23 Elevations of LifeSaving Station, 1905, showing back 

porch added around 1897. (U.S. 

Coast Guard)

bight almost due north of the station. It sat at 

the end of a boardwalk three hundred feet long 

and was complete shortly before the station’s 

new “self- sailing & self- righting life boat” was 

delivered in January 1892. Unlike some of the 

other buildings, the boat house was constructed by carpenters contracted by the LifeSaving Service’s district office in Baltimore. No 

plans or photographs of this boat house have 

been located, although its location is shown on 

several maps.

In November 1891, the station also acquired a 

team of mules, and in January 1892, the station 

crew constructed a stable for them. Woodframed with end gables and board- and- batten 

siding, it was located near the center of what is 

now the large paved area between the Coast 

Guard Station and its 1940 maintenance building.

In March 1892, the station received a BeebeMcClellan “self- bailing water ballast surf boat” 

and ten oars and in April built a boat house in 

which to store it. Wood- framed with end gables and board- and- batten siding, quite similar to the stable, this boat house was located 

about thirty feet northeast of the stable. In addition, the crew built a “cart house,” 7’ by 14’, 

behind the stable using materials left over from 

construction of the stable and the boat house. A 

stable lot was also created by constructing a 

five- foot- high board fence which enclosed an 

area 48’ by 80’ that included the nearby boat 

house.

Separate kitchen buildings were initially not 

included in construction of the life- saving stations, but the Life- Saving Service soon found 

that they were a necessity in the hot and humid 

south. So, in September 1892, the crew began 

construction of a “cook house” for the station. 

Finished in November 1892 and measuring 

about 16’ by 18’, the building was located about 

twenty feet from the life- saving station, just 

south of the present detached kitchen at the 

Coast Guard Station.

Maintenance of the cisterns was an ongoing 

concern, and in June 1893, a new cast- iron cis-
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tern was delivered to the station. That fall, the 

crew used some lumber that was salvaged from 

the beach to reconstruct the platforms for the 

wooden cisterns, which were “all rotten away.” 

In the fall of 1893, the exterior of the station was 

also repainted for a second time; and in March 

1894, the crew built a “tank house.” It was 

probably within the station compound, and 

may have allowed shifting of flammable materials out of the store house, freeing up space 

there for other materials.

In January 1896, the crew built another boat 

house, which appears to have been located on 

the shore of the bight west of the station. No 

plans or photographs of this boat house have 

been located, although its location was 

mapped. In December 1896, the keeper had 

“small watch houses” built at the north and the 

south beach patrol stations. As he recorded in 

the station log, the old keyposts had become 

“very difficult to find since the hills have been 

washed away by the recent storms.”

The district superintendent or his assistant 

made periodic inspections of the life- saving 

station. During these visits, the crew performed 

drills, and the condition of the buildings and 

the station’s equipment were assessed by the 

keeper and the superintendent. As necessary, 

they compiled a list of “worn out & useless” 

articles which the station was allowed to discard or replace.

By 1897, the problems with the lookout had still 

not been resolved, and in June of that year carpenters finally arrived to make repairs. One of 

the recommendations made by William H.

Figure 24 Elevations of LifeSaving Station, 1905. (U.S. Coast 

Guard)

Gaskill, the station’s keeper, regarding the 

lookout was that its original board- and- batten 

siding be replaced with shingles, which appears 

to have been done. It is reasonable to assume 

that the board- and- batten siding on the second floor of the building was replaced with 

wood shingles at the same time, but all that is 

known for certain is that the second floor was 

shingled before 1905. A large porch was not 

part of the original plans for the building, but 

like a separate kitchen, a porch was a necessity 

for life- saving stations in the south. It is assumed that the back porch was added to the
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Figure 25 View of live-saving 

station c. 1915, showing one of two 

cisterns that served the building.38. 

(CALO Coll, USLSS#2)

Cape Lookout station around the same time as 

the shingling mentioned above. It is surprising, 

however, that neither the shingling of the second floor nor the addition of the back porch- -

the two most significant changes to the building 

prior to World War I- - were mentioned in the 

station’s log books.39

Telephone service to Beaufort was initiated in 

March 1898, but there were constant problems 

with the line, which ran across Shackleford 

Banks. The legendary San Ciriaco storm that 

destroyed Diamond City struck Cape Lookout 

August 18- 19, 1899, and another extraordinary 

storm struck in October. In spite of widespread 

damage elsewhere, the keeper was able to note 

in the log book on November 1 that “there is no 

damage to the station or any of the buildings 

[except] only the blowing to pieces [of] one of

38.The image is dated c. 1915 because the 

fence, the brick cistern, and the tool shed 

behind the station as seen in this image 

were features of the original site and were 

not present after the station was moved.

39.Although not documented in the log 

books, the precise dates of these changes 

could be documented through further 

research in other Coast Guard Records.
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Figure 26 View of back porch of 

life-saving station, c. 1915. (CALO 

Coll.)

the kitchen doors,” which he was able to repair 

temporarily.

In January 1901, the keeper recorded that the 

crew “braced up [the] lean- to [on the south 

side of the building] and [got] ready to raise 

station and put under new mud sill.” Besides 

replacing the sill under that side of the building, 

the work also included replacement of five of 

the wood piles on which the station was built. 

As always, painting was routine. In May 1901, 

the interior of the station was varnished, and in 

October the exterior was again scraped and repainted. 

On March 2, 1902, lightning struck the life- saving station but did no damage other than destroying a few shingles on the west gable, which 

Gaskill was able to repair. In November, additional repairs on the building’s foundation were 

required, “the mud sill having given away on 

north side causing the building to sag in badly 

so that windows could not be closed.” Using 

timber salvaged from the beach, the crew was 

soon able to get the building “true and in good
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Figure 27 Plan of Cape Lookout 

Coast Guard Station, May 1917, 

with new building at right on site of 

old life-saving station, which is 

shown on its new site at center. (U. 

S. Coast Guard)

shape.” In January 1904, the sills were replaced 

on the west end of the station as well.

In 1905, elevations were drawn of the station, 

providing the first documentation for the back 

porch. These elevations also show a continuous 

brick foundation, which was probably installed 

around that time. It was certainly present by 

1915 (see Figure 8).

By 1909, the station was nearly twenty years old 

and, in spite of regular repairs and maintenance, was beginning to show its age. In December 1909, Captain Frank H. Newcomb and 

his assistant visited the station and, with the 

keeper’s assistance drew up a long list of necessary repairs, including enlarging the station 

with a 20’ by 20’ addition off one side. Several 

of the window sills were, according to the 

keeper, “rotten out [sic] allowing the water to 

penetrate the building through and through 

and flood the floor in heavy wind and rain 

storms which will rot the building down.”

In spite of Gaskill’s concern, the addition had 

not been built nor repairs made by the time W. 

T. Willis was appointed keeper in April 1912. His 

report on June 8 of that year repeated much 

that Gaskill had been reporting for several 

years:
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Station needs thoroughly overhauling, leaks bad 

and is rotten. Kitchen store house, barn and all 

outbuildings in bad condition; need a boat house 

at once.

The situation remained unchanged for three 

more years.

Part of the delay may have been due to the impending merger of the Revenue Cutter Service 

and the Life- Saving Service to create the 

United States Coast Guard, which occurred in 

1915. Once that happened, it appears that appropriations began to be made for muchneeded repairs and maintenance, including repairs to the windows and reconstruction of 

many of the fences and boardwalks on the station grounds. Problems remained, however, 

especially with the old boat house in the bight. 

Its pilings were so deteriorated that the keeper 

removed the gasoline storage tanks in November 1915, sure that the boat house was “liable to 

fall at any time.”

In the spring of 1916, major repairs to the station 

continued. In addition to repainting the interior, the crew laid new flooring in the kitchen 

and in the surfmen’s “loffing room,” and they 

replaced cords to the counterweights in the 

building’s double- hung windows. Bigger 

changes, however, were imminent.

U. S. Coast Guard Changes, 1916-1918

In creating the Coast Guard, Congress also 

made appropriations for new construction to 

replace some of the run- down buildings that it 

inherited from the old Life- Saving Service. By 

May 1916, plans had been finalized for the new 

Coast Guard Station at Cape Lookout, and on 

May 9, the keeper recorded that he had received six sets of “plans, specs, and forms of 

proposal for new Coast Guard Station at this 

place.” The keeper did not record visits by 

contractors to inspect the site, which presumably occurred over the next few weeks.

In early August 1916, the district superintendent 

approved the final plan for the site, and on August 25, contractor W. B. Shull arrived to begin 

work. Although there had been some consideration to building the station in a new location, 

the low rise on which the old life- saving station 

sat could not be matched elsewhere, and 

somewhat to the surprise of the station keeper, 

the decision was made to build the new Coast 

Guard station on the site of the old Life- Saving 

station. So, over the last week in August and the 

first two in September, the old station was 

jacked up and rolled to a new site barely sixty 

feet northwest of its old location. When it was 

moved, the old station was also reoriented, with 

the boat room doors facing northeast rather 

than southeast, as they had originally.

Historic photographs do not show the building’s new foundation, except for brick piers 

that were used at the back porch (see Figure 17). 

It is reasonable to assume, however, that the 

new foundation was continuous and brick, 

since all of the government buildings built after 

1900 were constructed on brick foundations. 

The 1907 lighthouse Keeper’s Dwelling, for instance, was built on brick piers and later underpinned entirely with brick. And the Coast
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Figure 28 View to south of Cape 

Lookout Coast Guard Station #190, 

shortly after the new station was 

completed in 1917. (CALO Coll. D57)

Guard Station itself was built on a continuous 

brick foundation in 1916.

Construction began on the new building by the 

middle of September 1916, and as the new station was going up, the crew was engaged in 

building new walks and fences as the station 

compound was rearranged to accommodate 

the new construction. Several of the old buildings could not be rehabilitated including the 

old boat house on the bight. On September 25, 

1916, the keeper reported that “the condemned 

boat house at Station 190 situated about 300 

yards from shore in hook of Cape Lookout has 

been handed over to John A. Dill, Jr. upon receipt from him of $40.50.” It was shortly replaced with a new boat house.

In early 1917, the station crew also began a complete rehabilitation of the old life- saving station. In addition to painting the exterior of the 

building white, probably for the first time, the 

interior was painted, including most of the varnished woodwork, and floors were “hard 

oiled” (i.e., varnished) throughout the building.

On May 28 and 29, 1917, the Coast Guard’s P. 

Julian Latham was on site to conduct the final 

inspection of the station. Besides inspecting the 

new building, Latham also inspected the site 

and left instructions for relocating some of the 

outbuildings, including the oil house and store 

house, to get them “in better position” within 

the station’s new configuration. In August 1917, 

a new telephone line was run from Beaufort 

across Shackleford Banks to Cape Lookout and 

then on to the stations at Core Banks and 

Portsmouth. A few days later, the crew began 

making repairs to the old boathouse on the
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Figure 29 “Location Plan” for 

Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station, 

August 1920. The old stable and 

boathouse on the west side of the 

site would be removed that fall. 

(U.S. Coast Guard)

shore of the bight. After re- roofing the kitchen 

in November, the crew turned their attention to 

the final finishes on the new station, which they 

occupied on January 24, 1918.

The old life- saving station may have been unoccupied through the remainder of 1918 as 

World War I was fought to its conclusion. By 

early 1919, however, plans were being laid for 

converting the old station into a dormitory for 

Navy personnel who would be manning the 

new radio compass station that was also being 

planned for the site.

Navy Radio Compass Station Changes, 

1919-1940

As noted earlier in “Historical Background and 

Context,” the newly- developed “radio compass” proved highly effective during World War 

I in locating ships at sea. Twenty- nine radio 

signal stations were built along the East Coast 

during the war, and in 1919, Cape Lookout was 

one of nineteen additional signal stations built 

by the Navy.
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Figure 30 Plan of old life-saving 

station, depicting changes that 

occurred between the world wars, 

most of them in the early 1920s. 

Room 103 may not have been 

converted into a bathroom until the 

late 1930s. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CR, 

2003)

100

101

102

103

104

101-A UP

First Floor

screened

porch UP

201

1' 4' 8'

201-A

water

tank

north

201-B

202 204

Second Floor

200

DOWN

203

205

down

walls added

walls removed Roof over this portion of porch

Note 1

Note 1
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Figure 31 View north of Cape 

Lookout Coast Guard Station, 1920. 

The new compass station, or “radio 

shack,” is at left, and the new 

concrete cistern is visible between 

the kitchen at center and the old 

life-saving station. (CALO Coll. D-52)

On March 4, 1919, the station keeper noted that 

the crew had laid the forms for the radio signal 

tower, which he mistakenly called a “storm 

warning tower.” On March 10, he noted that 

Coast Guard inspectors had arrived at “this 

place for the purpose of looking over the situation for radio receiving station.” The inspectors 

were apparently not satisfied with the location 

of the tower, and three days later, the crew dug 

up the forms and started over. By the end of 

April, the tower was up and being painted by 

the station crew. Precisely where the tower was 

located has not been documented, nor is it 

clear if it is the same “steel tower” that the crew 

dismantled barely six weeks later.

On June 26, a Navy sub- chaser arrived to deliver the compass equipment and the twelveman crew who would handle its installation. By 

July 2, 1919, the compass installation was complete, including the small “radio shack” that 

was built for the radio operator in the yard just 

southwest of the old life- saving station. The 

same day the sub- chaser delivered the compass 

equipment, the keeper noted in his log book, “I 

have turned over the old station for the necessary repairs for the above- mentioned compass 

as directed by Supt. letter dated 6/4/19.” After 

this entry, the old life- saving station is almost 

never mentioned in the station logs. No plans 

or specifications have been located for the 

renovation of the old station house that occurred at this time. Research in Navy records 
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Figure 32 View of the “dock in 

the hook” in 1943, and the boat 

house that replaced the original 

boat house that was torn down in 

1916. (CALO-Coll.) 

Figure 33 View of 1919 “Radio 

Shack” during World War II. The 

concrete retaining wall seen here 

remains on the site. (CALO Coll. D20) 

would probably produce additional documentation, but historic photographs, Coast Guard 

plots and plans, and physical evidence in the 

existing building document much of the building’s evolution between the wars.

Work on the old station may have been limited 

in 1919 and 1920. The interior seems to have 

been at least partially renovated in 1916, and the 

Navy crew may have continued to use the 

building much as had the life- saving crew.

The station logs document construction of a 

new stable in the fall of 1920, and in late November and December the old stable and the 

old boat house on the northwest side of the 

Coast Guard compound were torn down. The 

log books suggest that a new boat house was 

not constructed until late 1923 or early 1924, 

and until then, the boat room on the first floor 

of the old station probably remained in use.

By the summer of 1920, however, plans were 

underway for major changes that would complete the old station’s adaptation as quarters for 

the crew at the Navy’s compass or “directional 

finding” station. The “Location Plan” that was 

made in August 1920 (see Figure 29) indicates 

that the station was to be remodeled and provides documentation for some of the changes 

that are apparent in the present building.

In January 1921, the contractor “for work on 

compass station” arrived at Cape Lookout, and 

it is assumed that much of that work involved 

the remodeling of the old station, although 

there are indications that the work may actually 

have not been completed until 1923. Whatever 

the timing might have been, it appears that 

most of the historic changes to the building occurred in the early 1920s. The Navy’s alterations
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Figure 34 Plot plan of Cape 

Lookout Coast Guard Station, 

August 1934. (Coast Guard Coll.)

to the station included partitioning of the 

crew’s quarters on the second floor into three 

rooms and partitioning of the boat room on the 

first floor into three spaces. Slight dimensional 

differences in added paneling in the present 

building suggest that partitioning of the first 

floor occurred after partitioning of the second 

floor, but that is not certain. The old boat 

house at the station was demolished in 1920, 

and was not replaced until the spring of 1924, 

and it is likely that the boat room in the old station continued to be used until the new boat 

house was in place.
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Figure 35 View of Coast Guard 

Station and old life-saving station, 

1943. (CALO Coll. Siff-02)

Access to the building was altered by the Navy. 

The large double doors into the boat room 

were replaced by the present entrance door 

and window on what is now the northeast wall 

of Room 104. At the same time, direct interior 

access between the two floors was eliminated 

by closing the original stairwell door from the 

living room to the second floor and creating a 

new exterior door opening on the landing at 

the foot of the stairs.

A new kitchen had been constructed along with 

the new main building in 1917, and the old 1892 

kitchen was converted for tool storage in 1918. A 

separate kitchen for the Navy crew was created 

by enclosing the small side porch that had been 

part of the original life- saving station and by 

removing walls to create one large room. A 

small brick chimney for a cook stove was built 

near the southwest corner of the new space, 

and an enameled- metal sink was installed on 

the wall next to the living room. The present 

exterior door into this room was also created at 

the same time.

With the old porch entrance closed because of 

the new kitchen, the present door to the back 

porch was created. The bannister in front of 

that new door was removed and that became 

the main entrance from that side of the building.

The cross walls added to effect these changes 

were paneled with diagonally- laid, double- Vjoint, tongue- and- groove boards, and the 

same material was used to panel the old kitchen 

(Room 101), the old keeper’s room (Room 202), 

and the remainder of the original walls in Room 

102, 104, and 205. Whether the diagonal panelling was installed for added strength or strictly 

for aesthetic reasons because the old paneling 

was worn or damaged is not known.
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Additional window openings were also created 

throughout the building. In addition to the 

door and window that were added on the 

northwall of Room 104, two other windows 

were added in that room, one each on the east 

and west ends of the room. In Room 103, which 

was used as a dining room, a second window 

was added on the west wall after removal of the 

small closet that was at the rear of the old boat 

room.40 To better light the second floor, three 

hipped- roof dormers were constructed, which 

allowed for a window to be added on the east 

and on the west walls of Room 206 and on the 

east wall of Room 202.

Indoor plumbing was certainly added in the 

early 1920s. Dates and design of fixtures in the 

first floor bathroom in the station (Room 

103)indicate that the bathroom there was not 

installed until the late 1930s, but the sink and 

tub (the toilet was replaced in 1943) in the upstairs bathroom (Room 203) are consistent with 

a c. 1920 date for the building’s first indoor 

plumbing. 

To serve the new bath room, the double concrete cistern that, although altered, remains on 

its original site was also constructed. The concrete retaining wall that runs southwest from 

the cistern may not have been added until 

1926.41

Figure 36 View to south of old 

life-saving station, 1940, showing 

porches and dormers added in the 

1920s. (CALO Coll.)

In January 1922, the station log records the 

crew’s work in laying electrical cable between 

the radio shack and the 1917 building “for the 

purpose of installing electric lights in station.” 

Quite likely, electric lights were installed in the 

old life- saving station at the same time, with all 

of them run by a gasoline- powered generator 

located somewhere on the station grounds.

 It is not clear when the first central heating 

system was installed in the building but it may 

not have been added until the 1930s, perhaps as 

late as 1939 when a similar system was installed 

in the 1907 Keeper’s Dwelling at the lighthouse.

40.It is likely that the door to this closet is the 

same door now in use in the old L.S.S. Boat 

House.

41.Cape Lookout Log Book, various dates in 

March and April 1926. The National Register nomination for the Coast Guard Station states that this wall is not visible in 

1940 photographs. However, see CALO 

Coll. D-20 for confirmation.
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Figure 37 View to north of Cape 

Lookout Coast Guard Station in 

1941. The new maintenance 

building is visible at left. (CALO Coll. 

D-55)

Figure 38 View of life-saving 

station, c. 1941. (CALO Coll., OBoyle Coll.)

The boiler, which is now stored in the closet off 

the kitchen, was located at the chimney stack in 

Room 101 with exposed piping running to radiators located under windows in all of the major 

rooms.

Perhaps the most significant change to the exterior of the building was the addition of a twostory porch on what became the front (or north 

end) of the building. Spanning the full width of 

the structure, the lower porch was completely 

screened, and from it stairs rose to the second 

floor porch. At the second floor, there was a 

new door into the second floor, but only the 

center half of the porch was roofed and 

screened. The remainder was an open balcony 

surrounded by a wooden balustrade.

The building’s remodeling also included removal of the building’s original, exterior, louvered blinds and installation of wood- framed, 

copper screens at all of the windows. Wood
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Figure 39 Undated photograph of 

Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station 

at the end of World War II. (CALO 

Coll.)

framed screen doors were also installed at all 

exterior door openings.

Finally, although there has yet been no paint 

study of the building, historic photographs 

show a dramatic change in color occurred before World War II. When it was constructed in 

the 1880s, the station had been painted with 

relatively dark colors, with the first and second 

floor painted in different colors. By World War 

I, the color scheme had been changed with 

both floors painted in the same color and the 

dark trim painted white. When the new Coast 

Guard Station was constructed, the entire 

building was painted white, except for shutters 

which were probably dark green. The building 

was probably repainted on several occassions 

between the world wars, and at some point, the 

color scheme was changed again, this time to 

red with white trim.

Alterations, 1939-c.1950

Historic photographs show a number of 

changes occurred in 1941 or 1942. The most significant change was removal of the lookout 

tower and installation of a wooden platform on 

which an antennae was mounted. When the 

lookout was removed, the wood- shingled roof 

was entirely replaced with standing- seam 

metal, and the building was again repainted 

white.42 Few changes to the building are evident after these alterations. The toilet in the

42.While the change in roof covering is not 

apparent in period photographs, except 

on the dormers, standing-seam metal can 

be discerned beneath later asphalt shingles in the c. 1969 image in Figure 21.
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Figure 40 View of old life-saving 

station, c. 1969. (CALO Coll.)

Figure 41 View of old life-saving 

station in 1978. (CALO Coll.)

second- floor bathroom was replaced around 

1943, and the screening was removed from the 

front porches during or shortly after the war.

Alterations, 1950-1975

The last major alterations to the building appear to have occurred in the 1950s. During that 

period, the standing- seam metal roofing on the 

main sheds of the roof, but not on the dormers, 

was covered by white or gray asphalt “hurricane” shingles. Probably at the same time, cement- asbestos shingles were installed over the 

old wood siding at the first floor level, and it 

appears that the shingled second floor was 

again painted red. Finally, sometime after 

World War II, the small wood- framed vestibule 

was added on the second floor porch.

By the late 1950s, the Coast Guard had begun to 

develop plans for a new “life- boat station” on 

Barden’s Inlet north of the light house. Except 

for the lighthouse and perhaps the 1917 main 

building and the 1940 maintenance building at 

the Coast Guard Station, all of the rest of the 

buildings at both complexes were to be removed. Initially the intent appears to have simply been to demolish the old structures, but the 

Coast Guard ultimately decided to offer some 

of them for sale if they were removed from 

Coast Guard property. 

At the Coast Guard Station, the “radio shack,” 

generator buildng, stables, and other smaller 

structures were demolished sometime after the 

war, and an undetermined number of small 

structures at the light station were also removed. However, in 1957, the 1907 lighthouse 

Keeper’s Dwelling, the 1923 Coast Guard boat 

house, and the old 1887 life- saving station were 

acquired by private parties and removed from 

Coast Guard property.

The old life- saving station was acquired by 

Kelly Willis, who used a mule and capstan to 

move the building. It took a number of days to
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Figure 42 Old Life-Saving Station, 

(NPS-SERO-CR, 2003) 

move the building about 500 yards north of its 

original site. At that point, it apparently became 

mired in the sand and went no further.

Willis appears to have made few changes to the 

building. A kitchen sink and counter were installed on the north wall of Room 101, which he 

used as a kitchen rather than the older kitchen 

located in Room 100. On the second floor, the 

door and part of the wall separating Rooms 204 

and 205 was removed so that the rooms were 

combined into more- or- less a single space. 

There was little, if any, maintenance of the 

building, and by the time the Daniels acquired 

the property in 1969, it was in very poor condition, with a badly- deteriorated roof and collapsing front porches.

Soon after acquiring the house, the Daniels 

stabilized the structure by installing a new roof 

covering and repairing the porch.

Alterations after 1976

In the last twenty- five years, most of the porch 

balustrades have been lost, and after repeated 

attempts at burglary, the Daniels removed the 

deteriorated second- floor stairs on the front 
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porch. They also reopened the original door 

opening to the second floor stairs on the west 

side of Room 101 and replaced the exterior door 

to the stairwell. The heating system did not 

function after the building was moved, and 

most of the radiators have been discarded in 

recent years, although the boiler remains 

stored in the closet off Room 101.

Most recently, the small closet that was probably added when the bathroom was first installed in Room 203 was removed, although the 

panels that made up its walls remain in the 

building. The sink was then relocated from its 

original location on the west wall to the former 

location of the small closet. The final change 

that occurred in the last twenty years was construction of a wall to partition Room 103. 

Lightly framed, the wall does not extend to the 

ceiling but creates a closet that is accessible 

through the door that originally connected 

Rooms 103 and 104.

Figure 43 Plot of Coast Guard 

Station, 1963, after removal of LifeSaving Station and Boat House but 

before walks or boat house ramps 

were removed. (Coast Guard Coll.)
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Time Line for Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station

1878 U. S. Life- Saving Service formally established

May 19, 1886 Watson, Bell, et. al. convey land for Cape Lookout Life- Saving Station

Aug 1887 Construction of Cape Lookout Life- Saving Station completed

Jan 24, 1888 First crew reports for duty at Cape Lookout Life- Saving Station

Fall 1888 Crew constructs oil house

Apr 1890 Exterior of station house repainted for first time

Jun 1891 Watson, Bell, et. al. convey land for boat house

Jan 1892 Boathouse on bight completed; stable for mule team completed

Apr 1892 Small boathouse constructed near station house

Fall 1892 Cook house constructed

1893 First photograph of station

Jun 1893 Iron cistern installed

Fall 1893 Exterior repainted again

1894 Tank house constructed

1894 Portsmouth Life- Saving Station constructed

1895 Core Banks Life- Saving Station constructed

1896 Second boat house constructed, in bight 300 yards from shore

Feb 1897 Interior of station house repainted for first time

Summer 1897? Back porch added and second floor siding replaced with shingles

Mar 1898 First telephone service between station and Beaufort

Aug 1899 San Ciriaco or “Great Hurricane” decimates Shackleford Banks

1901- 1904 “Mud sills” of station house replaced at various times

Mar 1902 Station struck by lightning

1905 Elevations of station drawn

Feb 1905 Rescue of Sarah Rawson results in gold medals for station crew

Fall 1909 Station gets first gasoline- powered boat

Apr 6, 1910 Cape Lookout Post Office opens with lighthouse keeper’s wife as postmaster
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Jun 10, 1911 Cape Lookout Post Office discontinued

Apr 12, 1912 W. T. Willis replaces W. H. Gaskill, who had served as keeper since station’s 

inception

May 26, 1913 Bill introducted to establish Coast Guard

1913 Cape Lookout Land Company begins land acquisition at the Cape

1914 Construction commences on breakwater to create “harbor of refuge” at Cape 

Lookout

Cape Lookout Development Company lays out lots and streets at cape

Jan 28, 1915 Life- Saving Service becomes part of new U.S. Coast Guard

Aug- Sep, 1916 Old life- saving station relocated for construction of new Coast Guard building; 

1892 boat house in Bight sold and removed

May 1917 New Coast Guard building completed

Jan 23- 24, 1918 Crew moves into new Coast Guard Station

Jun 26, 1919 Station keeper turns old life- saving station over to Navy for remodeling as a 

residence for radio compass station personnel.

Jun 1919 Radio compass station installed

Nov- Dec 1920 Old boat house and stable torn down; new stable constructed

1921- 22 Major remodeling of the station occurs

Jan 1922 Electric lighting installed

Apr 1924 New boat house completed

Aug- Dec? 

1926

Contractor at station doing unspecified work, probably including partitioning 

of first floor

Sept 12, 1930 Station log records unspecified damages to station and outbuildings during 

“hurricane disaster”

Feb 13, 1931 Station receives “Ford Motor Truck” and, around the same time, a tractor. Use 

of mules discontinued a short time later

c. 1939 Heating system installed

May 16, 1939 New equipment building occupied

1 Jul 1939 Light House Service incorporated into Coast Guard

Feb 4, 1942 Last entry in Cape Lookout life- saving logs

1950 Light Station automated

Time Line for Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station
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1958 Old life- saving station acquired by Kelly Willis and relocated

1966 Cape Lookout National Seashore established

c. 1969 Willis dies and house is acquired by Samuel Daniels

18 Oct 1972 Cape Lookout Light Station listed on National Register of Historic Places

Apr 1976 Daniels convey property to N. C. and sign 25 year lease

1989 Cape Lookout Coast Guard Station listed on National Register

Jun 3, 2000 Cape Lookout Village Historic District listed on National Register

Time Line for Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station
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Physical 

Description

Oriented more or less parallel with the road with its gable ends 

facing northeast and southwest, the old Life- Saving Station is a 

two- story, wood- framed structure set on low wooden piers. The 

main block measures approximately 22’ x 45’ and contains just 

over 2,000 square feet of floor space, including a small room off 

the southeast side of the house that was part of the original structure. The building consists of the original, two- story, cross- gabled structure (c. 1887); a rear porch added on the southwest end 

by 1905; and a two- story front porch added on the northeast end 

in the 1920s. A series of interior alterations and the addition of 

three roof dormers brought the structure to approximately its 

present configuration in the 1920s.

Associated Site Features

Because the building was relocated, historic site features are no 

longer associated with the property. A small garage, constructed

Note: A plan of the existing 

structure is at the end of this 

section.
Physical Description

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Figure 44 View to north from 

road. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 

after 1958, is located about 22’ from the south 

corner of the house. The garage measures 

around 10” by 16’- 6”. A septic tank, installed 

after 1969, is located off the northwest side of 

the house. Although the house has not had a 

cistern since it was moved, a cistern was always 

associated with the building on its original location. The last cistern remains at its original 

site near the Coast Guard Station. Constructed 

of reinforced concrete poured in forms constructed of 1” by 6” boards, the cistern measures about 10’- 9” by 21’ and rises 9’- 6” above 

grade. The cast- iron intake and overflow pipes 

are still evident on the cistern although it has 

been converted to a storage facility by creating 

two door openings on the northwest side of the 

structure. The openings have plywood doors, 

3’- 0” by 6’- 8”.

Foundation

If the building was built according to plans, as 

appears to be the case, the structure was originally set on a series of thirty wooden piers, 

running the length of the building in three rows 

of ten piers each. These were replaced by brick 

piers and a continuous brick foundation before 

World War I, all of this was lost when the 

building was relocated in 1958. At that time the 

building was re- set on wooden piers that elevate the building’s frame around 8” to 12”, 

which is very similar to its historic elevation 

above grade. The perimeter of the foundation is 

closed by wire to prevent animal entry, which 

also prevented inspection of the building’s sills 

and floor framing. The wooden piers appear to 

be in mostly good condition, but it is unclear if 

they are tied to the sills in any way.
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Structural System

The building is wood- framed, using circularsawn, dimensional lumber typical of the period 

of construction and of the subsequent alterations. It is also a very well- constructed building meant to withstand the high winds and 

water that sometimes sweep across the cape.

Sills are around 6” by 8”; and ceiling and floor 

joists are around 3” by 7- 3/4”, generally 20” to 

22” on centers, and lapped over the perimeter 

sills. The crawl space beneath the house is currently inaccessible so that details of the connection between sills and joists could not be 

characterized, but they likely are similar to the 

details shown on the original plans for the 

building (see Figure 20).

Instead of 2” by 4” studs that are typical of most 

wood- framed buildings, the building was 

framed with 2” by 6’ studs, sheathed on the exterior with diagonally- laid boards, 4” to 6” 

wide with rabbetted or tongue- and- grooved 

edges.

With few exceptions, structural members are in 

generally excellent condition. There has been 

significant damage to the sills around the west 

corner of the building. Because of its proximity 

to the ground, the floor framing for Room 106 

could not be directly examined, but interior 

conditions suggest that this framing is in very 

poor condition. The framing for the front 

porches is also in very poor condition (see below).

Figure 45 View south at Coast 

Guard Station complex. The flatroofed building at center is the 

cistern (c. 1920) for the Life-Saving 

Station, which stood just to the 

right in the path of the present 

roadway. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 46 View to west of modern 

garage; south corner of back porch 

is visible at right. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002)

Roofing

Original roof rafters are around 2- 3/4” by 7- 3/

4”, set on centers 24” to 30” apart. The rafters 

have a solid decking of 1”- thick boards, 2- /12” 

to 6” wide. The roof was originally finished 

with sawn wood shingles laid on battens over 

the solid decking. In 1942 or 1943, the wood 

shingle roof was replaced by a standing- seam
Physical Description

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Figure 47 Typical wall section 

showing framing details and 

finishes, adapted from original 

plans and from field observations. 

(T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CR, 2003)

stud

flooring

ledger

second

floor joist

baseboard

removed where 

diagonal

paneling has 

been added

belt course

added

asbestos

siding

original board siding

wood

shingles

replacing

original

battens

wood pier

stud

sill

first floor 

joist

baseboard

removed

where

diagonal

paneling

has been 

added

flooring

skirting

removed

added

asbestos

siding

cornice moldings 

replaced with 

quarter-round where 

diagonal paneling 

added
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metal roof. Probably when the building was 

moved in 1958, asphalt “hurricane” shingles 

were installed over the metal roofing, except on 

the dormers. The entire roof, including the 

dormers, was overlaid with the present, threetab, asphalt shingles in a variety of colors 

around 1970. These shingles are missing in several areas and in poor condition over the entire 

surface of the roof. 

A wood- framed lookout originally rose near 

the northeast end of the roof. The tower was 

removed during World War II when a large radio antennae was installed, but the tower’s location can still be identified in the roof framing 

visible in the attic.

Exterior Doors

The original doors to the boat room were lost 

when the building was remodeled by the Navy 

in the 1920s. The door to the closet that was 

originally in the southwest corner of Room 102 

may be the same door that was salvaged for use 

in a similar closet that was part of the new boat 

house constructed around 1924. The fourpanel doors noted as D- 1 and D- 2 in Figure 7 

are original, although not in their original locations. The other exterior doors date to the 

Navy’s remodeling in the 1920s or to the modern era. Door notations below correspond to 

numbering in Figure 7.

D- 1: Opening 2’- 7” by 6’- 5”, created as part of 

c. 1920 infill of boat room doors; door is original, four vertical panels, chamfered stiles and 

rails, originally located in opening between 

Rooms 101 and 102; three- light, bottom- hinged

Figure 48 View of roof framing at 

northeastern end of the building. 

Rafter at upper right is original; the 

next two, which are smaller, infill 

the original opening for the 

lookout. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 49 View of existing 

roofing. White “hurricane” asphalt 

shingles installed in early 1950s are 

exposed just below the chimney. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

transom, 1’- 8” by 2’- 8”, added when opening 

was created.

D- 2: Original window opening converted to 

door when the house was relocated in 1958; 

door opening 2’- 7” by 6’- 4”, original four-
Physical Description

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panel door relocated from opening between 

Rooms 100 and 101.

D- 3: Original window opening converted to 

door as part of c. 1920 alterations; door 2’- 10” 

by 6’- 9” with five horizontal panels.

D- 4: Opening created as part of Navy renovations in 1920s; modern door is 2’8” by 6’- 8”, six 

panel, replacing original door which current 

occupants believe had six or eight lights.

D- 5: Original window opening converted to 

door as part of Navy alterations in 1920s; original four- panel door, 2’- 8” by 6’- 8”, probably 

relocated from opening between Room 101 and 

stairwell; three- light, bottom- hinged transom 

and screen door added when door opening was 

created.

Windows

All of the historic windows remain intact and, 

with the exception of the sash in Room 106, remain in generally good condition. Two generations of historic window openings are evident 

in the present building. All have double- hung 

sash with divided lights, four over four, but the 

original sash (c. 1887) have stiles and rails typically 1- 3/4” thick and 2’- 7” wide while those of 

the later sash (c. 1920) are typically 1- 1/2” thick 

and 2’- 10” wide. All windows were fitted with 

galvanized steel weather stripping, probably 

installed as part of c. 1920 alterations. Original 

window openings were hung with exterior louvered shutters, and parts of the original hinges 

remain at some windows. Shutters were all replaced with the existing wood- framed, bronze 

or copper screens, probably as part of the c. 

1920 alterations. Window notations below correspond to numbering in Figure 7.

W- 1: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 6’- 2”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.

W- 2: Original opening, 1’- 6” by 2’- 11”; double- hung, wood sash, 1/1’; typical sill casing, 

drip cap, and wood- framed screen.

W- 3: Opening created when chimney was removed in 1958; opening 1’- 6” by 2’- 11”; fixed, 

two- light sash; typical sill, casing, drip cap, and 

wood- framed screen; poor condition.

W- 4: Opening is part of enclosure of original 

entry porch, c. 1920; opening 2’- 4” by 4’- 2”, 

double- hung, wood sash, 4/4, probably relocated from east wall at D- 2; poor condition.

W- 5: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 6’- 2”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen, and weather 

stripping.

W- 6: Added as part of c. 1920 alterations, 

opening 2’- 1o” by 6’- 5”; double- hung, wood 

sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, drip cap, woodframed screen, and weather stripping.

W- 7: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 6’- 2”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen, and weather 

stripping.
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Figure 50 .Plan of windows and 

doors. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002)

W- 8: Added as part of c. 1920 alterations, 

opening 2”- 10” by 6’- 6”; double- hung, wood 

sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, drip cap, woodframed screen, and weather stripping; sash lift 

recessed at center of bottom rail.

W- 9: Added as part of c. 1920 alterations, 

opening 2”- 10” by 6’- 6”; double- hung, wood 

sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, drip cap, woodframed screen, and weather stripping; sash lift 

recessed at center of bottom rail.

W- 10: Added as part of c. 1920 alterations, 

opening 2”- 10” by 6’- 6”; double- hung, wood 

sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, drip cap, woodchest of drawers 100

101

102

103

104

101-A UP

103-A

W-2

W-3

W-4

W-5

W-6

W-1 W-10

W-9

W-7 W-8

D-1

D-3

D-4

D-2

201

202-A

water

tank

202-B

202

204

200 DOWN

203 205

W-20

D-5

W-19

W-16 W-17 W-18

W-15

W-14

W-13 W-12 W-11

first floor

second floor

206
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Figure 51 Four-panel door at 

northern end of building, typical of 

original doors, c. 1887. (NPS-SEROCRS, 2002)

Figure 52 View of window on 

western side of house, typical of 

original opening and detail. (NPSSERO-CRS, 2002)

framed screen, and weather stripping; sash lift 

recessed at center of bottom rail.

W- 11: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 5’- 6”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.

W- 12: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 5’- 6”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.

W- 13: Added as part of c. 1920 alterations, 

opening is 2’- 10” by 5’- 10”; double- hung, 

wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, drip cap, 

wood- framed screen; and weather stripping.

W- 14: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 5’- 6”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.

W- 15: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 5’- 6”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.

W- 16: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 5’- 6”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.

W- 17: Original opening, 2’- 7” by 5’- 6”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.
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Figure 53 Section and plan of 

typical window opening; internal 

framing details conjectural. (T. 

Jones, NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

W- 18: Added as part of c. 1920 alterations, 

opening, 2’- 10” by 5’- 10”; double- hung, wood 

sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, drip cap, woodframed screen; and weather stripping.

W- 19: Original opening, 2’- 10” by 5’- 10”; double- hung, wood sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, 

drip cap, wood- framed screen; and weather 

stripping.

W- 20: Added as part of c. 1920 alterations, 

opening, 2’- 10” by 5’- 10”; double- hung, wood 

sash, 4/4; typical sill, casing, drip cap, woodframed screen; and weather stripping.

Exterior Finishes

The building’s original exterior woodwork is 

notable for having been designed with rabbets, 

tongues, and grooves which created extremely 

tight and durable exterior finishes. Most of the 

finishes described below are depicted in Figure 

10, above.

Siding: At the first- floor level, the building was 

originally finished with a 6”- wide, drop or 

shiplap siding. In enclosing the original entry 

porch and the original double doors into the 

boat room, a similar drop siding was used. The 

later siding can be distinguished from the original by the slightly narrower reveal (5” versus 5-

3/8”) of the original. The drop siding remains 

exposed under the porches at each end of the 

building, but the exposed side walls (northwest 

and southeast) were covered with cement- asbestos shingles, 16” by 24”, in the 1950s. A 

handful of these shingles are broken or missing; 

the remainder are stained and dirty but otherwise in good condition.

At the second floor level, the building was originally finished with board- and- batten siding. 

By 1905, the battens were removed and the vertical siding covered with the existing wood

added backband

diagonal sheathing

added diagonal paneling

original paneling

siding

wood-framed screen

reglet for 

weatherstripping

sash

diagonal sheathing

1"

reglet for 

weatherstripping

added diagonal paneling

original paneling

6"
Physical Description

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Figure 54 View of typical exterior 

sidings, with wood shingles at 

second floor and asbestos over drop 

siding at first floor. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002)

Figure 55 View of typical gable 

eave bracket. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 

shingles, which generally measure 5” by 20”. 

Some of these shingles are deteriorated or 

missing, particularly on the more- exposed 

portions of the walls beneath the gables.

Window and Door Trim: Window and door 

openings were originally cased with plain 

boards, 2” by 5- 1/4”, rabbetted to lap over the 

siding. A wooden drip cap 1- 1/8” by 2- 1/4” was 

also used at original openings. Openings added 

during the c. 1920 alterations typically used a 

casing 4- 1/2” wide and a drip cap 3/4” thick. 

Original window sills are 1- 3/4” thick; added 

window sills are around 2” thick.

When the wood shingles were installed on the 

walls at the second- floor level, a 2- 1/4”- wide 
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molded stop or back band was added to the 

outside edge of the casing at all second- floor 

openings (see Figure 13).

Eaves: Eaves are unboxed, about 21” deep, with 

exposed rafter tails chamfered, squared, and 

finished with 6”- wide fascia boards. At each 

gable, large eave brackets made from 4” by 6” 

stock with chamfered edges support barge 

boards that are 2- 3/4” by 8” and finished at the 

roof with a 2” cove mold. A chamfered 4” by 6” 

timber runs between each pair of brackets and 

originally supported a vertical post running 

through the center of each gable. The posts on 

the northwest and southwest gables remain intact, while the one in the northeast gable was 

altered when the front porches were constructed before World War II. The post in the 

southeast gable is missing but a portion of it has 

been salvaged and stored inside the building.

Water Table: The sills are finished with a water 

table composed of 1- 1/4” by 9- 1/4” skirt board 

rabbeted into a groove in the drip cap, which is 

1- 1/8” by 2- 1/4.” The water table is set away 

from the sills by one- inch- thick blocking that 

extends below the bottom of the water table itself.

Corners: The building’s corners are finished 

with boards 7- 1/2” to 7- 3/4” wide joined by 1- 1/

2” quarter round.

Belt Course: The wooden belt course that separates the shingles on the second story from the 

siding on the first story is similar to the water 

table.

Figure 56 Typical second-floor 

window casing with added 

backband. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Porches

The only original porch on the house was at the 

south end of the east side, now enclosed as the 

south end of Room 106. By 1905, however, the 

back porch had been added to the building. 

The front porches were added as part of the 

1920s remodeling.

Rear Porch: When it was first constructed, the 

back porch, located on the southwest end of 

the house, connected to the original smaller 

entry porch on the side of the building to form 

an el- shaped porch. The smaller entry porch 

was enclosed as part of the 1920s remodeling 

and is now part of Room 100.

Rafters for this porch are generally 1- 3/4” by 5-

3/4”, 26” to 30” on centers and are decked with
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Figure 57 View of back or south 

porch, added before 1905. The door 

was not present until the 

renovations in the 1920s. (NPSSERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 58 View of typical post, 

header and roof framing on rear 

porch. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

double- beaded, tongue- and- groove boards, 

5- 1/2” wide. Four turned posts, about 5- 1/2” by 

5- 1/2” square, support the header for the porch 

roof. These are similar to but differ slightly 

from the design of the now- missing turned 

post used at the outside corner of the original 

side entry porch.

The porch originally featured a balustrade, but 

only the top rail, 3- 1/2” by 2- 5/8”, remains intact. Balusters were apparently similar to those 

in the surviving front porch balustrade.

Floor framing for this porch is inaccessible and 

could not be examined. Flooring consists of 3/

4” by 3- 1/2” boards in fair condition.

Front Porch: The front porch, located on the 

northeast end of the house, was added before 

World War II, but unlike the back porch, which 

is considerably older, is badly deteriorated and 

in unstable condition. Floor framing at the first 

floor level was inaccessible but the condition of 

the floor deck indicates serious problems with 

the underlying framing. Flooring, which appears to be mostly original, is 7/8” by 2- 1/2”, 

tongue- and groove.

A trio of solid wooden posts, 5- 1/2” by 5- 1/2”, 

originally supported the upper porch deck. 

These have been augmented by the recent addition of a pole and a 4” by 4” post set between 

the original posts. The floor of the upper porch 

is framed with 2” by 6” joists set on centers 

about 18” apart and finished with tongue- andgroove boards 2- 1/2” wide. In spite of the partial collapse of the east end of the deck in the 

1960s, most of the original framing and flooring 

remain intact. A wooden stair case originally 

ascended to the upper porch from the east end 

of the lower porch, but it was removed after 

1969.

The center portion of the upper porch is covered by a shed roof, with the remainder of the 

porch left as an open balcony. The shed roof is 
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supported by a pair of solid wooden posts 

about 5” by 5” square, and the sides of the shed 

are paneled with tongue- and- groove boards 

above the horizontal headers. The roof is 

framed with rafters 1- 3/4” by 3- 3/4”, 21” on 

centers and decked with double- V- joint, 

tongue- and- groove boards, 4- 1/2” wide. The 

small wood- framed vestibule at the second 

floor level was added after World War II. It 

originally featured doors that opened to the 

now- missing staircase and to the remainder of 

the porch.

Balustrades of similar design were originally 

present at both upper and lower porches, but 

only the balustrade at the upper porch remains 

intact. It features a top rail 3- 1/4” by 3- 1/2”, a 

bottom rail 1- 3/4” by 3”, and pickets 1” by 1” set 

on centers about 4” apart.

Deterioration, especially of the sills and floor 

framing at the first floor level, has allowed the 

roof of the upper porch to pull away from the 

building as much as 2”, and the framing for the 

second floor is in very poor condition.

Interior

The floor plan of the building has been dramatically altered. The original boat room which 

occupied two- thirds of the first floor area was 

subdivided into three separate spaces before 

World War II (see “Chronology of Development and Use”). At the same time, the second 

floor was reconfigured to its present plan, creating six spaces instead of the four that were 

there originally.

Floors: Nearly all of the flooring in the house is 

now obscured by modern linoleum and vinyl 

floor coverings, but indentations in the vinyl 

from the underlying wood are visible throughout the house and the material itself can be 

glimpsed through tears in Rooms 101, 102, and 

202. The original material appears to be pine, 

3”- wide, quarter- sawn, and tongue- andFigure 59 View of front porches, 

added in 1920s. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002)

Figure 60 View of northeast 

corner of front porch, showing 

corner post seriously destabilized by 

deterioration of the sills at that 

location. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)
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Figure 61 Detail of typical 

window trim on walls where 

diagonal paneling has been added. 

“A” denotes the oversize stop 

added on top of the window stool. 

“B” denotes the 1” back band 

added along with the diagonal 

paneling. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

groove. The flooring in Rooms 102, 103, and 104 

appears to be 2- 1/2” wide, quarter- sawn, and 

was installed as part of the Navy’s remodeling 

in the 1920s. The flooring in the kitchen (Room 

102) is 3- 3/8” wide and was installed in 1919. It 

overlays the original flooring, creating a slight 

difference in floor levels between the kitchen 

and the remainder of the first floor. 

Walls: Nearly all of the original wall finishes 

remain intact but the majority are covered by 

double- V- joint, tongue- and- groove boards, 

3- 1/4” wide, laid diagonally. Almost all of the 

original wall finishes remain exposed in the 

east wall of Room 103, the west wall of 203, the 

east and south walls of 204, and nearly all of 

Room 202. Original wall finishes consisted of a 

70”- high wainscot of vertical 3”- wide beaded 

tongue- and- groove boards topped by a 6”-

wide plate rail supported with 2- 1/4”- thick 

wooden brackets with chamfered edges. The 

upper walls were finished with the same 

beaded tongue- and- groove boards laid horizontally.

Ceilings: Ceiling height is around 10’ on the first 

floor. Differences in floor levels make the 

kitchen (Room 101) ceiling slightly lower than 

those in the other rooms on the first floor. 

Ceilings are around 8’- 9” high on the second 

floor. All ceilings are typically finished with 3”-

wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove boards. 

Nearly all of these remain intact and in good 

condition.

Doors: Original doors have four vertical panels 

with 1- 3/4”- thick, chamfered stiles and rails. 

Doors are generally 2’- 8” by 6’- 7” or 6’- 8”. 

These doors appear to have been originally fitted with mortise locks and porcelain knobs 

with simple round escutcheons. Original hinges 

are typically 3- 7/8” by 4- 1/4”, cast- iron, butt 

hinges with elongated finials top and bottom.

Doors added during the pre- war remodeling 

have five horizontal panels with 1- 5/8”- thick, 

molded stiles and rails, generally 2’- 8” by 6’- 7” 

or 6’- 8”. Metal knobs and rectangular escutcheon plates were used at these doors.

Trim: Original window and door casing are 7/

8” by 3- 1/4” with a 7/16” by 7/8” beaded stop on 

the inside edge of the casing. (See Figure 7) 

Stools are typically 1- 1/4” by 5- 1/4” and feature 

an oversized stop that was apparently installed 

to protect against wind- blown rain entering 

the building. Aprons are 7/8” by 3- 1/2” with a 

beaded lower edge. Installation of the diagonal 
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paneling changed the plane of the wall surface 

relative to that of the window frame and necessitated the addition of a 1”- wide molded back 

band around the perimeter of the window and 

door casing. Openings in new walls created before World War II are cased with plain 7/8” by 

3- 3/4” boards without a backband.

Original baseboards were 1- 1/8” by 6” or 8” 

with an eased or rounded outside edge and 1” 

quarter- round shoe molding. Most of this material was replaced when the diagonal paneling 

was installed but survives on the south and east 

walls of Room 201, all of Room 202, and elsewhere that original paneling remains exposed.

Original crown molding consisted of 1” by 6” or 

8” boards with a beaded lower edge and a 2” 

cove mold at the ceiling. Nearly all of this material has been removed except for a short run 

on the south wall of Room 103.

Room 100

As part of the renovations shortly before World 

War II, this room was created by combining the 

building’s original entry porch, entry hall, and 

pantry into a single space that served as a 

kitchen for the building. The simple plywood 

vestibule on the east side of this room was created after 1969 to shelter what has been used as 

a primary entrance into the house.

Floors: Measuring about 5’- 7” by 19’- 4”, the 

wooden floor in this room is covered with 

modern vinyl floor coverings but appears to be 

in very poor condition. Where the wall was

Figure 62 Section depicting 

original wall finishes and rail which 

was removed where diagonal 

paneling was installed. (T. Jones, 

NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

removed separating the pantry and the original 

entry hall, the floor is collapsing.

Walls and Ceiling: The walls and ceiling in this 

room are finished with plain, tongue- andgroove boards, 3” to 3- 1/2” wide. The boards at 

the north end of the space may date to the 

building’s original construction.

Windows: The window at the northeast end of 

the room is an original window. The window at 

the southwest end of the room appears to be 

original as well but was originally located on 

the southeast wall where it was replaced by the 

present door to the modern entry vestibule.
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The existing window on the east wall was after 

the building was moved in 1958.

Doors: The doorway on the west wall leading 

into the present kitchen (101) is an original

Figure 63 View to north in Room 

100, showing location of original 

pantry. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 64 View south in Room 

100, showing location of original 

entry porch. Door opening at left 

replaced a window in the original 

configuration of the space. (NPSSERO-CRS, 2002)

opening. The door opening on the southeast 

wall leading outside was created from an original window opening when the room was altered in the 1920s. The four- panel door 

presently in that opening was probably originally located in the opening to the kitchen on 

the opposite wall.

Trim: A 2” cove molding, typical of original 

trim in the house, finishes the junction of walls 

and ceiling at the north end of the room. At the 

south end, a 1- 3/4” inch bed molding is used at 

the ceiling. One- inch quarter round finishes 

the corners of the rooms and the junction of 

walls and floors. Windows and doors are cased 

with plain 1” by 6” boards.

Miscellaneous Features: On the northwest wall 

is a wall- hung, enameled, cast- iron sink, 20” 

by 36” plus a 25”- long, enameled, cast- iron 

drainboard. Mounted at one end of the sink is 

an undated, cast- iron pump marked “Sandler 

& Co., Elizabeth City, NC. In the wall at the 

northeast end of the room is an abandoned flue 

opening that may have served an old water 

heater.

Room 101

Designated “Living Room” on the original 

plans, this room served as kitchen and dining 

room or “mess hall” for the crew until a separate, detached kitchen was constructed in 1892. 

After the building was moved in 1916, the 

kitchen was relocated to Room 100 and this 

room was again used as a dining room. It became a kitchen again after 1958.
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Figure 65 View to south in kitchen 

(Room 101), showing paneled 

chimney stack at left. (NPS-SEROCRS, 2002)

Floor: Flooring in this room consists of 

tongue- and- groove boards, 3- 3/8” wide, but 

now covered by several layers of linoleum, 

some of which may be historic, and modern vinyl floor coverings.

Walls: The walls are currently finished with 

double- V- joint, tongue- and- groove boards, 

3- 1/4” wide. Laid diagonally in a chevron pattern on each wall, these boards were installed 

directly on top of the original tongue- andgroove walls.

Ceiling: The ceiling is set at 9’- 11” and finished 

with beaded, tongue- and- groove boards, 3”

wide, which is apparently the original material.

Windows and Doors: The door openings to 

Rooms 100 and to Room 102 are original openings. The door in the opening to 102 appears to 

have been used to replace the historic door to 

the second- floor porch, and the four- panel 

door in the opening to Room 100 was relocated 

and now hangs in the opening on the southeast 

side of Room 100. This room originally had two 

windows on the southwest wall. As part of the 

renovations in the 1920s, the western window 

was replaced by the existing door opening. Two 

door openings were originally present on the 

northwest wall. The opening to the second 

floor stairs is now a modern, cased opening 

with no door present, but the back door may 

have originally hung in this opening. When the 

exterior door opening was created in the west
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Figure 66 View to east in Room 

101, showing original door opening 

to Room 106 and typical diagonallylaid paneling added in the early 

twentieth century. (NPS-SERO-CR, 

2002)

Figure 67 View of original closet 

on west side of kitchen and defunct 

boiler now stored in the space. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

wall of the stairwell in the 1920s, the opening 

into the kitchen was eliminated. It was reopened after 1969.

Trim: Window and door casing is typical of the 

original finishes with the addition of a 1”- wide 

molded backband around the perimeter of the 

opening when the diagonal paneling was installed. Original baseboards and crown molding were replaced when the walls were 

repaneled in the 1920s. Simple quarter- round 

molding now finishes wall corners and at the 

ceiling and floor.

Closet (Room 101- A): Located on the west side 

of the room, beneath the stairs, this space was 

part of the building’s original configuration. It 

features an original, built- in chest with three 

drawers on its southwest wall. Also in this space 

is a boiler that was part of the building’s steam-
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heating system, which was installed prior to 

World War II. A metal plate identifies the boiler 

as a “No. F Series Heat Extractor National 

Boiler, Boiler #H120, Serial # 58300,” manufactured by the National Radiator Company. 

When functioning, it was not located in this 

closet but was adjacent to the chimney on the 

southwest wall of Room 101.

Miscellaneous Features: On the north wall of 

the room is a counter and base cabinets, 8’ long 

and 25” wide, set with a double- basin enameled sink. These were installed when the building was relocated in 1958. On the south wall, a 

brick chimney rises to the second story and 

through the roof. It is boxed with paneling to a 

dimension of 21” by 27”.

Room 102

This room, along with Rooms 103 and 104, was 

created when the original boat room was subdivided in the 1920s. A small storage room originally occupied the southwest corner of this 

room when it was part of the larger boat room.

Floor: Measuring 12’- 5” by 16’- 1”, the floor in 

this room was finished with pine flooring, 

quarter- sawn, tongue- and- groove, 2- 1/2” 

wide. Now covered with vinyl floor covering, it 

dates to the alterations to the building in the 

1920s.

Walls: All of the walls in this room are finished 

like those in the kitchen with diagonally- laid, 

double- V- joint, tongue- and- groove boards, 

3- 1/4” wide. The north and east walls both date 

to the alterations of the building in the 1920s.

Figure 68 View of north wall of 

kitchen. (NPS-SERO-CR, 2002)

Ceiling: Because the floor level in this room is 

slightly lower than that in the kitchen, the ceiling in this room is at 10’- 1”. It is finished with 

3”- wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove boards 

that date to the building’s original construction.

Windows and Doors: The northernmost window on the northwest wall is an original opening, one of two windows that lit the original 

boat room. When the boat room was subdivided and this space created, the second window was added on that wall. 

The door to the kitchen (Room 101) is an original opening but the original four- panel door 

was used to replace the historic door at the second- floor porch after the building was moved 

in 1958. The five- panel doors to Rooms 103 and 

104 date to the alterations to the building in the 

1920s.

Trim: Window and door casing is typical with 

original casing slightly narrower than addedmaterial (see Figure 10). One- inch quarter-
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Figure 69 View to southwest in 

dining room. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 70 View of ceiling in Room 

102, showing cast-iron waste lines 

(c. 1920) from upstairs bathroom. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

round molding finishes the corners of the room 

and is used also as shoe and crown molding.

Miscellaneous Features: The wooden table in 

this room is reported by the present owners to 

have been in the building since before it was 

moved in 1958.

Cast- iron waste and vent lines from the bathroom in R00m 202 are exposed on the ceiling 

along the east side of the room. Because the 

upstairs sink was relocated, only the vent stacks 

are still in use. Other holes in the ceiling above 

the windows indicate the location of risers for 

the building’s historic heating system.

Room 103

Although this room was created when the boat 

room was subdivided in the 1920s, it may not 

have been converted into a bathroom until 1938 

or 1939. The south end of the room is divided 

into two spaces, one for a metal- walled shower 

enclosure and the other for a toilet. The room 

was partitioned after 1969 to form a closet at
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Figure 71 VIew to north in Room 

102. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

the north end, accessible through the living 

room (Room 104).

Floor: Measuring 6’- 5” by 12’- 6”, the floor is 

covered with vinyl, apparently laid over 2- 1/2”-

wide, tongue- and- groove flooring.

Walls: The east wall and part of the south wall 

(both are original walls) still retain their original vertically- paneled wainscot and horizontal 

paneling above a plate rail. The west wall, 

which was added when the boatroom was partitioned, is paneled with vertically- laid, double- V- joint, tongue- and- groove boards, 3- 1/

4” wide. The north wall, which was installed 

after 1969, is a modern wood- framed wall covered with 4’ by 8’ sheets of 1/4”- thick plywood 

paneling.

Ceiling: Set at 10’- 1”, the ceiling is finished with 

3”- wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove boards, 

typical of the original ceilings throughout the 

building.

Windows and Doors: The window on the east 

wall is an original opening, one of two windowsthat lit the original boat room. The fivepanel door on the west wall is part of the c. 1920 

alterations

Trim: Baseboard and cornice moldings on the 

east and south walls are original, c. 1887.

Fixtures: An enameled cast- iron sink is 

mounted on the southeast wall, and in the
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Figure 72 View of toilet and 

shower in Room 103. Note original 

wainscot on rear wall of toilet 

room. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 73 View of large bracket 

behind and above shower, installed 

to support water tank at second 

floor. Note original cornice on rear 

wall. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

south corner of the room is a toilet room, 3’- 2” 

wide and 4’- 2” deep, closed by a louvered 

door, 2’- 8” by 6’- 8”. The American Standard 

toilet tank is stamped with a date of 3/28/38 and 

the tank lid with a date of 3/22/38. Adjacent to 

the toilet room is a metal shower enclosure, 3’-

1” by 3’- 2”. The walls surrounding both of 

these spaces rise to about 8’, with the area 

above an unenclosed storage area.

Room 104

Now used as a living room, this space was created by the partioning of the old boat room om 

the 1920s.

Floor: Measuring 14’- 3” by 19’- 3”, the floor in 

this room is completely covered with vinyl.

Walls: Walls are finished with 3- 1/4”- wide, 

double- V- joint, tongue- and- groove boards, 

typical of the c. 1920 alterations to the building. 

Boards are diagonally laid in the pattern of an 

an inverted chevron.

Ceiling: The ceiling is finished with 3”- wide, 

beaded, tongue- and- groove boards, typical of 

the original ceilings in the building.

Windows and Doors: All of the window and 

door openings date to the c. 1920 alterations to 

the building. Windows are all 2’- 10” by 6’- 6”, 

four- over- four, with stiles and rails 1- 1/2” 

thick. The lower sash are all fitted with a recessed lift centered in the bottom rail.

The two five- panel doors on the southwest 

wall date to the c. 1920 alterations. The front
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Figure 74 View north in Room 

104. Two pairs of large doors 

originally opened into the boat 

room at this location. (NPS-SEROCRS, 2002)

door on the northeast wall is an original fourpanel door, 2’- 7” by 6’- 5”, that was relocated 

dating to the 1880s. Above it is a three- light, 

bottom- hinged transom, 1’- 8” by 2’- 8”, probably contemporaneous with the installation of 

the door at this location. The door was probably relocated from the original side porch when 

it was enclosed and incorporated into Room 

100.

Trim: Wood trim is typical of the c. 1920 alterations, with 5”- wide door and window casing, 

1- 1/2” quarter round substituting for a baseboard, and 3/4” quarter round in the corners 

and at the ceiling.

Room 200

Located on the west side of the kitchen (Room 

101) and one of the original spaces in the building, this stairwell has always provided access to 

the second floor. It originally opened only into 

Room 101, but that opening was closed and a 

new exterior opening created when the Navy 

altered the building in the 1920s. The opening 

into Room 101 was re- opened after 1969.

Walls and ceiling are finished with 3”- wide, 

beaded, tongue- and- groove boards, installed 

horizontally on the walls. The stairs are 2’- 10” 

wide with a rise of 8” and a run of 10”. A round,
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Figure 75 View to southeast in 

Room 104. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

wooden bannister, 2- 1/2” in diameter, is 

mounted on metal brackets on the west wall.

Room 201

In the building’s original configuration, the 

stairs emerged into a large hall, approximately 

10- ’9” northeast to southwest, with the head of 

the stairs open and guarded by a short bannister on the southeast side. As part of the alterations in the 1920s, the northeast wall was 

rebuilt to make the room about 5’ shorter, and 

the head of the stairs was enclosed by a door 

opening.

Floor: Wooden flooring, presumably the same 

quarter- sawn, tongue- and- groove pine used 

in Room 202 and elsewhere, is completely covered with vinyl.

Walls and Ceiling: The southeast and southwest 

walls and the ceiling are part of the building’s 

original construction and finished with 3”-

wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove boards, 

with wall boards installed horizontally. The 

northwest wall is finished with 6”- wide, double- beaded, tongue- and groove boards, installed horizontally. The northeast wall is 

finished with 4- 1/2”- wide, double- V- joint, 

tongue- and- groove boards, installed vertically.

Doors: The door opening from the stairs is 2’-

8” by 6’- 7”; but the door, which was probably a
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Figure 76 View to south in old 

keeper’s room (Room 202). Note 

original paneling and plate rail 

around chimney rising between the 

two windows on the south wall. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002) 

five- panel door like those used at other openings created in the 1920s, is missing.

Trim: A 2” bed mold, part of the room’s original trim, is installed as a crown mold. The 

room’s original 6”- wide baseboard with eased 

upper edge remains on the southeast and 

southwest walls. Quarter- round molding is 

used at the floor without a baseboard.

Room 202

One of the building’s original spaces, this room 

was designated the “Keeper’s Room” in the 

original plans. The space was altered in the 

1920s by the addition of a dormer and a closet, 

both located on the southeast wall.

Floor: As elsewhere, vinyl covers the original 

flooring, which is 3”- wide, quarter- sawn, 

tongue- and- groove pine, visible where the vinyl has been torn. The floor measures 11’- 8” by 

16’- 1”.

Walls: Walls are finished with typical 3- 1/4”-

wide, double- V- joint, tongue- and- groove 

paneling, installed diagonally over the original
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Figure 77 View to north west in 

Room 202. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

paneling. Original paneling with plate rail remains in place around the chimney which rises 

between the two windows on the southwest 

wall.

Ceiling: Ceiling is set at 8’- 9” and finished with 

3”- wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove boards.

Windows and Doors: The two windows on the 

southwest wall are original. The dormer window on the southeast wall dates to the alterations before World War II.

The door from the hall and the door to the 

closet (Room 202- A) in the southwest corner 

of the room are original four panel doors, 2’- 8” 

by 6’- 7”. The door to closet 202- A is one of 

two in the building that has retained all of its 

original hardware. The door to closet 202- B in 

the north corner of the room is 2’- 2” by 6’- 4” 

and constructed of beaded tongue- andgroove boards.

Trim: Trim is typical throughout with 1” quarter round at all corners, except on the southeast 

side where a 1- 1/2” molded stop is used. The 

dormer window is missing the “hurricane stop” 

on the window sill.

Miscellaneous: The interior of the original 

closet (202- A) is finished with 3”- wide, 

beaded, tongue- and- groove boards. This pan-
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eling is stained and varnished, which was typical of the original wall finishes throughout the 

building.

Room 203

Designated “Store Room” on the original plans, 

this room also contained the stairs to the attic 

and the now- missing watch tower. The room 

was converted into a bathroom in the 1920s, 

which included removal of the stairs, addition 

of a small closet (recently removed) on the 

southeast wall, and installation of the present 

plumbing fixtures. It remains in use as a bathroom, but is the best- preserved of the building’s original spaces and retains the best 

examples of the building’s original architectural 

finishes.

Floor: The room is 10’- 1” by 10’- 9”. Wood 

flooring, presumably the same quarter- sawn, 

tongue- and- groove pine used in Room 202 

and elsewhere, is obscured by a vinyl floor covering.

Walls: Walls are paneled to a height of about 

70” with 3”- wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove 

boards, installed vertically and finished with a 

6”- wide, bracketed, plate rail (see Figure 19 

above). Above the rail, the same paneling continues, but installed horizontally.

Ceiling: The ceiling is at 8’- 9” and finished 

with typical, 3”- wide, beaded, tongue- andgroove paneling. At the north corner of the 

ceiling is the opening for the missing staircase 

Figure 78 View of original door in 

Room 202, complete with original 

mortise lock and porcelain knob. 

(NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 79 View to east in Room 

203. (NPS-SERO-CR, 2002)
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Figure 80 View to west in Room 

203. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Figure 81 View to north in Room 

203, showing tub and original 1920s 

water tank. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

to the attic and watchtower. The opening measures 2’- 3” by 5’- 3” and is closed by a trap door 

constructed of tongue- and- groove boards like 

the ceiling and hinged on the northwest side of 

the opening.

Window and Doors: The window on the 

southeast wall and the four- panel door (2’- 7” 

by 6’- 7”) from the hall are both original.

Trim: Baseboard is typical, 1- 1/8” by 5- 1/2” 

with a slightly chamfered edge and 1” quarterround shoe molding. A 2” cove mold is used as 

a crown molding and 1” quarter- round in the 

wall corners.

About half of the plate rail and brackets (but 

not the back board) were removed from the 

southwest wall to accomodate the plumbing 

vent stack and the water tank.

Fixtures: Along the northeast wall is a footed, 

enameled, cast- iron tub, 5’ long, in excellent 

condition with its original fittings intact. On the 

southeast wall is a wall- hung, enameled castiron sink, recently moved from its original location on the northwest wall, where the original 

brass waste line and “O” trap remains intact. A 

“Standard Trenton” porcelain toilet with a 

wall- mounted tank is installed against the 

southwest wall. The tank lid bears a date of December 3, 1943.

Miscellaneous: Next to the toilet is a large, castiron water tank set on wooden blocks and supported from below by a large bracket mounted 

against the ceiling below in Room 103. It was 

installed after 1969 to replace the original 1920s 

tank, which was moved but remains in the 

room after an unsuccessful attempt to saw it up 

and remove it.

Against the northeast wall near the window is a 

wooden cabinet with shelves that appears to 

have been installed as part of the renovations 

for the bath room. Eight inches deep, 27” wide 

and nearly 72” high, the cabinet originally had 

hinged doors that are now missing.
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Figure 82 View to west in Room 

204. The wall that separated the 

original hall from the crews’ 

quarters was located between the 

two windows. (NPS-SERO-CRS< 

2002)

Probably dating to the installation of the bathroom, a small closet, 1’- 7” by 3’- 3”, once stood 

on the southeast wall where the sink is now located. Built floor to ceiling using wire nails and 

3- 1/4”- wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove 

boards, it was dismantled when the sink was 

moved in recent years, but the wall panels remain in the room.

Room 204

The space was created in the 1920s by combining the northeast half of the original hall and 

the west quadrant of the original crew’s quarters. The line of the original wall is marked by 1” 

by 6” boards that were used to cover the gaps 

created in the paneling when the wall was removed.

Floor: Wood flooring, apparently the same 3”-

wide, quarter- sawn, tongue- and- groove pine 

used in Room 202 and elsewhere, is obscured 

by a modern vinyl floor covering. The room 

measures 8’- 9” by 13’- 8”.

Walls: Wall finishes reflect the various changes 

to the room. The northeast wall, southwest 

wall, and north half of the southeast wall, all of 

which date to the 1920s alterations, are finished 

with 4- 1/2”- wide, double- V- joint, tongueand- groove boards, installed vertically. The 

southern halves of the southeast and the
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Figure 83 View to northeast in 

Room 204. Large cased opening at 

right was created after the 

partioning of the crews’ quarters, 

probably after the building was 

moved. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

northwest walls, which were contained in the 

original hall, are finished with 3”- wide, beaded, 

tongue- and- groove boards, installed horizontally. The northern half of the northwest wall 

has the combination of vertical and horizontal 

paneling typical of the original finishes, but the 

plate rail has been removed.

Ceiling: The ceiling is at 8’- 9” and finished 

with typical 3”- wide, beaded, tongue- andgroove boards.

Windows and Doors: Both windows, which are 

located on the northwest wall, are original windows with four- over- four sash. The five- panel 

doors on the northeast and the southwest walls 

date to the c. 1920 alterations. 

On the southeast wall a large cased opening, 5’-

2” by 6’- 7”, opens into Room 205. About six 

feet of this wall was removed in the 1960s, but 

the ghost of an earlier header indicates that 

there was a door, which was presumably fivepanel, at the northern end of this opening.

Trim: Window casing is typical of the original 

finishes but doors are cased with plain boards, 

3- 3/4” wide at the north and east openings and 

4- 3/4” wide at the south opening.
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Figure 84 View to south in Room 

205. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

Room 205

This room, which occupies the southeastern 

quadrant of the original crews’ quarters, was 

created as part of the c. 1920 alteratations. As 

noted above, the cased opening between it and 

Room 204 was created by removing part of the 

wall in the 1960s.

Floor: Wood flooring, apparently the same 3”-

wide, quarter- sawn, tongue- and- groove pine 

used in Room 202 and elsewhere, is obscured 

by a modern vinyl floor covering. The room 

measures about 8’- 2” by 10’- 1”.

Walls: The southeast and southwest walls retain their original finishes, but the plate rail and 

brackets on the southwest wall have been removed. The northeast and northwest walls are 

finished with 4- 1/2”- wide, double- V- joint, 

tongue- and- groove boards.

Ceiling: The ceiling is at 8’- 9” and finished 

with 3”- wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove 

boards.

Window: The window on the southeast wall is 

original.

Room 206

This room, now serving as a master bedroom, 

was created c. 1920 and occupies the north half 

of the original crews’ quarters.

Floor: The vinyl- covered flooring is apparently 

the same quarter- sawn, tongue- and- groove
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Figure 85 View to west in Room 

206, showing one of dormers added 

to second floor prior to World War 

II. (NPS-SERO-CRS, 2002)

pine used in Room 202 and elsewhere. The 

room measures 11’- 3” by 19- 3”.

Walls: The original 3”- wide paneling on the 

walls has been covered with typical, double- Vjoint, tongue- and- groove boards, 3- 1/4”-

wide.

Ceiling: The ceiling is finished with original 3”-

wide, beaded, tongue- and- groove boards.

Windows and Doors: The dormer windows on 

the southeast and northwest walls were added 

as part of the c. 1920 alterations to the building. 

On the northeast wall, the window is original, 

but the door to the porch replaced an original 

window at that location.

Historically, the door to the porch was a panel 

door with six lights, which was replaced after 

the house was moved with the present fourpanel door. The existing door appears to have 

been one of the building’s original (1887) fourpanel doors, and may have been relocated from 

the opening between Rooms 101 and 102.

Trim: On the northeast wall, part of the original 

plate rail remains in place.

Attic

Accessible through the original trap door in the 

ceiling of Room 203, the attic provided access 

to the water tower. The space is fully floored.
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Figure 86 View to northeast in 

Room 206. (NPS-SERO-CR, 2002)

Around the north end of the attic are a number 

of window sash and other building parts, but it 

is unclear if they are related to the existing 

building. Iron bed frames and springs are reportedly part of the historic furnishings from 

the crews’ quarters on the second floor.

At the south end of the attic, a brick chimney 

rises through the center of the gable. Nearby in 

the south corner of the attic is a pile of brick 

rubble from the original chimney when it was 

rebuilt in 1916.

Utilities

The building was constructed without modern 

utilities. Water was supplied by cisterns, light by 

kerosene lamps, heat by wood stoves, and there 

was a privy in the yard. Indoor plumbing and 

electrical service were added around 1920, but 

central heat may not have been introduced until 1930s.

Electricity: The existing wiring in the building 

appears to date to the mid- twentieth century, 

most of it probably installed when the building 

was rewired after World War II. The entire system appears to be defunct, although some of 

the ceiling- mounted lighting fixtures remain in 

place. At present, a generator in the garage supplies power to the house through buried wiring 

to the south corner of the back porch and from 

there to temporary outlets in the kitchen 

(Room 101). The house is generally without 

lighting and power is limited to appliances in 

the kitchen. The building has no heating, since 

virtually all of the historic steam- heating system was removed after 1969.

Gas: A small propane gas tank is located outside on the west side of the house. Now used 

only for firing the stove in the kitchen, propane
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Figure 87 VIew to south in attic 

showing chimney stack and 

unidentified brick rubble. (NPSSERO-CRS, 2002)

gas was used to fuel some lights on the second 

floor after 1959.

Water: The bathrooms remain in operation. 

Non- potable water is provided from a well, 

with water pumped to the holding tank on the 

second floor. A septic tank, added after 1969, is 

located in the yard on the west side of the 

house.
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Figure 88 Floor plans of existing 

building. (T. Jones, NPS-SERO-CRS, 

2002)

chest of 

drawers 100

101

102

103

104

101-A UP

103-A

1' 4' 8'

north

202

202-A

water

tank

202-B

203 205

200 DOWN

204

206

201
Physical Description

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Treatment and Use

The old Cape Lookout Life- Saving Station is one of three nineteenth- century buildings that remain in the Cape Lookout Village 

Historic District. The station played a major role in the history of 

Cape Lookout, and until the 1930s, the station keeper and crew 

were almost always local men whose families- - - Gaskill, Guthrie, 

Willis, Nelson, and others- - - settled in the area in the eighteenth 

century. From the time it was constructed in 1887 until it was replaced by a new building in 1917, the station remained a landmark, 

a source of shelter during storms and of assistance during all 

kinds of emergencies.

A simplified but significant example of Stick Style architecture, 

popular from the 1860s to about 1890, the building was built by the 

Federal government as a life- saving station and served in that capacity for over thirty years. In 1917 it was relocated a few yards 

from its original site for construction of the present Cape Lookout 

Coast Guard Station, which was occupied in January 1918. In 1919 

the Navy established one of its new radio compass stations at 
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Cape Lookout, and in 1921- 1922, the old lifesaving station was adapted to house the Navy 

personnel who operated the radio station until 

after World War II. Surplused by the Coast 

Guard in 1957, the building was moved from the 

Coast Guard’s property to its present site a few 

hundred yards north of the Coast Guard Station.

Very well constructed, the building has been 

little altered from its historic condition and remains, for the most part, structurally sound. 

However, exterior finishes are deteriorating 

rapidly, the front porches are dangerously unstable, and the roof covering is long past its 

useful life.

The old Life- Saving Station has the potential to 

be one of the park’s more- significant historic 

resources, and is indispensable for interpretation of the Cape’s history in the nineteenth and 

early twentieth centuries. This section of the 

historic structure report is intended to show 

how a plan for treatment and use of the LifeSaving Station can be implemented with minimal adverse affect to the historic building while 

still addressing the problems that exist with the 

current structure. The following sections outline issues surrounding use of the building as 

well as legal requirements and other mandates 

that circumscribe treatment of the building.

In addition, because the Cape Lookout Historic District was only recently designated, the 

park’s use of the various historic structures in 

the district, including the Life- Saving Station, 

has not been fully explored or defined in terms 

of general management goals. Options for 

treatment and use of the Life- Saving Station 

will be outlined and evaluated in the following 

pages and will conclude with recommendations 

for treatment and use.

Ultimate Treatment and Use

Unlike most of the other structures in the Cape 

Lookout Historic District, which are simple 

vernacular buildings, the old Life- Saving Station is a distinguished, if deteriorated, example 

of historic architecture designed and later 

modified by the government for specific uses. 

In spite of being relocated in 1916 and again in 

1958, it has retained its historical integrity and 

has the potential to be one of the district’s most 

useful buildings for interpretation of the history of Cape Lookout.

The authorizing legislation (Public Law 89-

366) for Cape Lookout National Seashore 

mandated the park’s establishment for the purpose of preserving “for public use and enjoyment an area in the State of North Carolina 

possessing outstanding natural and recreational values.” By the time the seashore was 

actually established in 1976, the area’s cultural 

resources at Portsmouth and at the Cape 

Lookout Light Station were also recognized.

The general management plan (GMP) developed for the park by the Denver Service Center 

in 1982 states that one of the park’s management objectives is “[t]o preserve intact, as feasible, the historic resources of the national 

seashore and to recognized that dynamic natural forces have influenced them throughout 

their existence and will continue to influence 
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them.”44 The GMP envisioned interpretation 

of the park’s cultural resources that would 

“emphasize man and his relation to the sea” 

with maritime history a focus at the lighthouse 

and the cultural and economic life of the Outer 

Bankers at Portsmouth Village.”45

Since that time, additional cultural resources 

besides the lighthouse station and Portsmouth 

have been recognized through National Register listing. In 1989, the Cape Lookout Coast 

Guard Station, with four intact historic structures, was listed on the National Register; and 

in June 2000, the Cape Lookout Village Historic District, with fourteen historic residential 

buildings and the old Life- Saving Station, was 

listed as well. An amendment to the 1982 GMP 

was completed in January 2001, but it only addressed improvements in overnight accommodations and transportation services for visitors 

to Core Banks and not the additional cultural 

resources that had been recognized since 1982.

Since the buildings in the historic district have 

only recently come under the park’s jurisdiction, the park’s current General Management 

Plan (GMP) does not address their use. Continued residential use of the Life- Saving Station has been suggested, but other uses could 

be considered as well, especially as the Cape 

Lookout Village Historic District is incorporated into the park’s interpretive program. The 

historic buildings in the district differ markedly 

from one another in terms of scale, significance, and condition; and some buildings are 

clearly more- appropriate for certain uses than 

others. The historical significance of the LifeSaving Station and the quality and scale of its 

architecture insures a high level of public interest in the building, but uses should not be considered that will require significant alterations 

to the historic building.

A comprehensive planning process resulting in 

an amendment to the park’s GMP will be necessary to insure that the park’s and the public’s 

needs are addressed and that the historic 

buildings, including the Life- Saving Station, 

are treated and used appropriately.

Treatment: Recommended treatment would 

include returning the building to its original, 

well- documented location at the Coast Guard 

Station. The exterior of the building should be 

restored to its appearance at the end of World 

War II by removing the asbestos siding; installation of a standing- seam, metal roof; and repairing and repainting exterior finishes. 

Porches would be repaired and preserved. The 

interior of the building should be preserved in 

more- or- less its present condition, although 

rehabilitation of plumbing and electrical systems as well as general refurbishment of the interior will be required for whatever final use is 

proposed.

Requirements for Treatment and Use

The key to the success of any historic preservation project is good judgement in determining 

where replacement of a deteriorated building 

element is necessary. Deterioration in part of 

an element should not necessitate total re44.Cape Lookout GMP, p. 4.

45.Ibid.
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placement of the element, since epoxy consolidants and fillers can often be used to repair the 

damaged area, often without even removing the 

damaged element to make the repair. While total replacement of a damaged element is often 

recommended, especially in rehabilitation 

projects, the success of most preservation 

projects can be judged by the amount of historic material that remains. Even "replacement 

in kind" does not typically address natural 

processes that give the historic materials an 

aged appearance that cannot be duplicated except by the passage of time.

Because it is a contributing building in a National Register district, legal mandates and policy directives circumscribe treatment of the 

Life- Saving Station. The NPS' Cultural Resources Management Guideline (DO- 28) requires planning for the protection of cultural 

resources "whether or not they relate to the 

specific authorizing legislation or interpretive 

programs of the parks in which they lie." 

Therefore, the building should be understood 

in its own cultural context and managed in light 

of its own values so that it may be preserved 

unimpaired for the enjoyment of present and 

future generations.

To help guide compliance with legal mandates 

and regulations while still maintaining the 

building’s historic integrity, the Secretary of the 

Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties have been issued along with 

guidelines for applying those standards. Standards are included for each of the four separate 

but interrelated approaches to the treatment of 

historic buildings: preservation, rehabilitation, 

restoration, and reconstruction. These approaches define a hierarchy that implies an increasing amount of intervention into the 

historic building. Rehabilitation, in particular, 

allows for a variety of alterations and even additions to accommodate modern use of the 

structure. However, regardless of approach, a 

key principle embodied in the Standards is that 

changes be reversible, i.e., that alterations, additions, or other modifications be designed and 

constructed in such a way that they can be removed or reversed in the future without the 

loss of existing historic materials, features or 

characters.

Modern building codes and accessibility issues 

are a major factor in designing repairs to historic structures and often necessitate significant changes to the building. If public access to 

the building will be restricted, full compliance 

with accessibility codes may not be necessary. 

If short- term residential use by visitors and 

volunteers is considered, however, better access to the building would be needed, and the 

addition of a ramp to the back porch is recommended. The elevation of the house above 

grade (about a foot) makes a ramp practical, but 

the second floor would remain inaccessible 

without installation of an elevator.

Electrical and plumbing systems and fixtures 

are in poor condition and must be rehabilitated 

if the house is to be occupied. Installation of a 

smoke/fire detection system would also be required.

Treatment of the building should be guided by 

the International Building Code, including that 
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code’s statement regarding historic buildings:

3406.1 Historic Buildings. The provisions of 

this code related to the construction, repair, 

alteration, addition, restoration and movement of 

structures, and change of occupancy shall not be 

mandatory for historic buildings where such 

buildings are judged by the building official to 

not constitute a distinct life safety hazard

[emphasis added].

Threats to public health and safety will be 

eliminated, but because this is an historic 

building, alternatives to full code compliance 

are recommended where compliance would 

needlessly compromise the integrity of the historic building.

Alternatives for Treatment and Use

The old Life- Saving Station played a critical 

role in the historical development of Cape 

Lookout and could be very useful in interpreting that history for visitors to Cape Lookout 

National Seashore. It is one of only four nineteenth- century buildings left at Cape Lookout, 

and its architecture alone is of interest to visitors to the island. Nearly all of the changes and 

additions that produced the existing building 

occurred within the historical period of significance (i.e., before 1950), most of them having 

occurred prior to 1925, and except for its relocation in 1958, there have been very few modern alterations.

Use: Like many historic buildings, the LifeSaving Station underwent significant alterations as use of the station changed over time. 

Designed as a combination boat house and 

dormitory for the life- saving crew, the boat 

room was partitioned and the building remodeled for full residential use shortly after World 

War I, and it has remained a residential structure since that time. Clearly, continued residential use of the Life- Saving Station would 

require minimal intervention in the historic 

building beyond basic repairs and refurbishing. 

Short- term residential use could even be considered, which would allow more visitors to 

experience the building but which would also 

require additional park resources to administer 

and maintain.

Museum use of the building might also be considered, although it makes little sense to consider such use unless the building is returned to 

its historic location and context. If that were 

done, the building or part of the building could 

be used to interpret the life of the military personnel stationed at Cape Lookout between the 

World Wars, particularly those associated with 

the Navy’s “radio compass” station. Recreated 

interiors or permanent exhibits regarding the 

history of the Cape or other topics could be 

considered, but must be weighed against the 

sharp increase in rehabilitation and maintenance expenses such use would require. 

Private residential use of the building if it is relocated to the Coast Guard Station should not 

diminish the integrity of the historic site if parameters are established for appropriate use. 

Use of the surrounding property and the 

porches would be restricted in order to maintain an appropriate appearance for visitors, but 

the activity that a residence on the property 
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would bring would be a welcome change from 

the static, rather abandoned appearance of the 

site today.

Because of the building’s distinctive architecture and the major role that the station played 

in the history of Cape Lookout, any use of the 

building should, at a minimum, preserve the 

building’s historic exterior appearance. A use 

that required significant alterations to the 

building’s historic interior, which remains virtually intact and in good condition, should be 

prohibited as well.

Treatment: A second set of issues surrounds 

the building's physical condition. Most of the 

building's distinctive materials, features, and 

spaces are essentially intact, and in spite of significant alterations in the 1920s which somewhat obscured the building’s early use as a lifesaving station, the building retains its historic 

integrity. While the building’s basic structural 

condition is sound, there is wide- spread deterioration of exterior finishes that threaten 

preservation of the entire building, and this 

must be repaired. The porches, too, are badly 

deteriorated, with the front porch on the verge 

of collapse; immediate stabilization and repair 

are necessary. Removal of the front porches 

might be considered, but that would seriously 

compromise the building’s historic appearance 

between the World Wars and should not be 

considered.

Restoration of the building to earlier appearances might be considered, but only within the 

context of the park’s interpretive goals for the 

entire historic district. If it remains on its current site under private ownership, there is no 

reason to consider restoration at all, beyond 

perhaps removal of the asbestos siding that was 

installed in the 1950s. Even that is not recommended if the building is not returned to its 

original location, since the siding remains in 

good condition and requires little or no maintenance.

The primary treatment issue for this building, 

as for the 1907 Keeper’s Dwelling and the L.S.S. 

Boat House, is its location. The relocation of all 

of these buildings in the late 1950s seriously 

compromised the historic integrity of not only 

the light station and the Coast Guard Station, 

but the entire historic district. Historically, 

Cape Lookout Village was mostly a collection 

of small, one- story houses clustered along the 

main road and the shores of the Bight, with the 

the lighthouse complex and the Coast Guard 

Station anchoring each end of the district. Although the two- story, 1907 Keeper’s Dwelling 

is most conspicuous, the Life- Saving Station’s 

disruption of the village’s scale will be immediately apparent if there is any restoration of the 

historic landscape in the village.

Regardless of how the buildings are used, relocation of these buildings as well as the 1924 

Boat House back to their original sites would 

reduce the rather barren, deserted appearance 

of both the light station and the Coast Guard 

Station. That alone would greatly enhance visitors’ understanding of the village and the 

Cape’s history.

Relocation would open up a number of opportunities for restoration, although none would 
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be absolutely necessary even if the buildings 

were returned to their original locations. The 

changes to the exterior of the Life- Saving Station have been minimal since World War II, and 

removal of the asbestos siding and replacement 

of the metal roof would be the primary alteration necessary to restore the building to its 

appearance at the end of World War II.

Restoration of the building to its appearance 

between the World Wars would require reconstruction of the lookout, which was removed in 

1941 or 1942. Original plans exist for the lookout, so that reconstruction would not be conjectural. However, the board- and- batten 

siding used originally on the exterior of the 

lookout and on the second floor was covered 

with sawn cedar shingles in the late 1890s, so 

that shingles not board siding should be used to 

finish the lookout. Instead of metal, roofing 

would also be sawn cedar shingles.

The building might also be restored to its appearance before the Navy alterations of the 

early 1920s, which would include removal of 

the front porches and dormers and restoration 

of the building’s original fenestration, including 

the boat room doors. However, the Navy’s radio compass station and the accompanying 

changes to the Life- Saving Station were important historically, and restoration of the 

building to its appearance around 1920 would 

eliminate that layer of the building’s history.

The Life- Saving Station was moved from its 

original site for construction of the Coast 

Guard Station in 1916. For that reason, restoration of the building to its original 1887 appearance, which would include removal of the back 

porch and the wood shingles on the second 

floor, is not recommended since that, too, 

would create a false impression of the historical 

evolution of the site.
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Recommendations 

for Treatment & 

Use

Unlike most of the other structures in the Cape Lookout Historic 

District, which are simple vernacular buildings, the old Life- Saving Station is a distinguished, if deteriorated, example of historic 

architecture designed and later modified by the government for 

specific uses. In spite of being relocated in 1916 and again in 1958, it 

has retained its historical integrity and has the potential to be one 

of the district’s most useful buildings for interpretation of the history of Cape Lookout.

Alternatives for use of the building have been considered; but in 

keeping with the parameters established in the 1982 GMP, continued residential use of the old- Life- Saving Station is the preferred 

alternative. Alternatives for treatment have also been discussed, 

but recommended treatment would include returning the building to its original, well- documented location at the Coast Guard 

Station, restoration of the exterior to its appearance at the end of 

World War II, and rehabilitation of the interior for continued residential use.

Site

The historic site of the Life- Saving Station can be readily identified through the numerous plot plans and photographs of the sta-
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tion. The building was set parallel to and about 

four feet from the concrete cistern that remains 

on the site, but with its front or north facade 

slightly behind the north end of the cistern.

Complete site recommendations if the building 

is returned to its historic location are beyond 

the scope of this report, since they would be 

determined by treatment of the Coast Guard 

Station as a whole. However, three elements of 

the present Coast Guard Station site require 

treatment if an authentic context for a relocated Life- Saving Station is to be established.

First, the existing route of travel from the dock 

through the station and northward through the 

village was created after the Life- Saving Station 

was relocated in 1958. Some realignment of 

traffic flow will be necessary, perhaps including 

re- establishment of the historic route of public 

travel, which ran just south of the Lewis- Davis 

House (see Figure 15).

Second, a large, concrete apron was poured in 

front of the Maintenance Building when it was 

constructed in 1939, but the remainder of the 

pavement was added in the 1960s and should 

be removed. Finally, the concrete cistern (c. 

1920) which remains on the site should be restored and perhaps returned to use.

• Relocate building to its original site.

• Re- establish historic roadway that 

bypassed the station grounds.

• Remove pavement except for concrete 

apron in front of Maintenance Building.

• Restore concrete cistern.

Foundation

Historically, the building was always set with 

the bottoms of the sills within a foot of grade 

level. Originally, the foundation was formed by 

wooden piles, but when the building was relocated in 1916, a new continuous brick foundation appears to have been used for the main 

building and brick piers for the porches. The 

foundation for the building on its new site 

should replicate that configuration.

The building’s low elevation from the ground 

prevented inspection of sills and floor framing 

for termite or rot damage. Because the historic 

site is now covered by concrete pavement at 

least four inches thick, that pavement might be 

kept in place and removed only where spread 

footings for the foundation and piers are necessary. At the very least, this would make inspection of the crawl space far less onerous and 

so more likely to take place.

Termite shields should also be installed on the 

foundation and piers. Access doors should be 

installed on both sides of the building to provide access for periodic inspection for termite 

damage or other deterioration.

• Utilize existing pavement to form 

crawl- space slab.

• Reconstruct continuous brick foundation for main building with piers used 

internally and on porches.

• Include termite shields and access 

doors on new foundation.
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Chimneys

The existing chimney appears not to be the 

original 1887 chimney and probably dates to the 

1920s. It should be considered historic, repointed, and preserved.

A small, brick chimney for a stove flue was built 

on the southeast side of Room 100 when it was 

converted into a kitchen in the 1920s. Welldocumented in historic photographs, this 

chimney should be reconstructed.

• Repoint and preserve existing chimney.

• Reconstruct missing chimney on south 

east side of Room 100.

Structure

Except for the porches and the shed- roofed 

room at the first floor level, the structure of the 

house appears to be in excellent condition. 

Over- structured, even by today’s standards, it 

was built to withstand hurricane- force winds, 

and in spite of numerous storms, has never suffered more than minor storm damage. However, given its close proximity to the ground 

(which prevented inspection of the sills and 

floor framing), some deterioration from termites and/or rot is to be expected. When the 

building is relocated, sills and floor framing 

should be thoroughly inspected and repaired as 

necessary.

The floor to Room 100 is in extremely poor 

condition. It is possible that an entirely new 

floor system will be necessary in that location.

Front Porch: The front porch is badly deteriorated. Collapsing in 1969, it was repaired and 

stabilized with most of it intact, including the 

second floor framing and some decking. Much 

of the decking and floor framing at both levels, 

however, is in poor condition, and posts have 

been added to support the second floor. The 

deterioration of the first floor has also destabilized the shed roof at the second floor, allowing 

it to pull away from the house as much as two 

inches. Repairs should be made that will stabilize this roof and the floors and allow removal 

of the added posts at the first floor.

The small enclosure at the second floor door is 

a post- war addition and should be removed. 

Missing bannisters at both first and second 

floors should be replicated, using the surviving 

bannisters at the second floor as a model. The 

stairs to the second floor should also be reconstructed. The porch was apparently screened 

when it was first constructed, but the screening 

was removed by the end of World War II. Since 

it would add greatly to the usefulness of the 

porch if the building is occupied, it could be reconstructed at the park’s discretion.

Back Porch: The floor framing of the back 

porch could not be inspected, but there may be 

some deterioration. The decking is worn but 

mostly sound, and both framing and decking 

can probably be repaired without total replacement.

Bannisters are missing and should be replaced. 

They were of a different vintage than those on 

the front porch and slightly different in their 

design. Top rails remain and the dimension and 
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spacing of the balusters can be replicated based 

upon the paint “ghosts” remaining on the underside of the top rail.

• Inspect and repair sills and joists when 

building is relocated.

• Reconstruct floor system in Room 100.

• Repair porches.

• Reconstruct front porch stairs.

• Rescreen front porch.

• Reconstruct missing balustrades at 

both porches.

Windows

The window on the southeast side of Room 100 

replaced the 1920s kitchen chimney, and when 

the chimney is reconstructed, this window will 

be removed. All of the original 1887 windows 

remain intact along with those added in the 

1920s. All windows, including sash and both 

interior and exterior trim, should be considered historic, repaired, and preserved.

Most of the windows, including the original 

windows, are completely weather- stripped 

with galvanized steel. Most of the weather 

stripping remains in excellent condition and 

should be preserved. Missing material should 

be replaced in kind.

The building’s original windows were originally 

fitted with wooden shutters, but these were replaced by the present wood- framed screens 

shortly after World War I. The screens should 

be repaired and preserved in place.

• Remove window on southeast side of 

Room 100 when chimney is rebuilt.

• Repair and preserve all other window 

sash and trim.

• Preserve steel weather stripping at all 

openings.

• Repair and preserve wood- framed 

screens.

Doors

Four exterior door openings were added in the 

1920s, but the historic doors at all four openings 

have been lost. Nine- lights over three panels, 

these doors should be replicated and reinstalled at the openings at the first- and secondfloor front porches, at the foot of the stairwell, 

and on the southeast side of Room 100. The 

present door at the stairwell is modern, but the 

other doors were relocated from elsewhere in 

the building. The door on the southeast side of 

Room 100 should be returned to the opening 

between that room and Room 101. The door in 

Room 104 should be returned to the opening 

between 101 and 102. The door to the second 

floor porch should be returned to the opening 

at the top of the stairs. The existing door to the 

back porch dates to the 1920s renovations and 

should be repaired and preserved.

• Repair and preserve existing back door.

• Remove four other exterior doors and 

return three historic doors to original locations.

• Install new three- panel, nine- light wood 

doors at four exterior openings.
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Exterior Finishes

Nearly all historic exterior finishes remain intact, though badly weathered and, in some 

cases, deteriorating. The cement- asbestos siding should be removed, avoiding breakage and 

preserving as many of the shingles as possible. 

Because they are no longer manufactured, 

these shingles can be useful in repairing buildings like the O’Boyle- Bryant House where the 

cement- asbestos siding is to be preserved. The 

original drop siding remains in place and 

should be repaired and preserved. Missing and 

badly- deteriorated wood shingles at the second 

floor will need replacement and all shingles 

should be checked for secure attachment. At 

least part of the missing gable finial on the 

southeast side of the building remains intact in 

the building, and the entire element should be 

repaired and reinstalled.

The exterior of the building has had at least 

four major color schemes, beginning with the 

ochres and dark browns of the original structure. When the building was moved in 1916, the 

exterior siding and trim were painted white, 

shutters were dark green, and window sash 

were probably black. After World War I, the 

building was painted red with white trim, but 

around 1941 it was again painted white, which 

should also be its treatment when returned to 

its location at the Coast Guard Station.

• Remove and salvage cement- asbestos 

siding.

• Repair drop siding and wood- shingle 

siding.

• Repair and re- install missing gable finial.

• Repair all exterior woodwork as 

needed, matching existing materials.

Roofing

The original wood- shingled roof covering was 

replaced by standing- seam metal during World 

War II. The present asphalt shingles, which 

were installed on top of earlier asphalt shingles, 

is in very poor condition. All existing roof material, including what remains of the metal roof 

must be removed. The metal roofing should be 

carefully inspected to determine if it was originally painted, and a sample of the material 

should be preserved in the park’s collection. 

Minor repairs to the wood roof decking may be 

necessary before installation of a new standingseam metal roof.

In the original building, half- round gutters fed 

into cisterns on both sides of the building. 

Double cisterns were reconstructed when the 

building was moved in 1916, and both continued to function until the building was re- roofed 

with metal around 1942. At that time, gutters 

were removed from the northwest side of the 

building and not replaced, but gutters were replaced on the southeast side and continued to 

feed into the concrete cistern. When the building is returned to its historic site, half- round 

gutters with round downspouts should be installed on the southeast side of the building and 

reconnected to the concrete cistern that remains on the site.

• Remove existing roof coverings.
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• Document painted finishes, if any, on 

historic metal roofing beneath existing 

asphalt shingles.

• Install new standing- seam metal roof.

• Install half- round gutters and round 

downspouts on southeast side and 

reconnect to concrete cistern.

Interior

Alterations to the interior have been minimal 

since the historic period, and nearly all of the 

historic interior finishes from all eras of the 

building’s history remain intact and should be 

repaired and preserved. This includes tongueand- groove flooring, wall, and ceiling finishes 

as well as trim and other elements of the interior woodwork.

Restoration of the historic floor plan could be 

achieved by reconstruction of the wall between 

Rooms 204 and 205 (the missing door at that 

location is in storage in Room 103) and removal 

of the closet (Room 103- A) built at the northeastern end of Room 103. Reconstruction of the 

wall is recommended, but removal of the closet 

would eliminate one of the few storage spaces 

in the building. The partition wall for the closet 

could be rebuilt so as to continue to the ceiling 

and finished with sheetrock.

When the exterior door was created at the foot 

of the stairwell, the door from the stairwell to 

Room 101 was closed. Later re- opened by the 

house’s present occupants, it allows interior access between the floors. Although not present 

at the end of the historic period, this door 

opening should be maintained in its present 

condition.

Both bathrooms should be completely rehabilitated while preserving existing historic features 

and materials. The existing kitchen sink, cabinets, and stove should be removed from Room 

101 and a new kitchen designed and installed in 

Room 100.

• Preserve all existing tongue- andgroove floor and wall and ceiling paneling.

• Reconstruct missing wall and door 

opening between Rooms 204 and 205.

• Reconstruct closet at northeast end of 

Room 103.

• Preserve door opening from stairwell 

to Room 101.

• Rehabilitate both bathrooms.

• Remove existing kitchen and install 

new kitchen in Room 100.

Utilities

Plumbing: New water and sewer lines will be 

necessary when the house is moved. All existing water lines within the house should be replaced, run in the same manner as the historic 

system. Cast- iron waste lines and vent stacks 

within the house may not require replacement.

The bathroom lavatories, toilets, and footed 

tub should be rehabilitated and preserved, but 

the metal- lined shower on the first floor may 

require replacement.

Electrical: The building’s entire electrical system should be rehabilitated. All wiring should 
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be replaced, using existing conduit if possible. 

Concealed wiring is not recommended unless 

it can be installed by fishing lines through walls 

and ceilings without disturbing historic paneling. A new breaker panel should be installed in 

the closet in the kitchen. Additional convenience receptacles should be added in all 

rooms to eliminate the necessity of extension 

cords. Historically, overhead light fixtures were 

probably keyless fixtures using unshaded light 

bulbs. Since the interior of the house will not 

be open to the public, this precedent need not 

be followed, and ceiling fans and other modern 

lighting may be used.

Heating: If the house is only occupied on a seasonal basis, central heating is not necessary. If 

central heating is needed, the historic hot- water heating system could be recreated, or a new 

system could be designed. Forced- air, ducted 

heating systems should be avoided due to the 

high impact installation of such a system would 

have on the building’s historic fabric.

Life Safety: Smoke/fire detectors should be installed in all rooms and in the attic and the 

basement. A sprinkler system is not recommended, but if one were to be installed, lines 

should be run exposed on the first floor in order to leave the ceilings intact.

• Replace all water lines and, if necessary, cast- iron waste lines and vent 

stack, running lines as they were historically run.

• Replace all existing wiring, using existing conduit if possible; install modern 

fixtures as needed.

• Install hot- water or other non- ducted 

heating system if house is to be occupied year- round; install electrical 

space heaters if not.

• Install complete fire/smoke detection 

system.

Handicapped Access:

Depending on its intended use, improvements 

in handicapped accessibility may be necessary. 

When the building is relocated to its original 

site, there will be adequate clearance to construct a ramp to the back porch between the 

building and the concrete retaining wall and 

the cistern. (The reconstructed staircase to the 

second floor would prevent ramping to the 

front porch on that side of the building.)

• Install ramp to back porch.
Recommendations for Treatment & Use

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chest of 

drawers 100

101

102

103

104

101-A UP

1' 4' 8'

north

202

202-A

water

tank

202-B

203 205

200 DOWN

204

206

201

Note 1

Note 2

1. Remove existing vestibule and replace existing door with four-over-four window to match original.

2. Remove window and reconstruct chimney.

3. Install door currently leading to vestibule in this opening.

4. Remove modern wall that partitions Room 103.

5. Remove sink, counter, and stove from this room, and install new kitchen in Room 100.

6. Reconstruct missing bannisters and install single wooden step at location shown.

7. Install steps at this location and new door similar to new door at second floor porch.

8. Reinstall four-panel door now at door opening to second-floor porch.

9. Repair floor, remove added posts when second floor is repaired; reinstall balustrades at two locations shown, matching existing second floor

 balustrade; reconstruct stairs to second floor; install single step to ground.

10. Relocate present four-panel door to opening between Rooms 101 and 102; install new three-panel, six-light door.

11. Remove vestibule; repair floor and stabilize roof; replace missing balustrades, matching existing.

12. Reconstruct missing portion of wall and door opening; install five-panel door now in storage above shower in Room 103.

Note 3

Note 4

Note 5

Note 6

UP

down

Note 7

Note 8

Note 9

Note 10

Note 11

Note 12
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REFERENCE

Sources of 

Information

Belrose, John S. “Fessenden and the Early History of Radio 

Science,” The Radioscientist. Vol. 5 #3, September 1994. 

<http://www.ewh.ieee.org/reg/7/millennium/radio/

radio_radioscientist.html> (November 2002).

Boucheron, P. H. “Guarding the Ether During the War,” Radio 

Amateur News. September 1919. <http://

www.angelfire.com/NC/whitetho/1919spy.htm> 

(November 2002).

Carteret County, NC. Records of Superior Court, Deeds and 

Mortgages.

Cecelski, David S. “The Hidden World of Mullet Camps: 

African- American Architecture on the North Carolina 

Coast,” The North Carolina Historical Review. Vol. 

LXX, #1, 1993.

Chenery, Richard L. Old Coast Guard Stations, Volume II, 
National Park Service

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North Carolina. Glen Allen, VA: 

Station Books, 2000.

Dunbar, Gary S. Historical Geography of 

the North Carolina Outer Banks. 

Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State 

University Press, 1958.

Ehrenhard, John E. Cape Lookout National 

Seashore: Assessment of 

Archaeological and Historical 

Resources. NPS: Southeast 

Archaeological Center, Tallahassee, FL, 

1976.

Greene, Jerome A. Historic Structure 

Report, Historical Data 

Component, Little Kinnakeet LifeSaving Station, Cape Hatteras 

National Seashore, North 

Carolina. National Park Service, 1987.

Holland, F. Ross. A Survey History of Cape 

Lookout National Seashore. NPS: 

Division of History, Office of 

Archaeology and Historic 

Preservation, January 30, 1968.

Merryman, J. H. “The United States LifeSaving Service.” Scribner’s Monthly. 

Vol. 19, #3, January 1880, pp. 321- 338. 

<http://www.chicamacomico.org/

Library/scribner _jan_1880. html> 

(November 2002).

Means, Dennis R. “A Heavy Sea Running: The 

Formation of the U.S. Life- Saving 

Service, 1846- 1878.” Prologue: 

Journal of the National Archives, 

Winter 1987, Vol. 19, #4. <http://

www.chicamacomico.org/Library/

heavy_sea_running.html> (November 

2002).

National Park Service. Cape Lookout 

General Management Plan/

Development Concept Plan. 

Denver Service Center: December 

1982.

National Park Service. Cape Lookout 

National Seashore: Amendment 

to General Management Plan and 

Environmental Assessment. 

Southeast Regional Office: January 

2001.

Noble, Dr. Dennis L. “A Legacy: The United 

States Life- Saving Service.” November 

2001. <http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g- cp/

history/h_USLSS.html> (November 

2002).

Olds, Fred A. “Cape Lookout Lonesome Place, 

Vol. XLVI, #26. The Orphan’s 

Friend. Oxford, NC: The Grand 

Lodge of Masons of North Carolina.

Ruffin, Edmund. Agricultural, Geological, 

and Descriptive Sketches of 

Lower North Carolina, and the 

Similar Adjacent lands. Raleigh, 

NC: Institution for the Deaf & Dumb 

& The Blind, 1861. http://

docsouth.unc.edu/nc/ruffin/

ruffin.html (November 2002).

Stick, David. The Outer Banks of North 
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Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of 

North Carolina Press, 1958.

United States Army Corps of Engineers. 

Erosion Study: Cape Lookout 

Lighthouse. Wilmington, NC: 1978.

United States Coast Guard. “Search and 

Rescue: The Coast Guard and the U. S. 

Life- Saving Service.” Updated March 

2002. <http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g- cp/

history/h_USLSS. html> (November, 

2002).

United States Coast Guard, Journals of Cape 

Lookout Life- Saving Station, 1887-

1920. (Original volumes at National 

Archives, East Point, GA.

Yokum, Thomas. “Reginald Fessenden.” 

Undated. <www.coastalguide.com/

bearings/wireless01.htm> (November 

2002).
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The National Park Service cares for special 

places saved by the American people so that all 

may experience our heritage.