Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class David Weydert | Capt. Anthony Popiel is pictured here speaking at the relighting ceremony for the...... read more read more
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MANTEO, N.C. - The light at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Station once again pierces the darkness of the Atlantic Ocean, April 18, 2013, after three years of being extinguished when the lighthouse underwent repairs and restoration.
At an evening ceremony attended by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society, the National Park Service and local guests, decedents of past lighthouse keepers relit the light.
One such decedent attending the ceremony was Capt. George Bonner of the Coast Guard. A native of Manteo, N.C., Bonner watched with pride as his children helped reactivated the light that their great-great-great-grandfather, Lighthouse Keeper Peter Gregory Gallop was in charge of.
“I’m definitely proud,” said Bonner. “It’s a beautiful light and a symbol of pride for the community. It’s great to see what the park service has done with the light, to restore it and preserve it.”
Bonner’s ancestor, Peter Gallop served as the lighthouse keeper from approximately 1878 to 1906, the longest-serving lighthouse keeper of the Bodie Island Lighthouse.
“My mom and my aunts would talk about their great-grandfather [Peter Gregory],” said Bonner. “Their grandmother was actually born in the lighthouse [keeper’s quarters].”
The Bodie Island Lighthouse, as it currently stands, is the third lighthouse constructed in the Bodie Island region.
The first lighthouse, constructed in 1847, was a 54-foot tower built without a solid foundation, and as a result, was abandoned in 1859 after it started leaning. The second lighthouse was constructed nearby but only lasted until 1861 when retreating Confederate troops blew it up to deny its use to the Union.
Then, that sandy stretch of the Atlantic Ocean stayed dark for more than 10 years until the third and current lighthouse was constructed in 1872.
| Date Taken: | 04.18.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2013 16:52 |
| Story ID: | 105505 |
| Location: | MANTEO, NC, US |
| Hometown: | MANTEO, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 267 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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