The 1859 Cape Lookout Lighthouse warned ships about the dangerous Cape Lookout Shoals, sandbars that jut out over 10 miles into the ocean. Replacing a short, 107-foot 1812 lighthouse, the new lighthouse had double walls to support its taller 163-foot structure, and a Frensnel lens improved the light, casting it nearly 30 miles at night in good weather. Much of Cape Lookout’s history was tied to federal efforts to protect ships and people at sea, including the US Lighthouse Service, the US Life-Saving Service, and the establishment of the US Coast Guard Station on the cape in 1916. The lighthouse’s diagonal checkerboard pattern was added in 1873 as a unique daymark, and this design and a unique light flash pattern enabled sailors to identify the lighthouse day or night.