Book Government Printing Office

In 1869 the United States Lighthouse Board issued a book of specifications for a First Order Lighthouse to be erected at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. This book is bound in red leather and black linen with a gold embossed title. It contains 18 numbered plates and 40 numbered pages of text, including an index of drawings and specifications.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was built in 1870 to warn ships of the dangerous 12-mile long sandbar called Diamond Shoals along North Carolina's Outer Banks. Standing at 198 feet, it is the tallest brick lighthouse in the world. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a National Historic Landmark and with its characteristic black and white spiral stripes is the most recognized lighthouse in the country. Often referred to as "America's lighthouse," the beacon is a regional symbol of North Carolina's Outer Banks and a national symbol of America's maritime history. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse still serves as an active aid to navigation for mariners plying the waters of the eastern seaboard.