Cape Lookout Village: Cultural Landscape Report, Cape Lookout National Seashore, National Park Service

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc., Contractor; John Milner Associates, contractor

Cape Lookout Village is a National Register Historic District within Cape Lookout National Seashore, Carteret County, North Carolina. Cape Lookout National Seashore was established in 1966 “to preserve for public use and enjoyment an area in the State of North Carolina possessing outstanding natural and recreation values.”1 Administered by the National Park Service (NPS), the National Seashore occupies a portion of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, depositional sand-based landforms that extend along much of North Carolina’s coast. The form of the Outer Banks is constantly shifting in response to natural forces—wind, ocean tides, and storm surges—as well as cultural activities such as the dredging of channels for navigation. Despite their unsettled nature, the Outer Banks have been inhabited for centuries by fishermen, farmers, and others. These coastal islands have also been used to protect ships navigating along the coast through the construction of lighthouses and Coast Guard and Life-Saving Stations. A series of lighthouse structures have been established on a promontory of Cape Lookout since the early nineteenth century to direct ships away from its dangerous shoals. The Cape Lookout light constructed in 1859 remains a prominent focal point of the area. Until recently, the U.S. Coast Guard has been responsible for maintaining and administering the lighthouse. Today, the NPS maintains the structure, while the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the operation of the light. The consultant team was provided with a detailed statement of work for this CLR by the NPS. The primary objectives for the CLR, as noted in the statement of work, were to: 1. Document the historical development of the site’s cultural landscape, determining how the landscape has changed over time and the origin of existing landscape features. A variety of sources were available to assemble the historical documentary information including historic maps, photographs, correspondence, property records and receipts, and miscellaneous narrative materials. 2. Evaluate the cultural landscape, determining how it contributes to the site’s historical significance. The team was to develop narrative and graphic depictions of the landscape through identified historic periods, including current conditions, and compare the findings from the site history and existing conditions to identify features that contribute to the significance of the property. 3. Provide treatment recommendations that enable the park to better manage its cultural landscape. The NPS sought guidance on whether the governmentconstructed buildings that were moved in 1958 should be returned to their original sites, and how to address the mature vegetation that has grown up around the structures in the historic district since the 1950s. The statement of work divided the CLR into two phases. Phase 1 covered the preparation of the Site History and Existing Conditions Documentation chapters. Phase 2 focused on the development of the Analysis and Evaluation and Treatment Plan chapters, as well as revisions to the Phase 1 work. This final submittal is a complete CLR including the cumulative work of both phases.

Cape Lookout Village: Cultural Landscape Report, Cape Lookout National Seashore, National Park Service

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