This is the lighthouse that started it all for me.  It was the first lighthouse I visited beyond Tybee Island, it was the first lighthouse that I bought for my collection, and the first one on our trip of 1999.    The only way to access the lighthouse is to travel to Ocracoke Island via a ferry from Cedar Island from the South, or from the north via a ferry from Hatteras Island. We started from Cedar Island, taking the 2 and a half hour ferry ride along with about 75 other folks.  We caught a glimpse of the lighthouse as the boat approached the Island and made our way to it right after landing.  There were about 30 to 40 other visitors there that afternoon, obviously, one of the most popular spots on the island.    This light, the oldest one still operating on the North Carolina coast, is located in the small fishing village of Ocracoke, midway between the Cape Hatteras Light and the Cape Lookout Light along the Outer Banks. This light is still active, but was not open to the public when we visited.   It replaced a previous light built in 1798 which was located on Shell Castle Island just inside the entrance to Ocracoke Inlet where the pirate Blackbeard once lived. It was built in 1823.