A friend turned me on to the history of some of our present day navigational beacons in the Pamlico Sound and its tributaries. A very interesting read. Might make you hear a few voices when you are passing by these old towers in the sound.
http://neuseriversailors.com/special_features/screwpile.html
Our lighthouse on the Pamlico River was built in 1891. There was a brick light tower on the shore at Pamlico Point as early as the 1820’s.