]> obhc_u.s._army_signal_corps_cape_lookout Finding Aid of the U. S. Army Signal Corps, Cape Lookout, Records of Correspondence and Daily Journals, 1876 - 1885 Processed by: Kelly Grimm; machine-readable finding aid created by: Kelly Grimm &hdrNcDncsa; 2009 Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: August, 2009 Description is in English Finding Aid of the U. S. Army Signal Corps, Cape Lookout, Records of Correspondence and Daily Journals, 1876 - 1885 Outer Banks History Center &tpNcDncsa; Descriptive Summary Outer Banks History Center. Museum of the Albemarle U. S. Army Signal Corps, Cape Lookout, Records of Correspondence and Daily Journals, 1876 - 1885 33MSS-11 Materials in English 7 For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Outer Banks History Center. The U. S. Army Signal Corps was first established on June 21, 1860 when army doctor Albert James Myer proposed the army use his visual communication system called "wigwag." In addition to visual signaling, the electric telegraph became a signal corps responsibility in 1867. Within twelve years, the Signal Corps had constructed, and was maintaining, some 4,000 miles of telegraph lines along the country's western frontier. Weather forecasting and military communications were among its many responsibilities. The Signal Corps established an office at Cape Lookout around 1876. This collection contains the Cape Lookout station's logbooks, which features records of incoming and outgoing communications, as well as daily journals. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Available for research.

 Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.

 Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], 33MSS-11, U. S. Army Signal Corps, Cape Lookout, Records of Correspondence and Daily Journals, Outer Banks History Center, Manteo, N.C., U.S.A.

 Acquisitions Information

Donated by the Museum of the Albemarle

 Processing Information

Processed by Sarah Downing, 1997

Encoded by Kelly Grimm, August, 2009

 Historical Note

The U. S. Army Signal Corps was first established on June 21, 1860 when army doctor Albert James Myer proposed the army use his visual communication system called "wigwag." In addition to visual signaling, the electric telegraph became a signal corps responsibility in 1867. Within twelve years, the Signal Corps had constructed, and was maintaining, some 4,000 miles of telegraph lines along the country's western frontier. Weather forecasting and military communications were among its many responsibilities. The Signal Corps established an office at Cape Lookout around 1876. Life at the Cape Lookout station was extremely isolated, often the staff had little to no human contact.

 Collection Overview

This collection features five logbooks of the incoming and outgoing communications of the U. S. Army Signal Corps office at Cape Lookout. These communications deal with day to day operations, supply requests, expenses, telegraph line conditions and repairs, weather, and semi-annual reports. Specific references are made to nearby places such as Fort Macon, Morehead City, the Cape Lookout Lighthouse, as well as the station at Wilmington. Other major events detailed are the hurricane of September 17, 1876, as well as several shipwrecks, most significantly the wreck of the steamer Rebecca Clyde, with the loss of thirteen lives. In addition to the logbooks are two daily journals. These journals were predominately used to keep track of the weather, but were also used to record when cautionary signals were ordered. They also kept track of the condition of instruments and telegraph line repairs.

Collection Arrangement

This collection is divided into three series: letters received, letters sent, and daily journals. In addition, the logbooks and journals are organized chronologically within those series.

 Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Subject Terms Shipwrecks--North Carolina--Lookout, Cape United States. Army. Signal Corps--Archives Weather--North Carolina--Lookout, Cape Geographic Terms Fort Macon (N.C.) Lookout, Cape (N.C.) Morehead City (N.C.) Wilmington (N.C.) Related Collections

Additional information on topics found in this collection may be found in the Manuscript and Archives Reference System (MARS) http://mars.archives.ncdcr.gov.

 Container List Collection, 1876-18852 boxes, 7 folders 1:1.1 Finding Aid Logbooks - Letters Received, 1876 - 1880 1:2.1 March 24, 1876 - August 6, 1878 1:2.2 August 13, 1878 - August 2, 1880 Logbooks - Letters Sent, 1876 - 1885 1:3.1 March 15, 1876 - April 13, 1878 1:3.2 June 26, 1880 - August 17, 1881 2:3.3 June 23, 1883 - August 1, 1885 Daily Journals, 1876 - 1880 2:4.1 April 16, 1876 - October 26, 1878 2:4.2 October 25, 1878 - December 31, 1880