s 



ince 1 870, the Cape Hatteras 

 lighthouse has been a symbol of the North 

 Carolina coast. 



Its candy-cane stripes inspire 

 countless painters, poets and trinket- 

 makers. The lighthouse also inspires a 

 fierce debate on erosion-control efforts. 



Proposals to move the lighthouse 

 arose at least a decade ago, in an effort to 

 save it from the encroaching sea. Earlier 

 this year, despite a continuing court battle, 

 the moving process began. 



The keepers' quarters were the first to 

 be lifted and trucked to the new site, nearly 

 3,000 feet to the southwest. In early March, 

 the beacon was shut off as workers from 

 International Chimney Company of 

 Buffalo, N.Y., began separating the tower 

 from its foundation. 



Dare County officials, along with the 

 Save the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse 

 Committee, lost their court challenge to the 

 relocation. The National Park Service 

 expects to have the 4,800-ton tower lifted 

 onto dollies in May. The slow roll to the 

 new site — the culmination of the $12 

 million project — is expected in June and 

 July. 



When first built, the Hatteras light 

 stood 1 ,500 feet from the sea. By the 

 1930s, steel groins and barrier sand dunes 

 were added to protect the lighthouse from 

 the ocean water only 100 feet from the 

 foundation. 



The lighthouse was transferred from 

 the U.S. Coast Guard to the National Park 

 Service in 1936 as its days as a ship-saver 

 seemed doomed. The Coast Guard 

 reactivated the beacon in 1950 as the beach 

 area stabilized through combined efforts of 

 man and nature. 



But the erosion-control efforts were 

 far from over. By the 1970s, various 

 strategies were employed to protect the 

 lighthouse, including sand-filled nylon 

 bags, beach renourishment and three 

 concrete groins. 



Continued 



TOP: 

 The principal 

 keepers ' 

 quarters 

 move to a 

 new site. 

 MIDDLE: 

 Extensive 

 foundation 

 preparation 

 is required 

 before the 

 move. 

 BOTTOM: 

 A diamond 

 cutting saw, 

 lubricated 

 with water, 

 extends 

 around the 

 foundation. 



