NATION : Oldest Lighthouse to Be Moved
The National Parks Service plans to relocate the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the nation’s oldest and tallest brick lighthouse, once it can be strengthened for the move.
The lighthouse is threatened by wave action now that sand dunes have eroded and can no longer protect it. When the black-and-white-striped lighthouse was built in 1870, it was 1,500 feet from the Atlantic Ocean. It currently is 160 feet from the ocean.
Workers will renovate and strengthen the 208-foot-tall lighthouse to reduce the risk of damage when it is moved, said Robert Baker, the park service’s Southeastern director.
The service has dropped plans by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build a $5.6-million barrier around three sides of the lighthouse to keep waves from bashing it, Baker said.
“Attempting to protect the lighthouse from its present location is ultimately futile,” Baker said.
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