Since 1871 the Cape Hatteras lighthouse has been a welcome sight
for sailors entering the treacherous region off North Carolina's
Outer Banks known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. At 208 feet
high, it is the tallest lighthouse in the country and one of the
state's most famous landmarks. Through the years, it has withstood
the ravages of both humans and nature, weathering numerous violent
storms and two wars. But perhaps the gravest threat the structure
faced in recent history was the erosion of several hundred yards of
beach that once stood between it and the ocean. As powerful tides
and rising sea levels increasingly endangered the lighthouse's
future, North Carolinians debated fiercely over how best to save
it, eventually deciding on a controversial plan to move the beacon
inland to safety.
First published by UNC Press in 1991, this book tells the story of
the noble lighthouse from its earliest history to the present day.
In this new edition, Dawson Carr details the recent relocation of
the treasured landmark. For now, it seems, North Carolinians have
succeeded in protecting their lighthouse, as it has protected them
for over a century.