Photo: Claimed by the Sea<br>(<i>interpretive panel inside lighthouse</i>)

Photographer: Cosmos Mariner
Taken: May 1, 2019
Caption: Claimed by the Sea
(interpretive panel inside lighthouse)
Additional Description: In 1874, when Congress approved replacing the Hunting Island lighthouse, location was hotly debated. Through severe erosion, the ocean had already obliterated the site of the 1859 tower. Consequently, the new structure was located one-quarter mile from the beach—a distance criticized by many as excessive.

Yet, in fourteen years, the surf was just 35 feet from the lightkeeper's house. To avoid disaster, the entire compound had to be moved.

Barrier islands are among the most dynamic environments in the natural world. Their size, shape and location are perpetually shifting with the tides.
Submitted: June 18, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p479832
File Size: 4.132 Megabytes

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