.c The Associated Press
BUXTON, N.C. (AP) -- The beacon atop the nation's tallest lighthouse was darkened Monday for the first time since 1950 as movers prepare to move the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse inland.
The 208-foot-tall structure with its barber pole striping is being moved 2,900 feet inland to preserve it from the encroaching Atlantic Ocean, which has crept within 120 feet.
The $9.8 million move is expected to be completed by September, said Rob Bolling, a National Park Service ranger and historian at the lighthouse visitor center.
Aside from light bulbs burning out, the beacon has operated continuously since 1950, Bolling said.
The beacon once helped sailors navigate the often treacherous waters off Cape Hatteras, known as the ``Graveyard of the Atlantic.'' The beacon is seldom used today because of the availability of high-tech navigation aids.
