Lighthouse on the Move

How would you move a building that is 193 feet tall?

1 There are certain things that people just don’t expect to see move. We expect structures like houses, schools, and office buildings to be stationary objects. That is why many people were surprised to learn that the tallest lighthouse in the United States, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina, was going to be moved in June of 1999.

2 Why would anyone want to move a lighthouse? The 193-foot-tall lighthouse was built between 1868 and 1870. It weathered countless storms, as well as many hurricanes. It guided sailors away from the Diamond Shoals, a dangerous, shallow area about 14 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras.

3 The coastline around the Outer Banks is known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. It is estimated that more than 230 ships sank there between 1866 and 1945. The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse faithfully did its duty in protecting sailors from harm. This is exactly why it was determined that the lighthouse would have to be preserved. Experts were worried that continued erosion by the pounding waves of the ocean would destroy the lighthouse. They wanted to move it before it collapsed and was swept out to sea.

4 Moving the 4,800-ton lighthouse was no small project. Many people protested the move. They believed that the lighthouse was not strong enough to withstand it. They felt that it should be allowed to remain in the place it had always been. Others thought that moving the lighthouse was not important enough to justify spending the 9.8 million dollars the move would cost. After much debate, it was decided that the project could proceed as planned.

5 The new location for the lighthouse was chosen. It would move a total of about 2,900 feet. In the new location, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse would stand 1,600 feet from the ocean that threatened to destroy it. The planners estimated that it would take between four and six weeks to move the lighthouse. In reality, it took only about three weeks to complete the job.

6 The lighthouse was moved using the power of seven hydraulic jacks. It sat on pads of rollers that rested on a set of rails, similar to train tracks. After the lighthouse had moved from one set of tracks to the next, the first set of tracks was moved in front of the lighthouse so that it could pass over them again. The process was extremely slow. Many people came to watch what they figured would be a dramatic moment in North Carolina history. But the lighthouse only moved an average of about two inches per minute, which wasn’t all that exciting to watch.

7 The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse survived the move and has settled into its new home. Some people still look at the vacant spot on the beach where it stood for so many years and feel a sense of sadness. Others are just relieved that the lighthouse was saved so that future generations could appreciate its bold, spiral stripes and proud history.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

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1. Number the events below to show the order in which they happened.

_____ People were worried that the lighthouse would collapse.

The relocation was a success.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was completed in 1870.

The lighthouse was removed from its existing foundation.

Onlookers watched the slow progress of the lighthouse’s move.

2. Check the line beside the word or words that best describe what type of passage this is.

_____ biography _____ fiction

historical nonfiction

3. Check the sentence that best states the main idea of the passage.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, North Carolina, is the tallest lighthouse in the United States.

The process used to move the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was very slow.

In 1999, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved further inland to prevent its destruction due to erosion.

4. What are the Diamond Shoals?

5. What is one reason that some people protested moving the lighthouse?

6. What is the Graveyard of the Atlantic?

7. Do you agree with the decision to move to the lighthouse? Explain.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

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