A time line for the development of the lighthouse and attempts to save it. It is closed the next year for repairs. To make the tower more visible, its top is painted red. Union forces foil a Confederate plan to blow up the lighthouse. The last of the rubble was finally washed away in 1980.
Dune construction begins.
The beach stabilizes. It remains dark for nearly two decades. A substitute light is placed on a steel light tower near Buxton Woods. Operations become automated. National Park Service places large, nylon sandbags near the lighthouse.