American Notes NORTH CAROLINA

It is a tall order, but the National Park Service wants to jack up the 208- ft.-tall, 2,800-ton Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and move it half a mile inland, away from encroaching surf. Only 200 ft. of sand now separates the 118-year-old tower from the churning Atlantic. Cost of the proposed move: $8.8 million. Local residents who have grown up in the shadow of the lighthouse are not yet sold on the idea. "They tell us we can't climb the tower anymore because it has cracks in it, but they can pick it up and move it without it crumbling into a pile of bricks," says Carol Dillon. "I can't believe they would take such a risk."