In April 1919, Associated Press articles told the country that the famed lighthouse at Barnegat Inlet was in danger of falling into the sea. This was a time before local historical societies or powerful preservation groups. Because of this, William Fisher, the editor of the New Jersey Courier, took up the cause, recruiting U.S. Sen. Joseph Frelinghuysen and shore Congressman Thomas Scully to intervene with the U.S. Lighthouse Board to save “Old Barney.”

The senator wrote G. Putnam, head of the board, on April 26, asking, “what program you have adopted to protect the…