During the first half of 1920, a battle had raged between the U.S. Lighthouse Bureau and citizens who wanted to prevent Barnegat Lighthouse from falling into the sea. Led by the tiny village of Barnegat City, today’s Barnegat Light, pressure had been brought on the federal government to act to save the structure.

As success seemed near, in mid-August papers across the country carried a warning letter from John LaGorce to the National Geographic Society, saying, “In a description of the Jersey…