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Emerging from the Civil War, the lighthouse saw a transition when the U.S. Lighthouse Service merged with the Coast Guard in 1939. This newly formed Coast Guard maintained a presence at the lighthouse throughout World War II, monitoring the Atlantic for German U-boats that were active off Florida's coast. In a notable twist, local high school students, including the narrator's father, were recruited to patrol the beaches with binoculars, demonstrating the widespread local involvement in the coastal defense.

## A Community Anchor