 The light was automated in 1932 and left unattended, gradually decaying over the next twenty years.Fire gutted the structure on July 16, 1956; to this day, the cause of the blaze is uncertain, but many suspect that a stray artillery round fired from the proving ground at Dahlgren, Virginia, may have been to blame.In any event, the Navy viewed the shell as a hazard and ordered it razed.