MANCHAC, La. (AP) — A 175-year-old lighthouse that stood at Pass Manchac was knocked over by Hurricane Isaac's strong surge.

WWL-TV reports (http://bit.ly/SeL3XG ) that the landmark in Tangipahoa Parish now lies crumbled in the water. The Pass Manchac Lighthouse erected at a pass connecting lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain.

Al Dranguet, a professor of history at Southeastern Louisiana University, said the lighthouse was a beacon of safety for many generations.

"The lighthouse and its demise is just another casualty of our coastal erosion process and something needs to be done because we're going to lose more than lighthouses," said Dranguet.

The top part of the lighthouse, called the lantern room, was saved before Hurricane Katrina and is in the Maritime Museum in Madisonville. Katrina damaged the structure.

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Information from: WWL-TV, http://wwltv.com

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