NEW JERSEY LIGHTHOUSE GUIDE THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO NEW JERSEY'S MAJESTIC LANDMARKS CONNECT WITH NEW JERSEY Cape May Lighthouse/Photo: Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities NEW JERSEY LIGHTHOUSE INDEX Visit new jersey’S lighthouses New Jersey’s lighthouses are majesticSk ylands:beacons, 100/31/0/0 1 Conover Beacon / Pg. 13 2 Chapel Hill Lighthouse / Pg. 13 silent sentinels that guard time and marinersGateway: 0/68/100/0 alike. It’s a testament to the craftsmanship of 3 Sandy Hook Lighthouse / Pg. 2 their construction that so many lighthousesDelaware River: 78/0/100/2 4 Twin Lights of Navesink / Pg. 3 have survived to today, after years ofShore: fighting 0/33/100/0 5 Sea Girt Lighthouse / Pg. 4 the awe-inspiring force of the sea. EachAtlantic one that City: 1/100/55/6 6 Barnegat Lighthouse / Pg. 5 3 remains tells its own fascinating tale of bygone 7 Tucker’s Island Light / Pg. 6 1 4 Southern Shore: 9/75/100/55 2 seafarers and the dangers they faced. 8 Absecon Lighthouse / Pg. 7 9 Hereford Inlet Lighthouse / Pg. 8 As you plan your next vacation, remember to 5 10 Cape May Lighthouse / Pg. 9 discover New Jersey’s lighthouses. Those open 11 Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse / Pg. 14 to the public are located in some of theStatewide/P most urple: 69/93/0/0 beautiful and adventurous settings you’ll ever 12 East Point Lighthouse / Pg. 10 18 6 visit. Put them on your travel itinerary and you’ll 13 Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse / Pg. 14 17 agree...New Jersey’s lighthouses are still a 7 “must-see!” 14 Miah Maull Shoal Lighthouse / Pg. 14 8 15 Elbow of Cross Ledge 16 12 Lighthouse / Pg. 15 DISCLAIMER: Any listing in this publication does not constitute an official 15 16 Ship John Shoal Lighthouse / Pg. 15 14 endorsement by the State of New Jersey or the Division of Travel and Tourism. 13 11 9 CLOSED 17 Finns Point Rear Range Light / Pg. 11 10 TO THE Cover Photos: (Top) Cape May Lighthouse; (Bottom) East Point Lighthouse/David Ewan PUBLIC 18 Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse / Pg. 12 1-800-visitnj • www.visitnj.org 1 Photo: Monmouth County Public Information & Tourism/Mike Colarusso Tourism/Mike & SHORE REGION SHORE REGION # FACT # FACT Sandy Hook is the only survivor The Twin Lights served as of the 11 colonial lighthouses the primary lighthouse for 3 built from 1716 to 1771. 4 New York Harbor. SANDY HOOK LIGHTHOUSE TWIN LIGHTS OF NAVESINK The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest Towering 250 feet above Sandy Hook Bay, the operating lighthouse in the U.S. and on the Twin Lights remain one of the highest points National Register of Historic Places. It is located along the coast, while also marking the location near the Highlands at the northern end of the of the country’s first Fresnel lens. Not to mention Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation that Guglielmo Marconi demonstrated the first Area. Beautifully well-preserved, this unique practical use of the wireless telegraph from octagonal tower dates back to the 18th century Navesink in 1899, the first lamps to be fueled by and has been in service since 1764. The beacon kerosene were used here in 1883, and it was one has continuously operated, except for being of the first electrically lit seacoast lighthouses in darkened during the Civil War, Spanish-American the country in 1898. War, World War I and World War II. The present-day brownstone double lighthouses The lighthouse is located on the post grounds of were built in 1862 on the original site of the 1828 Fort Hancock and is just one of many interesting Navesink Lighthouses. The attractive building tourist attractions at Sandy Hook. Visitors enjoy houses a museum of lighthouse and lifesaving climbing 95 steps and a nine-rung ladder to the station artifacts even though it was decommis- lens room at the top. The peninsula boasts old sioned in 1949. See the spectacular views from concrete gun batteries, the largest American atop the medieval-style towers after climbing Holly forest on the east coast, excellent surf the 64 steps to the observation deck in the north fishing, hiking trails, a paved bicycle path, tower and south tower. Also on the National sandy beaches, bayside salt marshes and over Register of Historic Places. 300 species of birds. The U.S. Coast Guard owns, operates, and maintains the light. 85 Mercer Rd., Highlands Lighthouse Rd. (off Rt. 36), Highlands (732) 872-5970; www.nps.gov/gate/ (732) 872-1814; www.twinlightslighthouse.com Open: Daily, 9 AM – 5 PM (Winter: Daily, 10 AM – 4 PM) Open: Wed. – Sun., 10 AM – 12 NOON & 1 PM – 4 PM Guided Tours Every Half-Hour From 1 PM – 4:30 PM (Jan. & Feb.: Weekends); Grounds Close at 4:30 PM FREE (must be 48 inches tall to climb lighthouse) FREE (donations requested) 2 NEW JERSEY LIGHTHOUSE GUIDE 1-800-visitnj • www.visitnj.org 3 Photo: Monmouth County Public Information & Tourism/Mike Colarusso Tourism/Mike & SHORE REGION SHORE REGION # FACT # FACT Sea Girt was the last live-in “Barney” received a new light lighthouse built on the in 2009. Its beam is visible up to 5 Atlantic Coast. 6 22 nautical miles. Sea Girt Lighthouse BARNEGAT LIGHTHOUSE Nestled within an L-shaped Victorian building, The 165-foot red and white tower at Barnegat the Sea Girt Lighthouse first shone in 1896, Lighthouse State Park was originally used as projecting its flashing beacon for 15 miles. Like a lookout during World War I. Restored to its most lighthouses of that time, its fourth-order original splendor in 1988, the lighthouse remains Fresnel lens revolved on ball bearings driven by a symbol of the state’s proud maritime heritage. complex clockworks. The original 40-foot lighthouse was built in 1835 to mark a hazardous shoal as well as the fortieth When the lighthouse’s second keeper, Abram parallel, a point crucial to transatlantic navigation. Yates, died on active duty on May 29, 1910, his wife, Harriet, kept the light burning, becoming the Its beehive-shaped Fresnel lens can be viewed at first woman keeper in the U.S. Lighthouse Service. the nearby Barnegat Light Museum. Six feet in While the mother of four was skilled at her job and diameter, the 12-foot-high lens is formed from hailed a pioneer, Mrs. Yates had a brief tenure, as 1,024 separate prisms mounted in bronze fittings. she did not receive approval to continue her post. Open year-round, the lighthouse is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally built to bridge the 45-mile gap between Barnegat Light and the Twin Lights of Navesink, With a pair of comfortable shoes and a bit of the square red brick tower attached to a keeper’s nerve, a trip up the 217-step winding staircase of dwelling was decommissioned in 1945. The interior “Old Barney” is well worth it. With breathtaking of the lighthouse has been meticulously restored views of Island Beach State Park to the north, by a local citizens’ committee and furnished in 18 miles of Long Beach Island to the south, and a keeping with its historical period. Climb 42 steps bird’s-eye view of Barnegat Inlet from every angle, to the top and marvel at the breathtaking view. this attraction is a must-see! 9 Ocean Ave., Sea Girt 208 Broadway, Barnegat Light (732) 974-0514; www.seagirtlighthouse.com (609) 494-2016; www.njparksandforests.org Open: Mid-April to Mid-Nov., Sun., 2 PM – 4 PM, Open: Daily, Memorial Day – Labor Day, 10 AM – 4:30 PM; Except Holiday Weekends Remainder of the Year, Weekends, 9 AM – 3:30 PM FREE (donations requested) Call or Visit Website for Details. 4 NEW JERSEY LIGHTHOUSE GUIDE 1-800-visitnj • www.visitnj.org 5 SHORE REGION GREATER ATLANTIC CITY REGION # FACT # FACT The original lighthouse was Absecon’s recent renovation decommissioned only weeks includes a replica of the light 7 before it fell into the sea. 8 keeper’s quarters. Tucker’S island light ABSECON LIGHTHOUSE The original Tucker’s Island lighthouse was built in Like saltwater taffy and the world-famous boardwalk, 1848. Decades of pounding surf and beach erosion Absecon Lighthouse is one of Atlantic City’s iconic left the lighthouse in a precarious position, and by emblems. The third tallest masonry lighthouse in 1927, the ocean was at its front door. Keeper Arthur the U.S., Absecon also holds the honor as New Rider recommended moving the lighthouse before Jersey’s tallest beacon. Built in 1857 to warn it was swept away and, finally, requested to abandon mariners of the dangerous shoals of Absecon and his post after an August storm took the porch and Brigantine, the distinctive 171-foot tower was the left the roof hanging. Much to his dismay, he was prototype for Barnegat and Cape May Lighthouses. asked to remain until the lighthouse was decommis- George Meade, who later commanded the Union sioned on September 30, 1927. By October 13, the Army at the Battle of Gettysburg, was in charge of lighthouse had toppled into the sea. overseeing its construction. A recreation of the original lighthouse (but one- After opening, the lighthouse immediately attracted third larger), Tucker’s Island Lighthouse is part of thousands of visitors to climb its 228 steps for views Tuckerton Seaport & Baymen’s Museum, a 40-acre of the Atlantic Ocean and Atlantic City skyline. maritime village featuring 17 historic and recreated Over the years, its light has come from mineral oil, buildings.