Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FORNPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER (Type all entries — complete applicable,sections) MOV no * ti ii COMMON: „ . . . ' The Cape-May N) AND/OR HISTORIC: x~V *•' —^ • C) AAn

STREET ANDNUMBER: 1^1 'C? CITY OR TOWN: ^ ___Cape Mav-Po-i-nt^- REGISTER fa

New Jersey nno

CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE 4/1 OWNERSHIP STATUS fChecft OneJ TO THE PUBLIC z Q District [3§ Building Public Public Acquisition: II Occupied Yes: f^ Restricted 6 Q Site Q Structure Privqte Q In Process PCI Unoccupied [J Unrestricted Object Both [~~| Being Considered Q Preservation work in progress D No

I I Agricultural JJC1 Government ,D Park >{JCJ Transportation Q Comments 1 | Commercial [~| Industrial G Private Residence G Other (Specify) |~| Educational D Military I I Religious I I Entertainment II Museum | | Scientific

OWNER'S NAME: - United States Government UJ STREET AND NUMBER: UJ United States Coast Guard CITY OR TOWN: CODE Washington D.C.

COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC: o g Cape May Court House § I STREET AND NUMBER: Q ^ North Main Street CITY OR TOWN: Cape May Court House New Jersey

Tl TLE OF SURVEY: * New Jersey Inventory of Historic Sites 6Q1.2 DATE OF SURVEY: Q Federal gQ State ( j County | | Local DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS: Historic Sites Section STREET AND NUMBER: Box ll|2Q CITY OR TOWN: STATE: Trenton New Jersey 3k- ?• Description ...... (Check One) O Excellent ^El Good Q Fair Q Deteriorated Q Ruin* Q Unaxposad CONDITION (Check One) (Check One) fT} Altered £ Unaltered Q Movad JQ Original Sita

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AN D ORI GIN Al_ (H known) PHYSIC Al_ APPEARANCE

The is situated at the Southern point of New Jersey directly across from the Hen lopen Light in Delaware. It is one hundred and seventy five feet high and can be seen for over nineteen miles. The lighthouse is solid white except for the bright red brick lantern. The lighthouse light gives a four second, two million candle power flash every thirty seconds from a height of one hundred sixty five feet above sea level. The original lens has been removed. The spiral staircase extends the height of the structure.

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CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATION Hon. Harrison A. Williams Hon. Clifford P. Case Hon. Charles W. Sandman (2nd District) C o

*/« Significance. PERIOD fcneclr One or Afore a» Appropriate) Q Pre-Columbion! ;1 Q 16th Century Q 18th Century 20th Century n 15th Century D '7th Century £] 19th Century

SPECIFIC DATEts) (II Applicable god Known) AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE fChec* One or More a* Appropriate.)

Abor iginal D Education Q Political |~1 Urhan Planning Q Prehistoric D Engineering Q Religion/Phi. n Other (Specify) O Historic [3 Industry losophy f~j Agriculture [J Invention Q Science Q Architecture n Landscape Q Sculpture D Art Architecture f-j Social/Human- Q Commerce D Literature iforian P] Communications JO Military Q Theater t~1 Conservation Music 33 Transportation

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

It has been said that the English built a lighthouse here in at the same time as the one that was built on Cape Hen, lopen. There is not sufficient evidence to actually confirm this, though. After the Revolutionary War, Congress authorized a commision to purchase a site on Cape May for a lighthouse. By a deed dated September 23, 1785, Thomas Hand 2nd conveyed a tract of land on a high bluff to the Board of Wardens of She.Port of Philadelphia. A letter of November 12, 1785 confirms this conveyance. No records confirm whether a light­ house was actually built on this land which has long since been covered by the Ocean.

In 1821, Congress again approved an appropriation for building a lighthouse on Cape May. The structure was completed in October of 1823. This lighthouse was seventy five feet high. It had a stone foundation and the walls were twenty five feet in diameter and six feet thick at the base. It tapered to two and one half feet at the top. By I8ii7 this lighthouse had to be moved as the sea had encroached to such an extent that the tower was surrounded by water and the founda­ tion was threatened. The site of this lighthouse is now one hundred yards out from the present shore line. This 1823 lighthouse was rebuilt on a high bluff called Great Island about one-third a mile from its present position. The existing lighthouse was erected at Cape May Point in_l859. The 18U7 lighthouse was torn down. All that remains is a remnent of the base. The 1859 lighthouse is situated on land that was part of "The Cape May Plantation" of John Stites, mariner, who purchased it from the West Jersey Society. He conveyed it to his older son John, from whom the gov­ ernment purchased it in 1822.

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Holland, Francis Ross America's 5 Their Illus traded Press, -19 72,

V Richardson., E, M, We Keep a Liigrb, Reyerson 3 19l|5* ': r ' »tl : Snow, Edward Rowe Famous Lightllouses of America, Do ddj Mead, New York, 1955. -—————————— .__... — - i ._....

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY ' ) DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY ————————— . ———————————————————————— ——————————————————————— =_ |_ OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGI TUDE

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW o . „ 0% , „ NE . i °- ' " o . , 38 55-58 J$° 57 39 SE, . « . • . i. • o SW 9 ' .. " •, * °< " APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: T A«5

STATE: • • CODE COUNTY /\^ "" A. ^^> >CODE m .A?' PprnwFfj-'C-X m STATE: ., CODE CO;PE C O^U N T Y : • _ A^/ uc^ 8 ran vn STATE: CODE COUNTY: 1"^ , ^NATIONAL ^f

STATE: " CODE COUNTY: V/ H

- \ 70 c; NAME AND TITLE: , • % Kathleen J. Diller Historian . , * • . • » n ORGANIZATION DATEt H Historic Sites Section March 8, 1973 STREET AND NUMBER: 1 • o Box 1U20" • -•.... CITY OR TOWN: STATE : .CODE Trenton fNew Jersey • 3k i^^^^^M^^M^^^W^^^AfiJ^i''i^i^m^^^ ;?::::;::;:i|5l;i!::;;:M:A:l:ll^illii:plii«^^il^liIil

, As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na- I hereby certify that this property is included in the , tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law National. Register. . • 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set- (tUHif-fi- &MLUjJltLt forth by the National Park Service. The recommended dSffl^Q5^2SQQK5QS3QQ^ ^SMM^^sMifM^Fi ^'""-••s^ level of significance of this nomination is: Associate Director I Professional National Q State Q Local %~\ 973CJ/ J Date

ATTEST: I Richard J. Sullivan Title Cotflmissi

Bate June l5j 1973 Date I/ [ ' Q~ / /^-^> • ..... —