10 Fun Facts About the Barnegat Lighthouse
10 Fun Facts About the Barnegat Lighthouse
- The original Lighthouse was built in 1834 for $6,000. It stood only 40 feet tall and its non-flashing, fifth class light was considered incompetent by mariners of the day.
- Henry V. Low was the first keeper of the Lighthouse and served from August 3, 1835 until March 12, 1838.
- Lt. George G Meade, an Army Engineer and Union General in the Civil War designed the new $60,000 Lighthouse in 1855.
- The lens in Meade’s design accounted for a quarter of the $60,000 budget and was constructed in 1856 by Henry-Lepaute of Paris, France. The light consisted of 1,027 glass prisms and brass mountings and was shipped to New York aboard the Arago in March, 1857.
- Before the new lighthouse could be completed, the original 40ft tower and keeper’s den were washed out to sea.
- The current Coast Guard approved lens creates a single beam that can be seen up to 22 nautical miles. The original lens is on display at the Barnegat Lighthouse Historical Society Museum.
- The Barnegat Lighthouse was originally lit on January 1, 1859 and thanks to the non-profit organization, the Friends of the Barnegat Lighthouse it was re-lit again exactly 150 years later on January 1, 2009.
- In 1988, a 12-inch metal piece fell off of the lighthouse and state officials closed the tower to the public. After persistence from local residents, $660,000 was raised in grants to repair the lighthouse, allowing it to re-open in June of 1991.
- The Lighthouse is the second tallest in New Jersey after the Absecon Lighthouse, standing 163 feet tall with 217 steps to the top! If you cannot climb the steps or simply wish not to, the Interpretive Center offers live cameras of the view.
- The Lighthouse is open daily Memorial Day- Labor Day from 10am-4:30pm (weather permitting) and offers a panoramic view of Long Beach Island from the top. Adults: $3, Children 6-11: $1, Children 5 and under: Free
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