New Jersey Lighthouses

New York Harbor Lighthouses (see also Downstate New York)
*** Lightship 107 Liberty (Winter Quarter)

1923 (Bath Iron Works, Bath ME). Decommissioned 1968. 2-masted steel lightship; length 132 ft (40 m), beam 30 ft (9 m). The light was shown from a small lantern on the foremast. Hull painted red, superstructure white. Anderson has good photos and a fine historical account, and Google has a satellite view. The ship was stationed at Cape Lookout NC, at Winter Quarter Shoal VA, and off the Delaware Capes. After retirement the lightship was sent to Hampton VA to be a museum, but it isn't clear if it was ever used in this way. By 1984 it was at a shipbreaker's yard in Bordentown NJ, from which it was rescued by its current owner. The ship is well maintained, although its interior has been gutted and replaced with offices and a restaurant. Moored at Liberty State Park near the Statue of Liberty in Jersey City. Site open; vessel's restaurant open from lunchtime through late evening daily. Owner/site manager: Liberty Landing Marina. ARLHS USA-902.

Robbin's Reef (Kate's Light)

1883. Active; focal plane 56 ft (17 m); green flash every 6 s. 45 ft (14 m) cast iron sparkplug tower with lantern and double gallery, incorporating 3-story keeper's quarters, mounted on a granite caisson; 300 mm lens. Lower half of lighthouse painted brown, upper half white, lantern black. Tom Link has another good photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse is nicknamed for Kate Walker (1846-1931), its legendary keeper, who tended the light from 1894 to 1919. Located off Bayonne, about 2 miles (3 km) southwest of the Statue of Liberty. The lighthouse is a familiar sight for passengers of the Staten Island Ferry. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-695; Admiralty J1156; USCG 1-34975.

Great Beds

1880. Active; focal plane 61 ft (18.5 m); red flash every 6 s. 60 ft (18 m) sparkplug tower with lantern and upper and lower galleries, including 3-story keeper's quarters, mounted on a cast iron caisson; 155 mm lens. Lighthouse painted white, including lantern. Hance Gesell has a good photo, Marinas.com has good aerial photos, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. This light belongs to a class of sparkplug towers smaller than the Robbin's Reef Light. Standing very nearly on the state line, it is often listed as a New York lighthouse. In fact, construction of the lighthouse was delayed while New York and New Jersey squabbled over which state had control of the site. Located in the mouth of the Raritan River off South Amboy. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-344; Admiralty J1058; USCG 1-36430.

* [Waackaack Range Rear (3)]

1894 (station established 1856). Inactive since the 1950s. The lighthouse, a 105 ft (32 m) cast iron skeletal tower, was demolished in the late 1950s despite protests from local residents who wanted to preserve it. The 2-story wood keeper's house survives and is in use as a private residence. NJLHS has a good page for the light station, and Google has a satellite view. Located at Shore and Beacon Boulevards in Keansburg. Site closed (private) but the house can be viewed from the street. ARLHS USA-935.

* Chapel Hill Range Rear

1856 (Richard Carlow). Inactive since 1957. 31 ft (9.5 m) square cylindrical wood tower and lantern on the roof of a 1-1/2 story wood keeper's house. A 4° Fresnel lens (uncertain date) from this lighthouse is on display at the Navesink Twin Lights Museum. The lighthouse was sold as a private residence in 1957. In its original form the lighthouse was a sibling of the New Dorp Light on Staten Island, but subsequent owners have expanded the house. Located off Roebling Drive in Leonardo, inside Sandy Hook. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS USA-153.

* Conover Beacon (Chapel Hill Range Front) (2)

1926; relocated here in 1941 (station established 1856). Inactive since 1957. 40 ft (12 m) square steel conical tower with lantern, gallery, and central cylinder, painted in broad red and white stripes. Greg Jansky has also posted a photo; Ann Searle also has a good photo. The original light at this station (1856) was similar to the original Elm Tree Light on Staten Island. The present tower was originally the second Point Comfort Light (the front range light of the Waackaack Range) and was located at Point Comfort in Keansburg; Huelse has a historic postcard view showing both lighthouses at that location. The tower was repainted red and white in the 1990s by the Leonardo Taxpayer’s Association; the original colors were black and white. In 2004, the lighthouse property was transferred to Monmouth County for management by Middletown Township as a public recreation area. The tower is in very poor condition now and much in need of restoration; in January 2007 Lighthouse Digest added the light to its Doomsday List. The Friends of Conover Beacon Society is being organized to assist with restoration. Located on Sandy Hook Bay between Leonard and Roop Avenues off NJ 36 in Leonardo; an indistinct Google satellite view is available. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Monmouth County. Site manager: Middletown Township. ARLHS USA-191.

Romer Shoal

1898. Active; focal plane 54 ft (16.5 m); 2 white flashes every 15 s. 54 ft (16.5 m) sparkplug tower with lantern, double gallery above and a lower gallery as well; including 3-story keeper's quarters; and mounted on a cast iron caisson protected by stone riprap; 190 mm lens. Lower half of tower painted white, upper half red. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s). Marinas.com has aerial photos. The shoal is named for the pilot boat William J. Romer, which sank after running aground here in 1863. The tower was built originally as an experimental lighthouse at the Lighthouse Depot on Staten Island, New York. There is a proposal to return the lighthouse to the Depot, which is now the National Lighthouse Museum, but the museum's precarious funding assures that this won't happen anytime soon. Located on a reef about 4 km (2.5 mi) north of Sandy Hook. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-701; Admiralty J1090; USCG 1-35070.

* [Sandy Hook Point (Sandy Hook East Beacon; Sandy Hook North Beacon) (4)]

1917? (station established 1817). Active; focal plane 38 ft (11.5 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 35 ft (10.5 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower with a small enclosure at the base. Fog bell (stroke every 10 s). This tower replaced an 1880 cast iron lighthouse, which was relocated to Jeffrey's Hook, upper Manhattan, in 1921 (it became famous there as "The Little Red Lighthouse"). Located inside the tip of Sandy Hook at the northern entrance to Sandy Hook Bay. Site open. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: U.S. National Park Service (Gateway National Recreation Area). ARLHS USA-1036; USCG 1-35190.

Atlantic Coast Lighthouses

**** Sandy Hook

1764 (Isaac Conro). Active; focal plane 88 ft (27 m); continuous white light, day and night. 85 ft (26 m) octagonal rubblestone tower (brick lined) with lantern and gallery, 3° Fresnel lens (1857). Tower painted white, lantern red. 2-1/2 story Victorian keeper's house (1883). A photo appears at the top of this page. Oliver Lopena's photo is at the top of this page, Anderson's page has good photos and additional information on the light station and its history, and Marinas.com has aerial photos. This is the oldest U.S. lighthouse and the only light tower surviving from the colonial period; Lighthouse Digest has an article on the lighthouse during the Revolution. Recognized as a National Historic Landmark, the lighthouse reopened June 10, 2000, after a $600,000 restoration. Greg Jansky has posted a page of photos taken during the restoration. In 2005-06, the keeper's house was renovated as a visitor center with a museum and offices for the Sandy Hook Foundation and New Jersey Lighthouse Society. Located about 1-1/2 miles south of the point of Sandy Hook at the entrance to New York harbor; a Google satellite view is available (look for the shadow of the tower in the center of the frame). Site open daily (entrance is free, but there is a parking fee in the summer); visitor center open and tours of the tower available during the afternoon, daily April through October and on weekends during the rest of the year. Owner: U.S. National Park Service. Site manager: Gateway National Recreation Area. ARLHS USA-731; Admiralty J1036; USCG 1-35040.

**** Navesink (2) Twin Lights: North Tower 1862 (Joseph Lederle, architect). Station established 1828. Reactivated (inactive 1898-1962, now maintained by the state of New Jersey); focal plane 246 ft (75 m); white light 5 s on, 5 s off. 6° Fresnel lens (1881) in use. 73 ft (22 m) octagonal cylindrical brownstone tower with lantern and gallery, linked by an ornate, fortress-like structure to the south tower. The north tower is open during museum hours (see next entry). ARLHS USA-530; Admiralty J1032; USCG 1-35025. **** Navesink (2) Twin Lights: South Tower 1862 (Joseph Lederle, architect). Station established 1828. Inactive since 1953. 73 ft (22 m) square cylindrical brownstone tower with lantern and gallery, linked by an ornate, 2-story fortress-like brownstone keeper's quarters to the north tower. The station's rare 1° bivalve Fresnel lens (1898), restored in 1999, is on display in the brick electric generator building (1909). The former keeper's quarters now house a museum. Anderson has excellent photos and historical information, Huelse has a historic postcard view, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. Navesink was the traditional landfall light for vessels bound for New York, so it was one of the country's most important lighthouses. This is the first U.S. light station to be equipped with Fresnel lenses (1841), the first to burn kerosene (1883), and the first to be equipped with electric power (1898). The Twin Lights Historical Society supports maintenance and operation of the light station. In 2002, a $460,000 project restored the towers and the exterior of the building. The state parks agency has a virtual tour. Located on Lighthouse Road off Highland Avenue above NJ 36 in Highlands. Site open (free), museum open daily in the summer and Wednesday through Sunday the rest of the year; north tower open during museum hours, south tower open to guided tours. Owner: N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry. Site manager: Twin Lights State Historic Site. ARLHS USA-530.

Navesink Twin Lights, July 2006 (South Tower in the foreground) Creative Commons photo by Oliver J. Lopena

** Sea Girt

1896. Reactivated (inactive 1945-1983, now privately maintained and unofficial). 44 ft (13.5 m) square cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery at one corner of a 2-1/2 story Victorian red brick keeper's house. Lantern painted black. Anderson has excellent photos and a historical account, and Chris Piazza also has a good photo. This lighthouse is similar to the lighthouses at Round Island MI and Two Harbors MN, built about the same time. Restored through citizen efforts beginning in 1980, it is used as a museum and community meeting facility. In 2002 the lighthouse museum spent $20K to purchase (on eBay) the 3° Fresnel lens of the Crowdy Head Light in Australia. Located at Beacon Blvd. and Ocean Avenue, one block east of NJ 49, in Sea Girt. Site open, lighthouse open on Sunday afternoons April through November (free, donations welcome); group tours and school tours can be arranged. Owner: Borough of Sea Girt. Site manager: Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee. ARLHS USA-744.

**** Barnegat (2) (Old Barney)

1859 (George G. Meade) (station established 1835). Inactive since 1944. 172 ft (52.5 m) brick tower with lantern and gallery. The Barnegat Light Museum, located nearby in a former schoolhouse, displays the original 1° Fresnel lens. The lower half of the tower and the lantern roof are painted white, the upper half of the tower is bright red. The keeper's house was destroyed in 1915. A photo appears at the top of the page, Anderson has a fine page for the lighthouse, Long Beach Island also has a page with the history of the light station and a streaming video tour, Huelse has a historic postcard view, Marinas.com has excellent aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. This light, a sibling of Absecon Light, was the nation's tallest lighthouse when it was built, and it is still the third tallest brick tower in the U.S., according to Lighthouse Heritage data. The Barnegat Light Historical Society supports maintenance and operation of the light station. A major restoration was completed in 1991. The tower is threatened by beach erosion; in 2001 the Army Corps of Engineers spent $1.38 million for a rock seawall to protect it. However, a Corps survey showed the tower is leaning 22 inches (56 cm) away from the vertical. In 2003 the state spent $500K to repaint and restore the tower. Located at the end of Broadway, off Central Avenue (extension of Long Beach Boulevard), on the north end of Long Beach Island. Site open, lighthouse open daily year round. Owner: N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry. Site manager: Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. ARLHS USA-039; Admiralty J1220.

*** Tucker's Island (replica) 1999 (replica of 1868 lighthouse). Inactive. 45 ft (14 m) square cylindrical frame tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the roof of a 2-story frame keeper's house. House painted white, lantern black. The original, located on Tucker Island on the north side of Little Egg Inlet, was swept away by a storm in 1927. The replica, dedicated May 13, 2000, is the interpretive center of the Tuckerton Seaport maritime museum. The replica is somewhat larger than the original, an expansion needed to meet modern building codes for a public structure. Ann Searle has an excellent photo. Located on US 9 opposite Pohatcong Lake in Tuckerton. Site and tower open. Owner/site manager: Tuckerton Seaport. **** Absecon 1857 (George G. Meade). Reactivated (inactive 1933-1997, now privately maintained and unofficial); focal plane 167 ft (51 m). 169 ft (51.5 m) brick tower with lantern and gallery, original 1° Fresnel lens. Lighthouse and lantern painted white; tower has a broad black band about 2/3 of the way up. Original 1-story brick oil house. A photo is at right, Anderson has good photos and the history of the station, Huelse has a historic postcard photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse is a sibling of Barnegat Light and is one of the first tall brick towers built by the U.S. Lighthouse Board. A major restoration of the tower was completed in 1998 by Integrated Construction Enterprises with funding from the New Jersey Historic Trust. Westfield Architects has a page on this project. The keeper's house was also reconstructed in 1998 but then destroyed by a fire of suspicious origin; a second reconstruction began in the fall of 2000 and the building finally opened in October 2001. The Inlet Public-Private Association supports maintenance and operation of the light station. Located at Pacific Avenue and Vermont Street in Atlantic City. Site and tower open daily in July and August, Thursday through Monday the rest of the year. Owner: N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry. Site manager: Inlet Public-Private Association. ARLHS USA-001; Admiralty J1238.

Absecon Light, December 2007 anonymous Creative Commons photo

* [Ludlum Beach]

1885. Inactive since 1923. 1-1/2 story wood keeper's house, formerly with a square cylindrical light tower centered on the roof. The light tower has been removed and the building has been relocated twice as a private residence, arriving at its present location sometime in the 1940s. John Kulba has contributed a photo, the Coast Guard has a historic photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Anderson has recent photos. In March 2006, the owner, Charles Adams, announced plans to demolish the building and replace it with a modern 4-unit rental complex. Bob Uhrmann, an assistant manager at the Cape May Lighthouse, has organized the Friends of Ludlum Beach Lighthouse; the society hopes to save the building by relocating it a third time for use as a museum. Fundraising is underway, and Adams has promised to wait a reasonable time. Currently located at 3414 Landis Avenue, Sea Isle City. Site open, lighthouse closed. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS USA-461.

**** Hereford Inlet 1874 (Paul J. Pelz, designer). Reactivated (inactive 1964-1983); focal plane 57 ft (17 m); white flash every 10 s. 57 ft (17 m) square frame cylindical tower with lantern and gallery, emerging from a 1-1/2 story frame "Swiss gothic" keeper's house. Building painted buff with white trim; lantern painted black. Bob Jagendorf's photo is at right, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse is a sibling of Point Fermin Light, CA; several similar lighthouses were built in California but this is the only one in the eastern U.S. The building is a museum, with the original 4° Fresnel lens as one of the exhibits. The lighthouse was relocated 150 ft (46 m) west in 1914. Boarded up for 18 years, the lighthouse was restored by local efforts beginning in 1982. The building is now surrounded by extensive gardens. The tower was restored in 1999. In 2001, the lighthouse received a state grant of $102,000 to replace the modern roof with a historically accurate cedar shake roof and to restore the building's chimneys. In 2003 the lighthouse was repainted in its historically-accurate buff color, somewhat to the dismay of local residents accustomed to seeing it in white with black trim. Anderson has before-and-after photos. The restoration project won a state Historic Preservation Award in 2005. In 2007, the interior of the building was renovated. The Friends of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse supports restoration and operation of the station. Efforts are underway to acquire and restore the adjoining former Coast Guard station. Located on Central Avenue at First Avenue in North Wildwood. Site and tower open daily mid May through mid October and Wednesday through Sunday the rest of the year. Owner: N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry (leased to City of Wildwood). Site manager: Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Commission. ARLHS USA-370; Admiralty J1244; USCG 2-0090.

Hereford Inlet Light, September 2006 Creative Commons photo by Bob Jagendorf

*** Cape May (3)

1859 (station established 1823). Active; focal plane 165 ft (50 m); white flash every 15 s. 157 ft (48 m) brick tower with lantern and gallery, solar-powered aerobeacon (2002). Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. The original 1° Fresnel lens, removed in 1946, is exhibited at the Cape May County Historical Museum. The 2-story Victorian wood keeper's house houses a park ranger; the duplex assistant keeper's house burned in 1948. The brick oil house (1893) serves as a visitor center. Anderson has photos and the history of the station, Huelse has a historic postcard view, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The light station grounds were transferred to New Jersey as a state park in 1964. The tower was leased to the state in 1986, and ownership was transferred in 1992. The International Chimney Corp. completed a major restoration of the tower in 1994. In 2002 the Coast Guard replaced the DCB-36 aerobeacon (1946) with a solar-powered beacon. Located on Lighthouse Avenue at Lehigh Avenue in Cape May Point. Site and tower open daily April through November and on weekends in the winter (admission fee). Owner: N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry (Cape May Point State Park). Site manager: Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts. ARLHS USA-127; Admiralty J1256; USCG 2-0155.

Delaware Bay and River Lighthouses
[Lightship 53 Stonehorse]

1892 (J. W. Wheelan Co., West Bay City MI). Decommissioned 1951. The ship spent much of its early career on the southeast coast, but finished with 17 years of duty at the Stonehorse Shoal station in Nantucket Sound, Massachusetts. The Coast Guard has a page with the vessel's history. The ship has been scrapped but its mast and lantern were displayed for many years at Giovi's Restaurant on US 130 in Yardville. Giovi's closed around 2005 and the lantern fell into disrepair. In 2007, however, a new restaurant opened, and the new owners have restored the lantern and repainted the mast. The restaurant's virtual tour includes a photo of the lantern. Located at the intersection of US 130 and NJ 156 in Yardville; Google has a satellite view. Site open. Owner/site manager: Route 130 South/American Grill and Sushi.

[#Horseshoe Range East Group Rear] 1881. Inactive. The light tower, a 41 ft square pyramidal frame tower, was demolished long ago. The 1-1/2 story frame keeper's house was relocated to a site adjacent to Cundey's Motel on US 130 in Westville, but a recent visitor to the site reported that the house has been demolished. ARLHS USA-381. Lightship 79 Barnegat 1904 (New York Shipbuilding Co., Camden NJ). Decommissioned 1967. 2-masted steel lightship, length 116 ft (35.3 m), beam 28.5 ft (8.7 m). Served practically all its career off New Jersey, first off Cape May and then for four decades off Barnegat Inlet. The Coast Guard has the ship's service history, there is a historic photo of the ship marked as the Five Fathom off Cape May, and Google has a satellite view. The ship was exhibited at Penn Landing in Philadelphia during the 1970s and 1980s. It is now at Pyne Poynt Marina in Camden, where it is reported to be in poor condition, with emergency concrete and plywood patches over holes in its hull. Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. The ship is owned by a group organized by Rod Sadler, the marina owner, and calling itself the Camden Museum & Learning Center. Site status unknown, but there should be a view of the ship from the adjoining Pyne Point Park. Site manager: Pyne Poynt Marine Services. ARLHS USA-040. ** Tinicum Island (Billingsport) Range Rear 1880. Active; focal plane 112 ft (34 m); continuous red light, day and night, visible only along the range line. 86 ft (26 m) hexagonal skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern and gallery; DCB-24 aerobeacon (1989) mounted on the gallery. Entire lighthouse and lantern painted black. The keeper's house and other light station buildings were demolished about 1940. Bob Indrums has a good photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Sibling of Finns Point and Liston (Delaware) range lights. The Coast Guard repainted the lighthouse and made repairs to the handrails in 2000. Located on Second Street at Beacon Avenue in Billingsport, north of Paulsboro. Site open; tours of tower on selected weekends (generally the third weekend of each month, April through October). Owner: U.S. Coast Guard (leased to Borough of Paulsboro). Site manager: Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse Society. ARLHS USA-852; Admiralty J1315.9; USCG 2-3290.

Tinicum Island Range Rear Light, October 2007 Creative Commons photo by Theresa Arzadon-Labajo

Tinicum/Mifflin Range Front (2)

About 1980 (station established 1880). Side-by-side square steel skeletal towers built on the concrete foundation of the original lighthouse, a square "pepperpot" wooden tower. Mifflin Range Front: active; focal plane 48 ft (14.5 m); green light, 1 s on, 1 s off, day and night, visible only along the range line. Tinicum Island Range Front: active; focal plane 38 ft (11.5 m); red light, 1 s on, 1 s off, day and night, visible only along the range line. NJLHS has a small photo (at the bottom of the page), and the shadow of the taller tower is seen in a Google satellite view. Located at Bramell Point in Billingsport, north of Paulsboro and across the river from Philadelphia International Airport. Site and tower closed (surrounding property owned by DuPont Corporation). Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. USCG 2-3285 (Tinicum Range Front) and 3370 (Mifflin Range Front). ARLHS USA-932.

* Finns Point Range Rear (Fort Mott) 1877. Inactive since 1950. 105 ft (32 m) hexagonal wrought iron skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse and lantern painted black. Keeper's house destroyed; a frame oil house survives. Sibling of Liston Range Rear DE. The tower was restored in 1983-84 as a result of local preservation efforts. Jim Tryon has a 2007 photo, and Google has a satellite view. For many years the tower was open on the third Sunday of each month, April through October, but in 2006 staff cutbacks put an end to these openings. Located on Lighthouse Road just off Fort Mott Road in Pennsville. Site open; tower closed. Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Site manager: Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS USA-285. Ship John Shoal (2) 1877 (station established 1854). Active; focal plane 50 ft (15 m); white flash every 5 s; red sector to east and north covers nearby shoals. 45 ft (14 m) tower with lantern and upper and lower galleries, mounted on an iron caisson, and incorporating a 2-story octagonal Empire style keeper's house, protected by rip rap. Solar-powered lens (1997); the original 4° Fresnel lens is at the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Atlantic City. Entire structure, including lantern and caisson, painted red. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s). A fog bell from the lighthouse is on display at the John DuBois Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Diane Ham's photo is at right, and Marinas.com has aerial photos. One of only two lighthouses of this unusual design (the other is Southwest Ledge at New Haven, Connecticut). The lighthouse was exhibited at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. Located about 3 mi (5 km) southwest of Cohansey Point and a similar distance southwest of Sea Breeze. Accessible only by boat; lighthouse cruises from Cape May visit the site. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-758; Admiralty J1272; USCG 2-1640.

Ship John Shoal Light, July 2006 Creative Commons photo by Diane Ham

[Cross Ledge (2)]

1875 (station established 1855). Inactive since 1910. Only the hexagonal granite pier remains of this lost lighthouse, which can be seen in a postcard view posted by the Smithsonian Institution or a second view posted by Huelse. A 2007 photo is available. The remains of the long-abandoned lighthouse were burned by the Coast Guard in 1962. Located about 1/2 mile (800 m) north northwest of Elbow of Cross Ledge Light. Accessible only by boat. Site closed. ARLHS USA-931.

Elbow of Cross Ledge (2)

1954 (station established 1910). Active; focal plane 61 ft (18.5 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off; red sector to east and northeast covers nearby shoals. Approx. 45 ft (14 m) square skeletal tower mounted on a square workroom, built on the round iron caisson of the 1910 lighthouse; enclosed glass lens formerly used on a buoy. Fog horn (2 blasts every 20 s). Tower painted red, workroom white, caisson black. A closeup 2007 photo is available, and the Coast Guard also has a photo of the current tower. The original lighthouse, an octagonal sparkplug tower, was destroyed by a collision with the ship Steel Apprentice in October 1953. Bob Trapani has contributed historic photos of the former lighthouse and the aftermath of the disaster. Located in Delaware Bay about 3 miles northwest of Miah Maull Shoal. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-270; Admiralty J1270; USCG 2-1600.

Miah Maull Shoal 1913. Active; focal plane 59 ft (18 m); white light occulting every 4 s; large red sector covers shoals. 45 ft (14 m) cast iron sparkplug style caisson lighthouse with lantern and double gallery, incorporating 3-story round cast iron keeper's quarters. Original 4° Fresnel lens. Lighthouse painted bright red; caisson is gray. Fog horn (1 s blast every 10 s). Diane Ham has a fine closeup photo. The Fresnel lens may be displayed at East Point Light following completion of restoration there. Located very nearly in the center of Delaware Bay. Accessible only by boat; lighthouse cruises from Cape May visit the site. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-492; Admiralty J1268; USCG 2-1585. * East Point (Maurice River) 1849. Reactivated (inactive 1941-1980); focal plane 43 ft (13 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off; red sector covers nearby shoal. 40 ft (12 m) octagonal cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on the roof of a 2-1/2 story brick keeper's house; 250 mm lens. Light tower painted white, lantern black; building roofs are red. A photo is at right, Anderson has an excellent page for the lighthouse, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The interior was gutted by a fire in 1971. Local volunteers have worked ever since to restore the light station. Exterior restoration was completed in 1998. Two grants of $300,000 each supported restoration of the interior of the building as a maritime museum. Located near the end of East Point Road southwest of Heislerville. Site open, lighthouse open by appointment, on the first Saturday of August, and on special occasions. Owner: N.J. Division of Parks and Forestry. Site manager: Maurice River Historical Society. ARLHS USA-262; USCG 2-1695.

East Point Light, March 2007 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Brandywine Shoal (3)

1914 (station established 1828). Active; focal plane 60 ft (18 m); white flash every 10 s; red sector covers shoals off Cape May. 45 ft (14 m) cast iron sparkplug style caisson lighthouse with lantern and double gallery, incorporating 3-story round keeper's quarters. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s). Lighthouse and caisson painted white with red trim, lantern red. Protected against ice damage by rip rap. The original 3° Fresnel lens is on display at Tucker Island Light in Tuckerton. Part of the screwpile foundation of the previous lighthouse, the nation's first screwpile lighthouse (1850), stands next to the present tower. Diane Ham has an excellent closeup photo, Walter Cushman also has good photos. and Sibling of Miah Maull Shoal. This lighthouse is unusual among sparkplug towers in having an intact canopy over the lower gallery. The concrete foundation was recently restored. The Coast Guard repainted the light in 2000. Located in lower Delaware Bay, inside Cape May. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-076; Admiralty J1264; USCG 2-1555.

Offshore Light

Ambrose (2) 1999. Active; focal plane 76 ft (23 m); white flash every 5 s. Skeletal tower on a 1-story equipment shelter, mounted on a platform supported by four cylindrical legs. Tower painted red. Fog horn (blast every 15 s). This light replaced a 1967 "Texas tower" lighthouse heavily damaged by a collision with the oil tanker Aegeo in October 1996. The new tower was itself damaged in a collision with the freighter Kouros V in January 2001, but it was repaired and remains in service. It also carries a NOAA C-MAN automatic weather station. Located off the entrance to New York Harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-009; Admiralty J1029; USCG 1-0720.

Ambrose Light; NOAA photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Bergen Point (1859-1949), in Newark Bay. ARLHS USA-052.
• Cohansey Creek (1883-1933), Delaware Bay at mouth of Cohansey Creek, near Greenwich. ARLHS USA-1033.
• Deepwater Range Rear (1876-1956), Delaware River at Deepwater. ARLHS USA-219.
• Egg Island Point (1838-1950), Delaware Bay. ARLHS USA-267.
• Fort Mifflin Range Lights (1880-ca.1980), Delaware River at Billingsport; the current Tinicum Range Front Light is built on foundations of former Fort Mifflin Range Front Light. ARLHS USA-932 (front) and 293 (rear).
• Horseshoe Range Lower Front and Upper Front (1881-?), Delaware River. ARLHS USA-383 (lower) and 382 (upper).
• Maurice River Cove Range Lights (1898-1958), Delaware Bay. ARLHS USA-1034 (front) and 1035 (rear).
• Passaic (1859-1930s), Newark Bay. ARLHS USA-933.
• Point Comfort (1856-?), Sandy Hook Bay. ARLHS USA-934.
• Sandy Hook West Beacon (1817-1920s), Sandy Hook Bay. ARLHS USA-1029

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Checked and revised April 6, 2008. Lighthouses: 22. Lightships: 2. Site copyright 2008 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.