Page 23 - 2023 Southern NJ Vacationer

Lighthouse is a state historic site and the third beacon on this site. Still an active aid to navigation, it was restored and is maintained by Cape May MAC, while the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the light, itself.
Mark your calendar now, Cape May MAC offers nighttime climbs in 2023 at the Cape May Lighthouse, with Lighthouse Full Moon Climbs on select full moon dates, and Stairway to the Stars offered during select new moon dates. For more information about Cape May MAC’s Lighthouse climbs to the moon and stars visit www.capemaymac.org
At one time, these beacons of light could be found across all America’s shorelines. For decades, back to the 19th century, light keepers – or keepers of the light – tended and cared for lighthouses, tall, friendly sentinels that never surrendered their duties. Today, it’s preservationists who tend and care for these historic structures along the ocean and bay from Cape May Point north to Atlantic City and west into Delaware Bay.
Known as the Maurice River Lighthouse when it was built in 1849, the East Point Lighthouse was automated in 1911 and decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1941. With no keepers, the building soon deteriorated and was damaged by fire in 1971. The Maurice
River Historical Society, with federal and state funds, restored the two-story Cape Cod style brick structure with its bright red roof topped with a black lantern room. It is the last remaining lighthouse on the New Jersey side of the Delaware Bay and the second oldest standing lighthouse in the state. 856-785-0349; www.eastpointlight.com
The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, built in 1874, is the only lighthouse of its kind on the East Coast and only one of three in the nation. The residential Stick-Style building was both the keeper’s house and the light tower in one structure. Considered a harbor light, it marked the entrance to Hereford Inlet. After a severe storm undermined the building’s foundation it was moved about 150 feet west to where it sits today. In 1964 the Coast Guard automated the light and the building fell into disrepair until 1982 when the building was leased to the City of North Wildwood and restoration started. In 1986 the automated light that had been placed in an iron tower behind the lighthouse was moved back to the lantern room making it a fully functional navigational aid. The interior of the building is furnished with period antiques and educational displays. www.herefordinletlighthouse.com
The Historic Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City is the oldest manmade tourist attraction on the Jersey Shore since it was first lighted in 1857, and it’s the tallest lighthouse in the state. For decades the light guided mariners safely back to shore before it was decommissioned in 1933 and the light extinguished. In 1999, after years of restoration, the lighthouse opened to the public. 609-449-1360. www.abseconlighthouse.org
Tatham Life Saving Station: Built in 1895, it is the oldest building in Stone Harbor and has been in continuous service to the county as an American Legion Post and a museum, honoring the history of the lifesaving service, the United States Coast Guard and the military.
The Ocean City Life Saving Station:
Dating from 1886, it was one of 45 stations along the New Jersey coast before the modern-day Coast Guard was formed in 1915. Today, the station is the only surviving example of the four 1882-Type stations built in New Jersey, and one of six surviving buildings of this type built between 1882 and 1891.
Both the Tatham and Ocean City Life Saving Stations are listed on The National Register of Historic Places, as are East Point, Cape May, Absecon and Hereford Inlet lighthouses. G
SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY VACATIONER 21