Barnegat Lighthouse
January 1st, 2009 will mark the relighting of Barnegat Lighthouse. It will be 150 years from the day of the first lighting on January 1st, 1859.
In June of 1834, Congress gave $6,000 to build a lighthouse that would stand 40 feet tall. The lighthouse was put into commission in 1835, but, because of the rough sea in June of 1857, the lighthouse crumbled into the sea.
In 1855, Lt. George G. Meade, a government engineer, was given an assignment to design a new lighthouse. Meade’s construction began in 1856. This new lighthouse would exceed the old lighthouse by being four times the height and costing up to $40,000.
Barnegat Light became the second tallest lighthouse in the United States. The tower stands 172 feet above sea level. The lighthouse was first lit on January 1st, 1859, and it remained a first-class navigational system until August of 1927, when “Barnegat Lightship” was created only eight miles off the coast. The lighthouse was officially shut down in 1944, and was opened as a state park in 1957. The Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park decided to fundraise enough money to purchase a new lantern for the lighthouse to celebrate its 150th anniversary. In hearing about the buzz of buying a new light, the Long Beach Island Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5 presented a $15,000 check to the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park for them to buy their new lantern for the lighthouse.
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The new light they purchase will be a smaller light that will replace the original 10-foot-by-8-foot light. The original light still remains at the Barnegat Light Historical Museum. The original light was shaped as a huge beehive and had to be turned every hour in order for it to work. The new light has a self-controlled table that will turn it automatically. It is 20 inches high and 20 inches wide. Do not be fooled by the size--it will still cast light just as far as the original light. Big things do come in small packages.
With Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park not having to pay for the light (which is being shipped from New Zealand), they can now use the money that they have raised to replace the fiberglass panels that surrounded the old lantern with new safety glass.
The new light was originally planned to serve a cosmetic purpose, but the members of Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park realized that with the amount of money and effort being put in to getting the new light, they may as well make it an official aid to navigation once again. So, the lighthouse will once again be able to guide ships.
The festivities of the 150th anniversary celebration began with a countdown to the relighting ceremony, on October 11th. Visitors in attendance of this event got to enjoy the history of the lighthouse and shorebirds. There was a musical performance from bag pipers; a choral group and string ensemble from South Jersey Regional High School performed as well. Then, many resilient visitors took that long climb to the top of the lighthouse--217 steps, to be precise.
The relighting of the Barnegat Lighthouse is going to be a momentous occasion--not just for the residents of Long Beach Island, but also for those who have vacationed and for those who have just come to visit this State Park. January 1st, 2009 will be a day to mark on the calendars. A day for all to remember indeed.
For more information about Barnegat Lighthouse, go to www.barnlight.com.
Photo by Jonathan Carlucci, Division of Parks and Forestry's photographer.
For more South Jersey History, visit our South Jersey History page.
For an extensive list of South Jersey Attractions, with links to websites and other information, check out our South Jersey Attractions page.
Author: Tricia Dove
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