The light is visible 24 miles out to sea and flashes every 15 seconds. Click here for applications. The Cape May Lighthouse is located in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, New Jersey. Built in 1870 on the site of a previous structure, it stands 208 feet (63 metres) high and is the tallest masonry lighthouse in the country. The State Park offers many opportunities for nature lovers, including the Hawk Watch platform and well-developed and marked nature trails, and guided walks and programs are offered. The Oil House on the grounds contains a fully accessible Visitors’ Orientation Center and Museum Shop. The Cape May Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the U.S. state of New Jersey at the tip of Cape May, in Lower Township's Cape May Point State Park. The Lighthouse actually has two separate walls. Built in 1859, the current lighthouse used the original bricks of the 1847 lighthouse. More than 2.5 million visitors have climbed the lighthouse since it opened to the public in 1988. The 1st Cape May lighthousewas erected during 1823 and only lasted 24 years as the encroaching surf created foundation problems. The Lighthouse is located at Cape May Point State Park. The outside wall is cone-shaped, and is 3 feet 10 inches thick at the bottom, and 1 foot 6 inches thick at the top. In 1933, the lighthouse became automated with the use of electricity. Keepers’ pay averaged $600 a year around the turn of the 20th century. In the 1980s, the Coast Guard began to lease historic lighthouses to local preservation groups who could preserve and restore these important structures. The Cape May Lighthouse in Cape May Point State Park was built in 1859. Whether you choose to climb or stay below, you’ll surely enjoy an awesome experience. The inside wall is a cylinder with 8.5-inch thick walls which support the spiral staircase. As the steward of four historic sites and the storyteller of more than 200 years of area history, Cape May MAC is well aware that, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse is now owned by the Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse Friends with Director Jeff Stewart at the helm and will be eventually opened to the public for access to this historic light. Celebrate National Lighthouse Day at the Cape May Lighthouse! Dismiss, Copyright 2020 Cape May MAC (Museums + Arts + Culture) | All Rights Reserved |. Visitors who climb the 199 steps to the top of the lighthouse are rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. It is said to be the 2nd oldest continually operating lighthouse in the United States. Yes. (609)884-5404, Our Museum Shops will be closed for inventory the first week in January, therefore orders placed after 12/31/20 will not ship until 1/11/21. Plenty of free parking. A non-profit organization headquartered at the Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May, Cape May MAC assumed the responsibility of restoring the lighthouse, interpreting it as a historic site and opening it to the public. There is documentation that shows that the English had intentions of building a lighthouse in the Cape May area dating back to 1785 when land was purchased from Thomas Hand II … The outside wall is cone-shaped, and is 3 feet 10 inches (1.17 m) thick at the bottom, and 1 foot 6 inches (0.46 m) thick at the top. One has since burned, but the other is still standing, on the other side of the fence, near the entrance to the tower. The tower is 157’6” tall and there are 217 steps from the ground to the top. In 1821, Congress appropriated money for the construction of a lighthouse at Cape May Point, and that lighthouse was completed in October, 1823. The lighthouse has been dark for 75 years. History Program Resources Research. Discover Bunker At Cape May Point in Cape May, New Jersey: World War II bunker still standing on the New Jersey beach. In 2013, MAC celebrated the 25th anniversary of the opening of the lighthouse to the public for climbs. The process of restoration took over 15 years (1987-2002), and was funded by nearly $2 million in grants, principally from the New Jersey Historic Trust and the Inter-Modal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) program, administered by the State Department of Transportation. This lighthouse is owned and operated by the Lighthouse Inn on whose property the tower rises. A special note, Cape May Lighthouse is operated as a museum, which you can climb, by the Mid Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities. In 1859, the second lighthouse was razed and the present lighthouse was constructed, a thousand feet further inshore. The Lighthouse was staffed by keepers who worked for the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The present tower, which is the third documented lighthouse at the southern tip of New Jersey, has been an aid-to-navigation for mariners and attraction for visitors since it was built in 1859. However, the current lighthouse was not the first one at Cape May Point. Cape May Lighthouse 215 Lighthouse Avenue (Rt. Walk the 199 steps up to the watch gallery for a panoramic view. General Eagle Bear Icebreakers Lightships Lifeboats & Small Craft Lighthouse & Buoy Tenders Facilities & Stations Missions. The keeper also used one as a small office. History The first work of the new U.S. Federal government, the first Cape Henry lighthouse was built of Aquia and Rappahannock sandstone by John McComb Jr. and was completed in October, 1792. It is the third fully documented lighthouse to be built at Cape May Point. There is a museum with live reptiles and nature displays where information on park services is available, plus information on the history of the area and of the World War II Bunker, located on the beach. The lighthouse in what is now Cape May Point State Park has marked the entrance to the Delaware Bay since 1859. For those who choose not to climb, the Oil House on the grounds contains a fully accessible Visitors’ Orientation Center and Museum Shop carrying souvenirs, books and maritime items. The state park offers many amenities for nature lovers and family fun. The walls were designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force. CAPE MAY LIGHT. The first was built in 1823; the second in 1847. and River Lighthouses, Lightships and their Keepers." The park is generally open sunrise to sunset; Lighthouse hours for climbing vary with the season and are listed on our website or in “The Week in Cape May.”. The State of New Jersey leases the structure and grounds to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). The United States Congress authorizes the construction of a lighthouse "… on or near the pitch of Cape Lookout." There is abundant free parking for all types of vehicles, and rest rooms are available in the State Park buildings. Station established: 1823 First lighthouse: a conical tower constructed in 1823 with a … The blame was put on poor construction, maintenance, and just an overall bad job. Cape May MAC supervised the restoration of the lighthouse windows and doors, the addition of safety improvements, the restoration of the oil house which is at the entrance to the lighthouse grounds, the restoration of the lantern roof and windows, the interior walls and staircase, an archaeological investigation that located the original privies and walkways and the restoration of the grounds. Built in 1859, the Cape May Lighthouse is still an aid to navigation. [6], The lighthouse is owned by the state of New Jersey after ownership was transferred from the Coast Guard in 1992, which maintains it as an active aid to maritime navigation. The Lighthouse and Lake Lily are located at: County Route 629 and Lehigh Avenue Cape May Point, NJ … There are 217 steps from the ground to the top, with 199 steps in the tower's cast iron spiral staircase. "Our mission is to preserve the history of the Delaware Bay. The U.S. Coast Guard continues to operate the light as an active aid to navigation. 1-United States Naval Air Station Wildwood, List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_May_Lighthouse&oldid=983708530, Transportation buildings and structures in Cape May County, New Jersey, Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey, Tourist attractions in Cape May County, New Jersey, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Pages using infobox lighthouse with NRHP heritage, Pages using infobox lighthouse with NRHP embedded, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2015, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, place listed on the National Register of Historic Places, This page was last edited on 15 October 2020, at 19:58. Covered pavilions are available for picnicking, which must be reserved through the state park offices. [1] The exact locations of the first two lighthouses are now underwater due to erosion. 2018-10-09 08 35 20 View of Saint Mary by-the-Sea Retreat House and the Cape May Lighthouse from the beach in Cape May Point, Cape May County, New Jersey.jpg 4,032 × 3,024; 4.14 MB The first known lighthouse at Cape May was built in 1823. Bass River Light perfectly epitomizes the beauty of Cape Cod and it’s history. Summertime programming is offered to introduce visitors to the history of the Lighthouse and is free of charge. One of three tall seacoast lighthouses in New Jersey (the others being Absecon and Barnegat), the present lighthouse was built in 1859 and marks the entrance to the Delaware Bay. A special note, Cape May Lighthouse is operated as a museum, which you can climb, by the Mid Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities. In the 1940's the lens was removed from the tower, eventually it was put on display at the Cape May County Historical Museum in Cape May Court House. Just shy of 200 steps, climbing the lighthouse at Cape May Point is good exercise and a good history lesson. Though no longer used as a navigation aid, it is a popular park attraction. The State of New Jersey owns the Lighthouse, but the Coast Guard maintains the beacon apparatus. A rotating aero beacon replaced the historic lens. https://capemaywhalewatcher.com/a-brief-history-of-the-cape-may-lighthouses Cape May Lighthouse / Lake Lily The Cape May Lighthouse in Cape May Point State Park was built in 1859. Take advantage of the light of the full moon and let it guide you up the 199 stairs to the starry top. Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse is now owned by the Brandywine Shoal Lighthouse Friends with Director Jeff Stewart at the helm and will be eventually opened to the public for access to this historic light. The lives saved by these lighthouses are countless both in history and on a daily basis. It is the 3rd lighthouse to be constructed at Cape May Point, #NewJersey. The Lighthouse is located in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township. Towering 157.5 feet above the southernmost tip of the state, its distinctive beam flashes once every 15 seconds and is visible 24 miles out to sea. [7] MAC has installed interpretive exhibits about the lighthouse's history, the lives of the former lighthouse keepers, and other maritime history of the Jersey Cape for visitors who climb. The inside wall is a cylinder with 8.5-inch-thick (220 mm) walls which support the spiral staircase. The exact locations of the first two lighthouses are now underwater due to erosion. The Cape May Lighthouse, built in 1859. This 157 foot, 6 inch tall lighthouse located at the tip of Cape May, New Jersey, dates back to 1859 and remains active to the present. 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