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A painting by
Willy Mueller
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History
Barnegat Lighthouse is
located on the northern tip of Long Beach Island, in the town of
Barnegat Light, New Jersey.
The present lighthouse is
the third on the tip of the island. The first lighthouse was a 40 foot
masonry tower constructed in 1834. It had a miserable reputation as a
lighthouse. It stood until 1856, when it became in undulated by the sea
and toppled into the sea during Keeper James Fuller's watch.
Fortunately, the circumstances had been foreseen and the lamps had been
removed and replaced in a temporary wooden tower constructed further
inland.
Construction began on the
present lighthouse in 1857 and was completed in 1858. Because of the
similarity in size to the Absecon Lighthouse to the south, Barnegat
Lighthouse's light was given a different characteristic to help
distinguish from its southerly comrade. The light at Barnegat was a
first-order Flashing Fresnel which flashed once every ten seconds at
each point of the compass. The lens was removed in 1927 when the
Barnegat Lightship took up station off Barnegat Inlet. The lens was
sent to the Tompkinsville Lighthouse Depot on Staten Island, New York.
In 1954, the lens was returned to the town of Barnegat Light and now is
on exhibit in the Barnegat Light Historical Museum. The museum is open
June & September on weekends from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and July
& August, daily from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Today, the Lighthouse is
owned by the State of New Jersey and is the centerpiece of Barnegat
Lighthouse State Park. The park address is Barnegat Lighthouse State
Park, P.O. Box 167, Barnegat Light, New Jersey 08006. The park is open
year round, but the lighthouse is normally only open during the summer
season.
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