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History
This 115 foot tall iron tower with skeleton support structure was
constructed in 1877, at 39° 37' 02" by 75° 32' 03". The iron
rings that
make up the tower were driven to the site by Army mule trains driven by
soldiers. It was automated in 1939, but discontinued in 1951, due to a
change in the shipping channel. The keeper's house was demolished in
1977 after being repeatedly damaged by vandals. Other than the
lighthouse itself, the oil house is the only remaining original
structure.
In 1981 local citizens formed a "Save the Lighthouse
Committee"
spearheaded by Mrs. Betty Husarik, a local businesswomen, and
sucessfully lobbied Congress to appropriate funds to refurbish the
tower.
The lighthouse is usually open the third Sunday of each month
from
April to October from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. The lighthouse is on the
National Register of Historic Places, and is situated near the junction
of Fort Mott & Lighthouse Roads in Pennsville, New Jersey. It is
part of Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
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