I've been doing these Lighthouse of the Week posts for several years now, and while I know that there are numerous lighthouses in the world, I'm always slightly surprised when I encounter a prominent, well-known lighthouse that I haven't featured before. Such is the case with this week's light.
The lighthouse is the Barnegat Lighthouse, in New Jersey. It was actually raised by Union General George Meade, most famous for being the victorious general at Gettysburg in the Civil War. As you'll see, the Lighthouse Directory says it was established in 1835 but built in 1859, which was just before the war started.
The location of this lighthouse is here. It's on a New Jersey barrier island, Long Beach Island, about halfway between Atlantic City to the south and Asbury Park to the north.
The excerpted entry from the Lighthouse Directory is below.
"1859 (George G. Meade) (station established 1835). Reactivated (inactive 1944-2009); focal plane 163 ft (50 m); white flash every 10 s. 172 ft (52.5 m) brick tower with lantern and gallery. The Barnegat Light Museum, located nearby in a former schoolhouse, displays the original 1st order Fresnel lens. The lower half of the tower and the lantern roof are painted white, the upper half of the tower is bright red. ... A major restoration was completed in 1991. The tower is threatened by beach erosion; in 2001 the Army Corps of Engineers spent $1.38 million for a rock seawall to protect it. However, a Corps survey showed the tower is leaning 22 inches (56 cm) away from the vertical. In 2003 the state spent $500,000 to repaint and restore the tower. In September 2008 it was announced that the lighthouse would be relit on New Year's Day 2009. In 2011 town officials were negotiating to lease the light station from the state. In August 2012 a lightning strike knocked out the light, and several months of repairs were needed to restore it. The lighthouse closed in 2022 for a $1.3 million restoration of the exterior of the tower."
There are several links about this one, so I've listed a couple of them below.
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey (Lighthouse Friends)
Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse
As is my usual custom, I finish with the pictures.
No comments:
Post a Comment