Cape May Lighthouse

Lighthouse in New Jersey, United States

Lighthouse

Cape May Lighthouse

Cape May Lighthouse

Location| Lower Township, New Jersey
Coordinates| 38°55′58.8″N 74°57′37.5″W﻿ / ﻿38.933000°N 74.960417°W﻿ / 38.933000; -74.960417
Tower
Constructed| 1823
Foundation| Surface rock[1]
Construction| Brick, biegetower, red cupola[1]
Automated| 1946[1]
Height| 157 feet (48 m)[1] (165 feet (50 m) above sea level)
Shape| Conical
Heritage| National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
First lit| 1859; 166 years ago (1859)[1]
Deactivated| Active[1]
Focal height| 50 m (160 ft)
Lens| First-order Fresnel lens[1] (original), VRB-25[2] (current)
Range| 24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi)
Characteristic| White, Flashes every 15 sec

Cape May Lighthouse

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

New Jersey Register of Historic Places

NRHP reference No.| 73001090[3]
NJRHP No.| 998[4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| November 12, 1973
Designated NJRHP| June 15, 1973

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. It was built in 1859 under the supervision of U.S. Army engineer William F. Raynolds, was automated in 1946, and continues operation to this day.

Cape May Lighthouse is the third fully documented lighthouse to be built at Cape May Point. The first was built in 1823 and the second in 1847.[1][5] The exact locations of the first two lighthouses are now underwater due to erosion. There are 199 steps to the top of the Lighthouse. The view from the top extends to Cape May City and Wildwood to the north, Cape May Point to the south, and, on a clear day, Cape Henlopen, Delaware, to the west. Within immediate view are Cape May Cove and Battery 223, a harbor defense battery originally built during World War II. Cape May Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1973.[6]

The Cape May Light is located in Lower Township, but is also a point of identity for Cape May Point as it uses the lighthouse as a logo for municipal-owned vehicles. Mayors of the two municipalities previously had a conflict over in which municipality it was located.[7]

## Operation

[edit]

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 State of New Jersey leases the structure and grounds to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC).[1] MAC raises funds for the restoration and upkeep of the structure and opens the lighthouse to the public for climbs to the top.[8] 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. In 2013, MAC celebrated the 25th anniversary of the opening of the lighthouse to the public for climbs. From its opening in May 1988, over 2.1 million people have paid to climb to the top. Every October, the Cape May Lighthouse is a participant in the New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge, a statewide event.[citation needed]

## Design

[edit]

The tower is 157 feet 6 inches (48.01 m) tall, from the ground to the tower's cast iron spiral staircase. There are 217 steps from the ground to the top, with 199 steps in the tower's cast iron spiral staircase. The lighthouse has two separate walls. 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. The inside wall is a cylinder with 8.5-inch-thick (220 mm) walls which support the spiral staircase. The walls were designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force.[9] The original revolving lens was manufactured by Henry Lepaute in Paris and has a 6-foot (1.8 m) inside diameter.[10] This first-order Fresnel lens was moved to the Cape May County Courthouse.[5]

## Gallery

[edit]

* View from the beach at sunset

* Cape May Lighthouse (early evening)

* The top of the Cape May Lighthouse on July 4, 2005

* The US and NJ flags at Cape May Lighthouse

* The lighthouse seen from the Cape May cove

* September sunset from Cape May cove

* The view from the top of the Cape May Lighthouse on July 4, 2005

* View from the Delaware Bay

* Lighthouse viewed from Lighthouse Pond

## See also

[edit]

* New Jersey portal

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cape May County, New Jersey

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Inventory of Historic Light Stations – New Jersey". Maritime Heritage Program. National Park Service. 2004-11-05. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
2. ^ "History of the Cape May Lighthouse". Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
4. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Cape May County" (PDF). NJ DEP – Historic Preservation Office. March 1, 2011. p. 3\. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
5. ^ a b "Inventory of Historic Light Stations – New Jersey – Cape May Light". 2012-11-04. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
6. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Cape May Lighthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved September 1, 2018. With accompanying pictures
7. ^ Degener, Richard. "New Lower Township police cars roll in black and white", The Press of Atlantic City, May 22, 2009. Accessed July 3, 2011. Article info and Image caption – Quote: "The department on Thursday unveiled its new emblem featuring a picture of the Cape May Lighthouse, which is located next to Cape May Point State Park, and, like the park itself, is actually in Lower Township. Mayors in Lower Township Cape May and Cape May Point have sparred in years past over claims to the lighthouse."
8. ^ "About MAC" Archived 2013-10-13 at the Wayback Machine. Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
9. ^ "Structure of the Cape May Lighthouse". Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
10. ^ Tomlin, Charles (1853), Cape May Spray, retrieved 2021-07-28

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cape May Lighthouse.

* Cape May Lighthouse – Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities Archived 2015-11-07 at the Wayback Machine
* National Park Service Archived 2006-01-27 at the Wayback Machine – Inventory of Historic Light Stations
* Lighthousefriends.com

* v
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* e

Lower Township, New Jersey

Settlements|

* Cold Spring
* Diamond Beach
* Erma
* Miami Beach
* North Cape May (independent until 1945)
* Rio Grande (part)
* South Cape May (independent until 1945)
* Villas

Schools|

* Lower Township SD
* Lower Cape May Regional SD
* Lower Cape May Regional HS

NRHP listings|

* Battery 223
* Cape May Lighthouse
* Owen Coachman House
* Cold Spring Grange Hall
* Cold Spring Presbyterian Church
* Fire Control Tower No. 23
* Fishing Creek Schoolhouse
* George Hildreth House
* Naval Air Station Wildwood
* Octagonal Poultry House
* Jonathan Pyne House
* Rio Grande station

Other|

* Cape May Airport
* Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum
* Cape May–Lewes Ferry
* Cape May Point State Park (parts)
* Cape May Winery & Vineyard
* Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery
* Historic Cold Spring Village
* Sunset Beach
* Turdo Vineyards & Winery

This list is incomplete.
Some areas considered to be Rio Grande are in Lower Township though the census-designated place (CDP) itself is in Middle Township.
Cape Christian Academy formerly had campuses in Lower Township.
St. Raymond Catholic School merged into Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cape May which merged into what became Wildwood Catholic Academy.

* v
* t
* e

Lighthouses of New Jersey

Main: List of lighthouses in the United States

* Absecon Lighthouse
* Barnegat Lighthouse
* Brandywine Shoal Light
* Cape May Lighthouse
* Chapel Hill Rear Range Light
* Conover Beacon
* Cross Ledge Light
* East Point Light
* Elbow of Cross Ledge Light
* Finn's Point Rear Range Light
* Great Beds Light
* Hereford Inlet Light
* Ludlam's Beach Light
* Miah Maull Shoal Light
* Navesink Twin Lights
* Robbins Reef Light
* Romer Shoal Light
* Sandy Hook Light
* Sea Girt Light
* Ship John Shoal Light
* Tinicum Island Rear Range Light
* Tucker's Beach Light
* Waackaack Rear Range Light

* v
* t
* e

New Jersey Historic Sites

* Allaire Village
* Barnegat Light
* Basking Ridge white oak
* Batsto Village
* Boxwood Hall
* Cape May Light
* Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal
* Clarke House
* Craig House
* Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park
* Blackwells Mills Canal House
* Port Mercer Canal House
* Prallsville Mills
* Double Trouble Village
* Fort Mott
* Glen Rock
* Grover Cleveland Birthplace
* Hancock House
* The Hermitage
* Hillman Hospital House
* High Point Monument
* Indian King Tavern
* Jockey Hollow
* Johnson Ferry House
* Long Pond Ironworks Historic District
* Monmouth Battlefield
* Old Dutch Parsonage
* Princeton Battlefield
* Ringwood Manor
* Rockingham
* Skylands Manor & State Botanical Garden
* Somers Mansion
* Steuben House
* Trenton Battle Monument
* Navesink Twin Lights
* Wallace House
* Walt Whitman House
* Wahington's Crossing
* Waterloo Village
* Whitesbog Village

* v
* t
* e

National Register of Historic Places in Cape May County, New Jersey

Landmarks|

* Cape May Historic District

Districts|

* Dennisville Historic District
* Marshallville Historic District
* Naval Air Station Wildwood Historic District
* Ocean City Residential Historic District
* South Tuckahoe Historic District

Places of
worship|

* Calvary Baptist Church
* Cold Spring Presbyterian Church
* New Asbury Methodist Episcopal Meeting House
* Saint Peter's-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church
* Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue

Houses|

* J. Thompson Baker House
* Thomas Beesley Jr. House
* Thomas Beesley Sr. House
* Caribbean Motel
* Chateau Bleu Motel
* Owen Coachman House
* Joseph Falkinburg House
* Judge Nathaniel Foster House
* John Wesley Gandy House
* George Hildreth House
* John Holmes House
* Thomas Leaming House
* Henry Ludlam House
* Thomas Ludlam Jr. House
* Jonathan Pyne House
* Reeves-Iszard-Godfey House
* Rufwud Cottage
* William S. Townsend House
* Whilldin–Miller House

Buildings|

* Avalon Life Saving Station
* Battery 223
* Cold Spring Grange Hall
* Hangar No. 1-United States Naval Air Station Wildwood
* Fire Control Tower No. 23
* Fishing Creek Schoolhouse
* The Flanders Hotel
* Goshen School
* Marine National Bank
* Ocean City 34th Street Station
* Ocean City City Hall
* Ocean City Life-Saving Station
* Ocean City Tenth Street Station
* Octagonal Poultry House
* Old Cape May County Courthouse Building
* Rio Grande Station
* Tuckahoe Station
* U.S. Life-Saving Station No. 35

Structures|

* Brandywine Shoal Light
* Cape May Lighthouse
* Hereford Inlet Light
* TBM-3E Avenger Torpedo Bomber

Sites|

* John Corson Jr. House Site

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Cape May County, New Jersey and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

Geographic|

* ARLHS
* OLL
* Admiralty: J1256
* MarineTraffic
* USCG: 2-0155

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