On the corner of Rhode Island and Pacific Avenues in Atlantic City, the looming tower is a striking sight. Rising 171 feet, the Absecon Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey, and the third tallest in the U.S.
Established in 1857, it’s on the National Register of Historic Places and also the New Jersey register.
It’s one of 11 South Jersey lighthouses. Autumn is a good time to visit any of them. Beach season is over, but the lighthouses are open year-round.
For true lighthouse enthusiasts, Oct. 19-20 is the 20th-annual Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey. The public can visit or even climb 10 of the lighthouses, collecting souvenir coins along the way.
This weekend is not the only time to visit South Jersey lighthouses. At any time, they offer interesting and informative sightseeing experiences.
The nearest is the Absecon Lighthouse. It was decommissioned in 1933 but later underwent a five-year restoration project and was opened to the public in 1998.
At the base of the tower is a replica of the lighthouse keeper’s cottage surrounded by an expansive lawn. The cottage is now a small museum and gift shop. On display are historic photos, a map of New Jersey shipwrecks, books such as “Great Storms of the Jersey Shore” and an array of nautical souvenir items.
For many visitors, the main attraction is the lighthouse tower itself, and they are welcome to climb 228 steps of the spiral staircase, leading to the platform at the base of the lens. Here they can enjoy a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic City skyline.
Weddings and proposals have taken place on the platform. Other couples marry on the lawn or on the front porch of the cottage.
Often, visitors are curious about a lighthouse that is located one long block away from the ocean. Actually, when the lighthouse was constructed in 1857, the water extended all the way to Pacific Avenue.
The lighthouse was built on a high dune. Then came beach erosion, and the city did a landfill project and constructed wood and stone jetties. The anchors on the lawn indicate the original water line.
“We joke and say, ‘They didn’t move the lighthouse- they moved the ocean,’” said one staffer.
Unlike the Absecon Lighthouse, the Cape May Lighthouse is situated on the beach at Cape May Point, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.
This 157 foot high lighthouse is one of the most popular attractions on the Jersey Cape. This, too, is listed on National Register of Historic Places and on the NJ Register. It’s one of the oldest continuously operating lighthouses in the U.S. Since 1859, it has helped mariners enter the Delaware Bay
The cast-iron spiral staircase has 199 steps to the viewing platform, with interesting exhibits on all six landings on the way up. At the end of the climb, visitors stand on the outdoor platform to admire the view of the curving coastline, and the merging of the Delaware Bay into the Atlantic Ocean.
The lamp which provides light to mariners is now electrified, using a Fresnel lens. Totally automated, it rotates every 30 seconds, emitting flashes of light every 10 seconds, and is still visible 24 miles out to sea. (the original Fresnel lens, first lit in 1859, is now on display in the Cape May Historical Museum)
For those visitors who aren’t ready to climb 199 steps, the restored Oil House at ground level offers a photo mural showing views from the top, plus a 12 minute video depicting the climb. Also in the Oil House is a museum shop with an array of lighthouse and nautical memorabilia for sale.
These two South Jersey lighthouses and others shed light on the important function and history of lighthouses, the role of the keeper and more.
And they offer the unique chance to enjoy views from the top of the world.