Barnegat Lighthouse
New Jerseys Most Redeemable Landmark
It’s not the typical day someone would go to the jersey shore. The sky is gray and miserable while the waves are rough and promise frigid temperatures. Yet, to me, this is the perfect day to see one of New Jerseys historic marvels.
As the car rounds a bend on the far northern tip of Long Beach island, Barnegat lighthouse finally comes into view, a welcome sight after over a three hour drive from NYC. The red and white bricks which make up the looming structure, contrasting it starkly against the overcast clouds and dreary rain.
I was lucky on this day. The lighthouses closes its doors at 3pm, I arrived at 2:45pm. Just in the nick of time. Although part of me does feel bad for the park ranger who had to sit at the bottom of the stairs, waiting to close, while I ascended the 217 steps up the 172 foot tower.
After a long ascent up the spiraling vibrant yellow steps, I finally reached the top. Thats when I was hit with a touch of vertigo as I realized how high those steps had actually taken me. I looked out over the Atlantic and the nearby towns on Long Beach Island while I clung to the wall, despite the viewing point being caged in. (I Don’t do especially well with heights.)
Barnegat lighthouse sits on the south side of Barnegat inlet, across from the Barnegat peninsula, which is at the mouth of Barnegat Bay. The lighthouse is located by the town of Barnegat light, which is adjacent to the town of Barnegat on the mainland. Thats a lot of Barnegat related things, so I began to wonder, what the hell does Barnegat even mean? Why is everything named that?
The Bay, inlet, and region where Barnegat lighthouse would eventually be built were first mapped by Europeans in 1609 by Henry Hudson while he was sailing for the Dutch East India Company. The name Barnegat is derived from the dutch Barendegat, meaning roughly inlet of breakers. In other words the bay has some really turbulent and choppy waters, so much so that everything around is named for it.
Now, on to the history of the lighthouse itself. The original structure was originally constructed in 1834 standing a measly 40 feet tall. It was located 900 feet from the ocean, but within ten years half of that distance had been covered by the strong currents, vindicating the Dutch in their appropriate naming of the region.
Finally in 1859 the 172 foot tower that stands there today was constructed. It cost $40,000 dollars ( Roughly $1,530,944 today) with the light alone being somewhere around $15,000 ($574,104).
The lighthouse stood for 112 years becoming a staple of the local community. So much so in fact that the town of Barnegat City was changed to Barnegat Light in 1948 to honor the structure and its significance. Then in 1951 the surrounding area was declared as Barnegat Lighthouse state park, and in 1971 the lighthouse itself was added to the national registrar of historic places.
Flash forward to today, where the lighthouse still remains as a staple of the community and region. Its picturesque stature and in depth history provide for a magnificent day trip down to the shore. In my opinion, Barnegat Lighthouse has earned its status a quintessential lighthouse of the east coast.