Challenge sites

 New Jersey's tallest lighthouse awaits you at Pacific and Rhode Island Avenues in Atlantic City (walking distance from the Ocean Casino Resort.).

Take an amazing journey into time and above it all as you ascend the 228 steps of the Absecon Lighthouse, one of the oldest lighthouses in the country. You'll see breathtaking views of the Atlantic City skyline and up top you'll come face-to-face with the original first-order Fresnel Lens, first lit in 1857.

The lighthouse's recent multi-million dollar restoration also includes a stunning replica of the Lightkeeper's dwelling, an educational museum, charming gift shop, Fresnel Lens exhibit in the original Oil House and expansive grounds.

 The beloved Barnegat Lighthouse is shining again, as it was illuminated on January 1, 2009 - exactly 150 years to the day that it was originally lit in 1859. Thanks to the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse, the nonprofit group dedicated to preserving and promoting the park, funds were raised to purchase a new Coast Guard-approved lens. The new light creates a single beam that can be visible for up to 22 nautical miles. In 1927, the original lens was removed, and was replaced by a lightship anchored off the coast of Barnegat Light. The original lens is still on display down the road at the Barnegat Lighthouse Historical Society's Museum.

 The museum is in the building that was the one-room school for Barnegat Light from 1903 to 1951. The museum is on the National Register of Historical Places. The museum features artifacts, replicas and photographs depicting the history of Barnegat Light and Long Beach Island.

One of the major features in the museum is the First Order Flashing Lens from the Barnegat Light Lighthouse, build by the French Physicist Augustin Fresnel. It was capable of throwing its light 20 miles or more to the horizon. The lens was removed in 1927 when the Barnegat Lightship took up station off Barnegat Inlet. In 1957, the lens was returned to the town of Barnegat Light and now is on exhibit in the museum.

 The present tower, which is the third documented lighthouse at the southern tip of New Jersey, has always been an attention-getting landmark as well as an aid-to-navigation for mariners.

Because it is adjacent to the community of Cape May Point and just two miles from the City of Cape May, it has drawn visitors throughout its history. In 1882, the Cape May Ocean Wave reported that "the gentleman superintendent in charge [of the lighthouse], Mr. Samuel Stillwell, takes pleasure in showing visitors who have the nerve and strength of limb to the top, the interior of the lantern, and explaining the interesting operations of the light. A very picturesque view of the sea, bay, and country may also be obtained from the giddy heights of the edifice."

There are 8 lighthouses located in the Delaware Bay, accessible only by boat.  The oldest is Brandywine Light, lit in 1850.  The newest is Miah Maull, which was permanently lit in 1913.  Take a pictorial tour of the Delaware Bay Lights to learn about the construction and current status of these lighthouses at the East Point Lighthouse during the Lighthouse Challenge.

 The East Point Lighthouse has played an important part in the maritime history of the Maurice River area of Cumberland County, New Jersey. Originally known as the Maurice River Lighthouse, it was erected in 1849 by the United States Lighthouse Establishment. The present name was initiated in 1913. Throughout the years its guiding light has shown fisherman, oystermen, and recreational boaters the way into the mouth of the Maurice River. During the daylight hours, it has been used as a landmark by hunters, trappers, and surveyors.

Although numerous lighthouses once stood along the edge of the Delaware Bay, East Point is the last one remaining on the Jersey side. In fact, it is the second oldest lighthouse standing in New Jersey (only the Sandy Hook Lighthouse of 1764 is older). The lantern room offers a panoramic view of the surrounding land and water and is a favorite subject of photographers and painters alike.

By an act of Congress in 1875, $55,000 was set apart for two pairs of range lights to mark the channel

from the Delaware Bay into the Delaware River. The Port Penn Range was in Delaware. The Finns Point Range was in New Jersey. The Finns Point Front Range Light was a two-story wood-framed dwelling with a square tower built in the marshy ground along the Delaware River. Later, when the channel changed it became a light on a pole in the river. This building eventually was destroyed.

The Finns Point Rear Range Light still stands, rising 115 feet. Manufactured in Buffalo, New York in 1876 for $1200, it was taken apart, moved by rail to Salem, and carried by wagons drawn by Army mules to its present location and rebuilt. It was not completely rebuilt until 1877 and first lit on April 2nd 1877. It is a wrought iron, open-framed pyramidal lighthouse painted black, with a central column containing the staircase. In 1950 the channel in the river was altered and Finns Point Rear Range became obsolete. 

On August 30, 1978 Finns Point Rear Range Lighthouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Site and restored in 1983. The Finns Point Rear Range Light is now part of the US Fish and Wildlife Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Pennsville and is open to the public.

 Twin Lights is situated 200 feet above sea level in Highlands, New Jersey. It overlooks the Shrewsbury River, Sandy Hook, Raritan Bay, New York skyline and the Atlantic Ocean. Twin Lights has been used as an aid to navigation over the coastal waters of NJ since 1828. It was used as the primary lighthouse for New York Harbor and was known as the best and the brightest light in North America. The current lighthouse was built in 1862 and replaced the earlier lights which were beginning to deteriorate. 

 The Sandy Hook Light is the oldest standing lighthouse and the oldest operating lighthouse in the United States. It is the only surviving tower of the 11 lighthouses built in the thirteen colonies during the colonial period from 1716 to 1771.

First lit on June 11, 1764, its thick walls protected it from cannonball fire during the Revolutionary War. The Lighthouse Keeper's Quarters, currently a museum, is the fifth Keeper's Quarters built on the site and was constructed in 1883.

The Sandy Hook Light is a National Historic Landmark. It is also part of the Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground Historic District National Historic Landmark.

 Protecting the shore since 1896.

Sea Girt Lighthouse was built, on the orders of the U.S. Light-House Board, in 1896 to illuminate a dark spot midway in the 38 & 1/2-mile stretch between the Navesink and Barnegat Lighthouses.

Sea Girt Lighthouse is also the last live-in lighthouse built on the Atlantic Coast. A live-in lighthouse has the tower attached to the home. The more typical design is to be found at Sandy Hook and Cape May Lighthouses where the keeper’s quarters are separate from the towers.

 The Squan Beach Life Saving Station was established to respond to near-shore disasters. While residents were shuttering windows against hurricanes and wild northeasters, the station's goal was to rescue victims and to protect property on shipwrecks off the Manasquan Coast. Squan Beach Life Saving Station was first constructed in 1855 and replaced in 1872. The present station was built in 1902. The Duluth Type Station was two stories high with a two-bay wide boat room, living quarters for crew, and separate living quarters for the keeper on the ground floor. Additional living quarters for crew and general storage on the second floor. In addition, the building was fitted with an observation tower rising four stories, getting an excellent view of the immediate offshore.

In its final form, the Squan Beach Life Saving Station No, 9 continued to serve in life-saving operations under the U.S. Life Saving Service until 1915 and then under the U.S. Coast Guard. 

 Visit the Stone Harbor Life Saving Station, built in 1895, it was recently placed on the national Register of Historic Places. Throughout the facility there are murals and displays outlining this stations heritage to our current Coast Guard. The surf men assigned to this station were the heroes of the American Coast. They routinely risked their lives in maritime rescues. The Life Saving Service was the answer to the most basic question of shipwrecked sailors. Who will help us in our time of greatest need? Climb our tower to observe the vistas of the Atlantic Ocean, Hereford Inlet and the back bays that the surf men continuously monitored for ships in distress.

Continuing the theme of serve to our county there are displays and information in our museum depicting activities in our major conflicts since World War I. Of particular interest are artifacts obtained and brought home by our local veterans.

We look forward to sharing our treasures with our visitors.