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Barnegat Lighthouse

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Barnegat Lighthouse
Barnegat Lighthouse
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LocationBarnegat Light, New Jersey
Coordinates39.764216°N -74.106221°E / 39.764216°N 74.106221°W / 39.764216; -74.106221 Coordinates: longitude degrees < 0 with hemisphere flag
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Tower
Constructed1835 Edit this on Wikidata
Foundation1856
Construction1858
Automated1927
Height172 ft (52 m) [1]
ShapeConical tower
MarkingsRed above, white below
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1859
Deactivated1944 (reactivated 2009)
Focal height50 m (160 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
LensFirst-order Fresnel lens
Intensity100-watts
Range20+ miles[2]
CharacteristicFlashes once every ten seconds

Barnegat Lighthouse, colloquially known as "Old Barney", is located in Barnegat Lighthouse State Park on the northern tip of Long Beach Island, in the borough of Barnegat Light, New Jersey, in the United States. Situated along the Barnegat Inlet, it is the fourth-tallest lighthouse in the United States.

19th century

The development of the original lighthouse began in June 1834 with the appropriation of $6,000 from Congress. The 40-foot tall lighthouse was commissioned the next year, though mariners at the time considered the building's non-flashing, fifth-class light to be inadequate. Due to the strong currents within the inlet, the lighthouse was built 900 feet away from the ocean; but within ten years after the initial construction was complete only 450 feet separated the tower from the shore.

In 1855, Lt. George G. Meade, a government engineer and later a Union hero in the American Civil War, was assigned to design a new lighthouse. He was chosen largely because of his recent design of the Absecon Lighthouse. Meade completed the construction plans in 1855 and work began in late 1856. Due to continuing erosion at the time of construction, the new lighthouse was located approximately 100 feet south of the original structure -- the site of which is now submerged. During construction, in June 1857, the light in the original structure was relocated to a temporary wooden tower located nearby. This was prompted by the encroaching seas which threatened the original lighthouse and ultimately caused the tower to collapse into the water later that year. It is due to the rough waters of the area that several jetties have been built throughout the history of both lighthouses.

Barnegat Light was commissioned on January 1, 1859. The tower light was 165 feet (50 m) above sea level and the lighthouse itself was four times taller than the original; and today stands as the second tallest lighthouse in the United States. The new light was a first-order Flashing Fresnel lens which flashed once every ten seconds at each point of the compass. The total cost of the project, at the time, was approximately $40,000, with the lens alone costing $15,000.[3] The current lighthouse is really two towers in one: the exterior conical tower covers a cylindrical tower on the inside.

20th-21st centuries

The lighthouse's beacon remained a first-class navigational light until August 1927, when the Barnegat Lightship was anchored 8 miles (13 km or 15 km) off the coast. This prompted the automation and the replacement of the first-order lens with a gas blinker. As a result, the tower's light was reduced by over 80 percent. The gas blinker was replaced several weeks later with a 250 watt electric bulb, though the gas apparatus can still be seen at the top of the tower.

The lens was sent to the Tompkinsville Lighthouse Depot on Staten Island, New York. However, the lighthouse's beacon was not extinguished until January 1944, when it was decommissioned by the Coast Guard and given to the State of New Jersey. Four years later, in 1948, the local municipality Barnegat City renamed itself Barnegat Light. In 1954, the lens was returned to the borough of Barnegat Light and now is on exhibit in the Barnegat Light Historical Museum. The area around the lighthouse was declared a State park and dedicated in 1957. The lightship was removed in 1965, made obsolete by electronic navigation.

In 1988, the lighthouse was closed for repair. It re-opened to visitors in 1991. Although its high-intensity light no longer functions, the tower is flood-lit at night and a continuous lantern is lit from dusk to dawn. This lantern is visible out to the horizon on clear nights, but is not intended to be visible during inclement weather (though an active foghorn is still present at the opposite end of the inlet). The top of the lighthouse is accessible via its 217 steps and continues to attract thousands of visitors all year round.

In 2008, the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, a local civic organization, raised funds to reactivate the lighthouse's beacon. A total $35,000 was raised, with $20,000 being contributed by the Barnegat Light Borough Fraternal Order of Police Local Lodge No. 5. These funds supported the acquisition of a new $15,000 Fresnel lens -- the same price as the initial beacon -- as well as the replacement of the aging Plexiglass windows with 48 new polycarbonate windows. Funding was raised entirely at the local level. While the park is maintained and operated by the State of New Jersey, due to a lackluster economy the State was unable to commit any funding toward the project.[3]

In October, 2008, a new 100 watt light was installed within the beacon. The light weighs approximately 42 pounds and is a VRB-25 imported from New Zealand. While it is smaller than the original light, it can still project more than 20 miles out to sea. This requirement was stipulated by the Coast Guard, which required that any new beacon must comply with maritime navigation regulations.[3]

The windows were replaced the following month. As the new windows are clear, they remove what had become a characteristic yellow light due to the previous windows' poor condition; and the clear windows also serve to enable a clearly defined beam of light to pass through.[3] On January 1, 2009, at 5:00 pm, the 150th anniversary of its opening, Barnegat Lighthouse reactivated its beacon for the first time since 1944. [4] Initial estimates place attendance for the event in the thousands, potentially surpassing ten thousand. The light illuminates everyday from dusk until dawn.

Barnegat Lighthouse Interpretive Center

The Barnegat Light Interpretive Center, as seen from above.

Adjacent to the lighthouse is the Barnegat Lighthouse Interpretive Center, which shows the history of Barnegat Lighthouse from shipwreck to first class seacoast light. Exhibits focus on the history of the lighthouse, lighthouse technology, the duties of Barnegat Lighthouse's keepers, and the efforts to protect Barnegat Lighthouse. Other exhibits focus on the cultural history, weather and the natural environment of the local ocean waterfront.

Barnegat Lighthouse was the nominal titular subject of Situation Barnegat Light (ISBN 0-96-493420-5), a science fiction novel published in 1995 by Long Beach Island area resident Bradford Honigsberg. It is also depicted on New Jersey's "Shore Conservation" license plates and on the 1996-1997 Federal Duck Stamp.

References

  1. ^ "Inventory of Historic Lighthouses". National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  2. ^ "Barnegat Light shines again today". The Record. North Jersey Media Group. January 1, 2009. pp. A-4. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d Urgo, Jacqueline (2009-01-01). "'Old Barney' will blaze anew". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. B-1. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  4. ^ "Barnegat Light shines again today". The Record. North Jersey Media Group. January 1, 2009. pp. A-4. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
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