Cape May Lighthouse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cape May Lighthouse
Cape May Lighthouse
Location:	Cape May Point, New Jersey
Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS)	38°55′59″N, 74°57′37″W
Year first lit:	1859
Automated:	1946
Deactivated:	Active
Foundation:	Surface rock
Construction:	Brick, White tower, red cupola
Tower shape:	Conical
Height:	157 feet (48 m) (165 ft above sea level)
Original lens:	Fresnel lens
Range:	24 nm (44 km)
Characteristic:	White, Flashes every 15 sec

The Cape May Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in New Jersey at the tip of Cape May, in the town of Cape May Point. It was built in 1859, was automated in 1946, and continues operation to this day. It is the third fully documented lighthouse to be built at Cape May Point. The first was built in 1823; the second in 1847. 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.

The lighthouse is owned by the United States Coast Guard, which maintains it as an active aid to maritime navigation. The Coast Guard leases the structure and the grounds (but not the navigation equipment) to the State of New Jersey which, in turn, sub-leases the structure and grounds to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC). MAC raises funds for the restoration and upkeep of the structure and allows visitors to climb to the top. On the way, MAC has placed interpretive exhibits about the lighthouse's history, the lives of the former keepers, and other maritime history of the Jersey Cape.

The tower is 157 feet 6 inches 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 thick at the bottom, and 1 foot 6 inches thick at the top. The inside wall is cylinder with 8.5-inch thick walls which support the spiral staircase. The walls were designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force.

[edit] External links

• National Park Service - Inventory of Historic Light Stations
• Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts
• Lighthousefriends.com

v • d • e New Jersey Historic Sites Allaire Village • Barnegat Lighthouse • Batsto Village • Boxwood Hall • Cape May Lighthouse • Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal • Clarke House • Craig House • Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park • Blackwells Mills Canal House • Mule Tenders Barracks • Port Mercer Canal House • Prallsville Mills • Double Trouble Village • Fort Mott • Grover Cleveland Birthplace • Hancock House • The Hermitage • Hillman Hospital House • High Point Monument • Indian King Tavern • Johnson Ferry House • Long Pond Ironworks Historic District • Lusscroft Farm • Monmouth Battlefield • Old Dutch Parsonage • Princeton Battlefield • Ringwood Manor • Rockingham • Skylands Manor & State Botanical Garden • Somers Mansion • Steuben House • Trenton Battle Monument • Twin Lights Lighthouse • Wallace House • Walt Whitman House • Washington Crossing • Waterloo Village • Whitesbog Village

[edit] Gallery

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

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

The lighthouse seen from the Cape May cove

Coordinates: 38°55′59″N, 74°57′37″W

v • d • e U.S. National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register · History of the National Register of Historic Places · Property types · Historic district · Contributing property List of entries National Park Service · National Historic Landmarks · National Battlefields · National Historic Sites · National Historical Parks · National Memorials · National Monuments