Sea Girt Lighthouse
Located at Beacon & Ocean Avenue, Sea Girt
In the late 1800’s, it became necessary to illuminate the long coastline between Sandy Hook and Barnegat Inlet. To this end, Congress appropriated $20,000.00 to purchase land near the Manasquan Inlet to build a lighthouse.
The constructing of the lighthouse did not begin until 1895. It was completed and first illuminated on the evening of December 10, 1896. The Sea Girt Lighthouse became the last live-in lighthouse built on the Atlantic Coast.
Almost a decade later, an inspection of the lighthouse was preformed and revealed that the structure was eighty feet to the nearest high water mark. The ocean had crept up on the lighthouse by such a degree that in the 1920’s the government feared it would crash into the sea. Water lapped at the base, making it necessary for steel pilings to be installed on the seaward side. In 1921, the Sea Girt Lighthouse became the first shore lighthouse to be equipped with a radio fog signal.
The lighthouse was used up until the 1950’s, when operational costs and the change of shipping lanes factored into the decline of the practicality of the lighthouse. It was offered for sale to The State of New Jersey, however, the offer was declined. The borough of Sea Girt stepped in and acquired the property.
The lighthouse was, for a long time, used as a meeting group for various civic groups. In 1980, a group called “The Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizen’s Committee” leased the property from the town for twenty-five years. The group repainted, refurnished and updated the lighthouse, making it possible for visitors to tour this historical site to this day.
Tours run every Sunday afternoon through November. For full schedule, call 732-974-0514. |
