Barnegat Lighthouse & State Park

Located on the north end of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, Barnegat Lighthouse was first lit in 1859—more than two decades after the site was originally established as a light station. This is the second lighthouse built at the location; the first, constructed in 1835, collapsed into the inlet just three years later. The current structure is a 165-foot-tall conical brick and iron tower, painted red above and white below, and originally housed a first-order Fresnel lens. After the light was deactivated in the 20th century, the lens was stored in various locations before being entrusted to the Barnegat Light Historical Society in the 1950s. The original three-story Victorian-style keeper’s cottage was dismantled in the 1920s, with its materials salvaged. In 1927, the lighthouse was officially shut down and replaced by a lightship anchored eight miles offshore, which later served as a lookout for German submarines during World War II. The tower underwent renovation in 1991 and is now owned by the State of New Jersey, managed by the Historic Site Commission within the Division of Parks and Forestry, part of the Department of Environmental Protection. Listed on both the State and Federal Registries of Historic Places, Barnegat Lighthouse is the second most visited historic site in New Jersey—surpassed only by the Statue of Liberty. 

North Tip of LEI Barnegat Light, NJ (609) 494-2016