Located at Ocean Avenue and Beacon Boulevard, Sea Girt, NJ, this quaint lighthouse is more House, but still a lovely place to visit. It's also part of the NJ Lighthouse Challenge. The volunteers who greet you on tours are super jam packed with knowledge about the history of this lighthouse and the surrounding area. The building looks like a regular home and is filled with history, artifacts and information. Make sure to check out the information they have on local shipwrecks! It's also a fun lighthouse to climb too. Across the street is a beautiful boardwalk and beach. A great way to spend a lazy Summer afternoon or any time of the year.
In the late 1800’s, it became necessary to illuminate the long coastline between Sandy Hook and Barnegat Inlet. Congress appropriated $20,000.00 to purchase land near the Manasquan Inlet to build a lighthouse.
The construction 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. Operating costs and the change of shipping lanes were two reasons for decline in the use of Sea Girt Lighthouse. It was offered for sale to The State of New Jersey, but the offer was turned down. The borough of Sea Girt then stepped in and purchased 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. This made it possible to open up full of history and charm!
Tours run Sundays, 2-4 p.m., except holiday weekends, from early May through the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
In the late 1800’s, it became necessary to illuminate the long coastline between Sandy Hook and Barnegat Inlet. Congress appropriated $20,000.00 to purchase land near the Manasquan Inlet to build a lighthouse.
The construction 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. Operating costs and the change of shipping lanes were two reasons for decline in the use of Sea Girt Lighthouse. It was offered for sale to The State of New Jersey, but the offer was turned down. The borough of Sea Girt then stepped in and purchased 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. This made it possible to open up full of history and charm!
Tours run Sundays, 2-4 p.m., except holiday weekends, from early May through the Sunday before Thanksgiving.
