Lighthouses tell a story for all

NorthJersey.com ^ | August 19, 2007 | DIANE STONEBACK

[Coleus]

The lighthouses along New Jersey's shore are so much more than photographs on souvenir postcards, subjects for paintings and models for light-catchers in kitchen windows. Although often overshadowed at vacation time by beaches, sun and seashells, they have stories to tell to all who are willing to listen.  Exploring the state's lighthouses is like breezing into history at full sail. "The lighthouses represent the maritime history of the nation, when wooden ships were sailed by iron men," says Brett Franks, spokesman for the 1,000-member New Jersey Lighthouse Society.

Franks, a volunteer at the Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, says, "We tell people what life was like for the keepers, whose job it was to keep the lights blazing from sunset to sunrise and spend the rest of their waking hours maintaining the buildings and equipment." The lights were never designed for their keepers' comfort, he adds. "When the keeper was at his post in the watch room, it could be as cold indoors as it was outdoors in winter," he says. "There was just enough heat to keep the lamp oil from freezing. In summer, it could be very hot, particularly since the men wore wool uniforms.

In winter, they also had to keep the windows from freezing over with ice by washing them down with salt water. Hanging off hand- and footholds on the outside of the light, with snow falling and a good wind blowing, was very dangerous. These men had to have plenty of guts to do their jobs."  Their work was essential for the protection of shipping; in his book "Guarding New Jersey's Shore: Lighthouses and Life-Saving Stations" (Arcadia Publishing, $19.99, 128 pages), David Veasey explains the crucial role they played in the shipping trade.

"New Jersey's flat, low-lying coast, without harbors of refuge, was especially treacherous. Danger lurked in the shoals several hundred yards offshore, running along most of the coast's 127 miles, and in its arms jutting into the sea at Sandy Hook and Cape May," he writes. "A glance at the navigational charts shows why: As ships followed a coastal route north or south in the Age of Sail, winds blowing toward the land could easily drive vessels onto those shoals." Although North Carolina's Cape Hatteras is known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic," Veasey points out that New Jersey has had more documented shipwrecks along its shoreline: Between 1887 and 1911, Coast Guard records show 1,257 shipwrecks off New Jersey, 916 off North Carolina.

Rare architectural structure

But many of the lighthouses have become victims, too -- of time, neglect and the elements. Some have rusted away; others, made of brick or stone, crumbled slowly and dropped into the sea. Eighteen of the lighthouses, light ships and beacons that once stood along the Jersey shoreline have been lost, according to the New Jersey Lighthouse Society; of the 25 that remain, 12 are open to the public, counting the Statue of Liberty, one of whose original functions was to serve as a mariner's beacon.  Visiting the grounds, climbing the towers and checking out historic exhibits and museums offers an opportunity to really understand the role these structures played and, in some cases, continue to play in saving lives.

There are tall lighthouses. Short, stubby ones. A lighthouse that looks like a Victorian home (Sea Girt). A Swiss Gothic-style summer cottage with a tower jutting from its roof (Hereford Inlet, North Wildwood). And a structure resembling the front of a fort (Navesink Twin Lights, Highlands). Travel the coastline and see conical towers; round and rectangular ones, too. Although less appealing to the eye, there also are skeletal towers with black tubes housing the stairs to the top and an open-to-view web of metal poles and cables supporting them.  Check out their day marks (exterior paint schemes), which readily identify the various lighthouses by day. Absecon's tower sports yellow-black-yellow bands, while Cape May has a white tower with a red top. Barnegat is half red (on top) and half white (on the bottom), while Finns Point and Tinicum, the skeletal towers, are solid black.  See them at night, and the lighthouses' night marks (light patterns) provide a different set of identifying features. Sandy Hook has a fixed white beam. Hereford Inlet releases a white flash every 10 seconds. East Point's signal is a red flash on for three seconds and then off for three seconds.

Which lighthouses to see?

Above all, if your muscles and lungs are up for it, climb their stairs for stunning views of the shore. Absecon in Atlantic City boasts 228 stairs; it's the tallest lighthouse in New Jersey and third-tallest free-standing masonry lighthouse in the country. Cape May comes in second in New Jersey, with 199 steps. Start your training by tackling the 45 steps at East Point in Heislerville.  If you don't have time to visit them all, which lighthouses are the must-sees? "That's a tough question for a lighthouse guy to answer," Franks says. "Each light has its own claim to fame." But some have extra claims this year. Absecon, for example, is celebrating its 150th anniversary, with special programs as well as regular tours of the lighthouse. On the 15th of each month for the rest of the year (commemorating the first lighting of the lighthouse on Jan. 15, 1857), there will be a special event; this Wednesday it's a Lighthouse Boat Tour of the inlet between Atlantic City and Brigantine, once known as the "Graveyard Inlet" because of the number of shipwrecks there.

Cape May has developed several programs for the public, including its free Story Telling at the Lighthouse (readings from lighthouse, seashore and maritime literature for younger children) and the Keepers on Duty presentation about what it was like to tend the light. The Spirits of the Light tour includes a trolley ride and visit to the lighthouse, with narration focusing on ghosts and spirits.   The Navesink Twin Lights, a showplace during the golden era of lighthouses, was the first to have a first-order light fueled by kerosene, in 1883, and the first to be electrically powered, in 1898. The south tower became the most powerful lighthouse in the country, with a beam that could be seen 22 miles out to sea. It also was used by Guglielmo Marconi to test wireless communications between ship and shore. Its accompanying lighthouse museum features the Life-Saving Service.

Civil War ties

Sandy Hook is the nation's oldest original operating lighthouse, going into service in 1764, and even was a bone of contention between the Colonists and British soldiers during the Revolutionary War.  Sea Girt's lighthouse, in the style of a Victorian home, is beautifully restored. Hereford Inlet, the only Swiss Gothic-style lighthouse on the East Coast, boasts the grandest keeper's quarters, warmed by five fireplaces. The grounds are covered with attractive flower gardens in summer.  Absecon, Barnegat and Cape May all have ties to one of the Civil War's most famous generals. Surveying and construction were directed by Maj. Gen. George Meade in the years before he commanded the Army of the Potomac at the battle of Gettysburg.

East Point, a Cape Cod-style lighthouse in the marshes on the shore of Delaware Bay and at the mouth of the Maurice River, shows how isolated even shore lighthouses could be -- although those out at sea were much worse. Every one of the lights has its stories and unique traits. The more you know about them, the more difficult it may be pare down your list of must-sees during a shore getaway. That's one of the reasons the Lighthouse Society began its annual Lighthouse Challenge, a two-day immersion course that gives participants the chance to visit 11 lighthouses (the Statue of Liberty is not included in the weekend event).

Some lights, such as East Point, Finns Point and Tinicum, aren't open all that often, Franks notes. "But this is the one weekend a year [always the third weekend in October] when you can get into every one of them," he adds. "Our Lighthouse Challenge is like a road rally for lighthouse enthusiasts" and a fun and educational introduction to the romance of the lights for others. "In the long run, that's what will help us preserve them for future generations, rather than standing by while still more of them crumble into the sea," Franks says.

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UP FOR A CHALLENGE?

The New Jersey Lighthouse Society's eighth annual Lighthouse Challenge is Oct. 20 and 21. Not only are 11 of the state's lighthouses open to the public this weekend, but participants can also take "night climbs," affording an entirely different view of the shore. They'll be offered at Sandy Hook, Tucker's Island, Absecon, Cape May and Tinicum.

The challenge is to visit all 11 lighthouses in the course of the weekend. No sign-ups or advance registrations are required, and you don't have to climb to the top of each. Just plan a strategic route to get to all of the lighthouses within the appointed time. Each lighthouse will give visitors a souvenir token.

Although there is no fee to participate in the challenge, some lighthouses charge admission to climb to the top, while others request donations.

For more information on the challenge and the state's lighthouses in general, contact the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, 856-546-0514, www.njlhs.org.

[Coleus]

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[nmh]

Very interesting.

“In winter, they also had to keep the windows from freezing over with ice by washing them down with salt water. Hanging off hand- and footholds on the outside of the light, with snow falling and a good wind blowing, was very dangerous. These men had to have plenty of guts to do their jobs.”

Didn’t know that ... .

[Coleus]

The Spirits of the Light tour includes a trolley ride and visit to the lighthouse, with narration focusing on ghosts and spirits.