, colloquially known as "'''Old Barney'''", is located in
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park on the northern tip of
Long Beach Island , in the borough of
Barnegat Light ,
New Jersey , in the
United States . It sits along the
Barnegat Inlet .
The development of the original lighthouse began in June 1834 with the appropriation of $6,000 from
Congress . The 40-foot tall lighthouse was
Commissioned the next year, though
Mariners at the time considered the building's non-flashing, fifth-class light to be inadequate. Due to the strong currents within the inlet, the lighthouse was built 900 feet away from the ocean; but within ten years after the initial construction was complete only 450 feet separated the tower from the shore.
In 1855, Lt.
George G. Meade , a government
Engineer and later a
Union hero in the
American Civil War , was assigned to design a new lighthouse. He was chosen largely because of his recent design of the
Absecon Light house. Meade completed the construction plans in 1855 and work began in late 1856. Due to continuing erosion at the time of construction, the new lighthouse was located approximately 100 feet south of the original structure -- the site of which is now submerged. During construction, in June 1857, the light in the original structure was relocated to a temporary wooden tower located nearby. This was prompted by the encroaching seas which threatened the original lighthouse and ultimately caused the tower to collapse into the water later that year. It is due to the rough waters of the area that several
Jetties have been built throughout the history of both lighthouses.
Barnegat Light was commissioned on tower covers a
Cylindrical tower on the inside.
The lighthouse's beacon remained a first-class navigational light until August 1927, when the Barnegat Lightship was anchored 8 miles (13 km or 15 km) off the coast. This prompted the
Automation and the replacement of the first-order lens with a gas blinker. As a result, the tower's light was reduced by over 80 percent. The gas blinker was replaced several weeks later with a 250 watt electric bulb, though the gas apparatus can still be seen at the top of the tower.
The lens was sent to the
Tompkinsville Lighthouse Depot on
Staten Island ,
New York . However, the lighthouse's beacon was not extinguished until January 1944, when it was decommissioned by the
Coast Guard and given to the State of
New Jersey . Four years later, in 1948, the local municipality Barnegat City renamed itself Barnegat Light. In 1954, the lens was returned to the borough of Barnegat Light and now is on exhibit in the
Barnegat Light Historical Museum . The area around the lighthouse was declared a
State Park and dedicated in 1957. The lightship was removed in 1965, made obsolete by electronic navigation.
In 1988, the lighthouse was closed for repair. It re-opened to visitors in 1991. Although its high-intensity light no longer functions, the tower is flood-lit at night and a continuous lantern is lit from dusk to dawn. This lantern is visible out to the horizon on clear nights, but is not intended to be visible during inclement weather (though an active foghorn is still present at the opposite end of the inlet). The top of the lighthouse is accessible via its 217 steps and continues to attract thousands of visitors every summer.
Barnegat Lighthouse was the nominal titular subject of ''Situation Barnegat Light'' (ISBN 0-96-493420-5), a
Science Fiction novel published in 1995 by Long Beach Island area resident Bradford Honigsberg. It is also depicted on
New Jersey 's "Shore Conservation" license plates.
