More than a year after closing for an extensive $1.3 million exterior and interior renovation project, the historic Barnegat Lighthouse will fully open on Saturday, June 10 for park visitors to climb or tour the iconic structure, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette announced today.
Effective Saturday, the lighthouse will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., weather permitting, through Labor Day.
The structure underwent a complete exterior restoration, masonry recoating and repairs to the brick facade, repairs to the interior lantern steel platform, roof repairs, interior painting and the installation of new windows.
New cameras installed at the top of the lighthouse are now connected to a monitor in the park’s interpretive center, providing an ADA-accessible view that previously could only be seen by climbing the lighthouse.
In the coming weeks, this live feed will also be viewable on the State Park Service’s website.
The Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse donated a new beacon light for the lighthouse, as well as new security fencing and security cameras.
The new beacon light can be seen for 26.5 miles and was lighted during an Oct. 29, 2022 ceremony.
After being decommissioned in 1927, Barnegat Lighthouse remained dark until 2009, when the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse donated the previous light, which was activated on Jan. 1, 2009 – exactly 150 years after the structure’s original lighting in 1859.
Constructed in 1856, the Barnegat Lighthouse is a signature destination along the Jersey shore and is listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places.
Located on the northern tip of Long Beach Island in Ocean County, the location was regarded as one of the most crucial “change of course” points for coastal vessels.
Ships bound to and from New York along the New Jersey’s Atlantic coastline depended on Barnegat Lighthouse to avoid the shoals extending from the shoreline. The swift currents, shifting sandbars and offshore shoals challenged the skills of even the most experienced sailors.