Hereford Inlet Lighthouse
The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located in North Wildwood, New Jersey, situated on the southern shore of Hereford Inlet at the north end of Five Mile Beach. Its construction was completed and it became operational in 1874.
The 50-foot (15 m) tower and its beacon are visible for up to 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi).[2]
History
Hereford Inlet, a break in the
Hereford Inlet Lighthouse withstood many potential dangers. One of the noted environmental dangers included a storm that hit September 8–12, 1889. According to Mid-Atlantic Hurricanes the storm "occurred when [a hurricane] stalled off the coast … producing erosive, enveloping surf and covering part or all of many barrier islands."[3] Many residents of historic Anglesea fled to the lighthouse for shelter. A more severe storm in August 1913 brought the water dangerously close to the lighthouse, damaging the foundation and threatening the structure. The lighthouse was temporarily closed and the structure was moved 150 feet (46 m) west. It reopened in 1914. A fire later threatened the structure in 1938 while the current keeper, Ferdinand Heinzman, was painting the structure. According to Lighthouse Friends, "A coastguardsman … noticed thick smoke emanating from one of the upstairs windows, called the fire department, and then alerted the occupants of the imminent danger." Heinzman attempted to extinguish the fire but was deterred by the fire. "Undaunted, he procured a ladder and equipped with a garden hose, he climbed to the second story and fought the fire through a window… and saved the lighthouse … An investigation determined that spontaneous combustion had started the fire."
The light was decommissioned in 1964 when the United States Coast Guard constructed an automated skeletal light tower. It is disputed as to when the lighthouse and adjoining Life-Saving Station were turned over to the
Today, Hereford Inlet Lighthouse operates as a fully operating lighthouse and museum. It operates under the City of North Wildwood and the city's North Wildwood Historical Commission. The lighthouse is listed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places as of 1977[4] and it is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail. It is operated and maintained with money generated through donations and Lighthouse fundraising projects.
Keepers
John Marche served as the first lighthouse keeper for less than three months before drowning when his rowboat overturned on returning from the mainland. The next keeper, Freeling "Captain" Hewitt, an American Civil War veteran, served that position for the longest time, 45 years.
See also
- List of museums in New Jersey
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Cape May County, New Jersey
Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b c "Notice to Mariners". Lighthousefriends.com. September 2, 1982. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
- ^ "Midatlantichurricanes.com". www.MidAtlanticHurricanes.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ^ "Preservation effort keeps N.J. lighthouse shining". NJ.com. May 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
References
- Crompton, Samuel Willard. The Lighthouse Book. Barnes and Noble Books, New York, 1999. ISBN 0-7607-1135-6.
- Veasey, David. Guarding New Jersey's Shore:: Lighthouses and Life-Saving Stations. Arcadia Publishing, 2000.
- Cole, John Young, and Henry Hope Reed. The Library of Congress: The Art and Architecture of the Thomas Jefferson Building. W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
- Jones, Ray. Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses, 2nd: Hudson River to Chesapeake Bay. Globe Pequot, 2005.[permanent dead link]
- Woyce, Kevin. Jersey Shore Facts & Photos. Lulu.com, 2007.
External links
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