PO Box 83
Sea Girt, NJ 08750
(732) 974-0514
http://www.seagirtboro.com/sglighthouse.html
This beautiful Light, its tower nestled within an L-shaped Victorian building, first lighted the seafarer's way on December 10, 1896. The structure had been more than six years in the making, its initial financing appropriated in 1889.
Sea Girt did its job with a 4th order Fresnel lens with a red French chimney. It flashed its revolving red light for two seconds out of six. Like most lights of the era, Sea Girt's turned on ball bearings and was driven by clockworks. One winding ran the light for seven and one-half hours.
In 1921 Sea Girt was one of three area Lights (one of which was a Lightship) to emit radio beacons, pioneering the use of the radio compass as a navigational aid. During World War II the Lighthouse was used as a training facility for the Coast Guard, though the Light was actually blacked out during this time. With the advent of modern electronics such as radar, the era of the lighthouse was coming to an end. Sea Girt was decommissioned in 1945.
Today the Light is operated by the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee and is the meeting place for a host of local organizations. Sea Girt is open for Guided Tours once per month during the warmer months. Groups are welcome as well as families, and while there are no specific programs, a Tour has educational value for School Groups.
Hours: Open most Sundays from 2 - 4pm. Call to confirm. Groups at other times by appointment
Admission: FREE. Donations appreciated.
Reservations: 2 weeks.
Lunch: Nearby restaurants.
Handicapped: Limited.
Directions: NJ Tpke North to I-195 East to end to Rt. 38 East to Rt. 35 South. Go about 2 miles and turn left onto Ocean Rd. Go to Rt. 71 and turn right. Go about 4 blocks to Beacon Blvd. and turn left. Turn left at end onto Ocean Ave.
Time: 60 - 90 minutes northeast of Philadelphia.
Nearby: Allaire Village , Robert J. Novins Planetarium , Cooper Environmental Center , Popcorn Park Zoo , Monmouth Battlefield State Park , Toms River Maritime Museum , Ocean County Historical Society .