
Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
2021 Lighthouse Challenge►
Tinicum Light was the first stop for us on the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey. Every October the NJ Lighthouse Society runs the challenge in order to raise funds for the state’s historic lighthouses and maritime sites. In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event was mostly virtual. In 2021, it was back on. My friend and I decided to spend the full weekend, stopping at every site on the list and collecting the souvenir piece. In previous years, I’d only finished sections of the course.

Patty and I had lived through some tough times in 2021 and were ready for the brief respite afforded by Lighthouse Challenge weekend. I would also be reporting on our odyssey for my week-long takeover of the Jersey Collective. We hit the road early and headed for our starting point on the Delaware River: Tinicum Light. We picked up our souvenir poster and the first sticker. We’d collect a different sticker at each of the 14 stops. We climbed to the top and spoke to the volunteer a little before heading on to the next stop.

Tinicum is in Paulsboro, NJ and is one of a pair of lights marking a section of the Delaware River. It is still an active navigational aid. By aligning the front and rear range lights and aiming for the center, ships avoid Little Tinicum Island as they travel up the Delaware.

The light was first activated on December 31, 1880 and had keeper’s quarters. The Coast Guard automated the signal in 1933. The Keeper’s homes were demolished in the 1950s, leaving just the steel frame towers.

2021 Lighthouse Challenge posts►
- Tinicum Light
- Finn’s Point
- Fort Mott
- East Point Light
- Cape May Point
- Cape May NWR
- Tatham
- Ocean City
- Absecon Lighthouse
- Tuckerton Seaport
- Barnegat Museum
- Barnegat Lighthouse
- Squan
- Sea Girt Lighthouse
- Navesink Twin Lights
- Sandy Hook Lighthouse
Location: 70 Second Street, Paulsboro, NJ 08066
Designation: National Register of Historic Places
Date designated/established: September 15, 2005
Date of my visit: October 16, 2021
What a fun challenge, sounds like a neat way to explore NJ. Looking forward to seeing the other lighthouses.
Thanks! It was fun…the posts will be sprinkled throughout this year
Nothing better than a road trip coming out of the COVID years especially when there is a goal.
Yes it was a great weekend and we felt we accomplished something 😊
I’m so glad you and your friend were able to treat yourselves after a very difficult year.
Thanks. It was a restorative trip. Hopefully we’ll do another weekend road trip soon…healing after loss of loved ones is a slow process
I’m very sorry for your loss. ❤️
It’s interesting to imagine the area when the lighthouse first opened. There are so many buildings nearby now, and I wonder if it was standing out on its own in the 1880s or if the neighborhood was already built-up then.
I’d imagine those came later. The houses in the surrounding neighborhood don’t look that old… looks like 1920s,30s the oldest
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Dear Teresa,
What an inspiring blog! I have been wanting to do this for a couple of years, but I was busy in the Hudson River Valley visiting homes that weekend for my blog last year. COVID stopped it the year before. I want to do the challenge this year so I can see more of these lighthouses.
Great Blog!
Sincerely,
Justin Watrel, Blogger
VisitingaMuseum/MywalkinManhattan.com
Thanks Justin! Doing the whole thing in 2021 was the best experience. If you are able to give it the whole weekend and have good weather, go for it.
Dear Teresa,
This sounds like an interesting weekend! I have it on my bucket list!
Sincerely,
Justin Watrel
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Pingback: 2021 Lighthouse Challenge: Barnegat Lighthouse - National Parks With T
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