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2021 Lighthouse Challenge►
Finn’s Point Light was the second 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. After climbing Tinicum, we headed to our next stop, Finn’s Point.
Like Tinicum, the 1876 Finn’s Point Light is a rear range light, designed to work in tandem with a front range light. The Delaware River meets the Delaware Bay at Finn’s Point. It is named for the Finnish settlers who colonized the area in the 1600s. Today, the light sits on the grounds of the Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. We couldn’t climb this tower due to federal Covid rules, so we grabbed our sticker and a few pictures before moving on to the next stop.
The government dredged the river and widened the channel in 1950, ending the need for the lighthouse. They demolished the keepers dwellings and the rear range iron tower fell into disrepair. The department of US Fish and Wildlife restored the lighthouse and recreated the keepers’ house to serve as the visitor center for the National Wildlife Refuge. They reopened the tower for tours in 2013.
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: Fort Mott & Lighthouse Rds, Pennsville, NJ 08070
Designation: National Register of Historic Places
Date designated/established: August 30, 1978
Date of my visit: October 16, 2021