Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T!
2021 Lighthouse Challenge►
East Point Light was on the first leg for us during 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 visiting Finn’s Point and Fort Mott on the Delaware River, we continued south to East Point.
The East Point Light, formerly known as the Maurice River Light, is the second oldest lighthouse in New Jersey. Built in 1849, it stands watch over Delaware Bay at the mouth of the Maurice River.
The light was deactivated in 1941 and lay neglected until it was reactivated by the Coast Guard in 1980. It underwent a complete restoration in 2017 and is now open to the public as a museum. The beacon is an active navigational aid.
This lovely light may be my favorite on the tour. We toured the well-kept rooms and climbed to the tower for the view of Delaware Bay.
The point is eroding, endangering the lighthouse. These giant sandbags (above) are the latest effort to keep this treasure from washing out to sea. We were lucky enough, while walking outside, to sight one of the resident bald eagles circling the meadow.
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: 10 Lighthouse Rd, Heislerville, NJ 08324
Designation: National Register of Historic Places
Date designated/established: August 25, 1995
Date of my visit: October 16, 2021
