About this property
The Absecon Lighthouse is a coastal lighthouse located in the north end of Atlantic City, New Jersey, overlooking Absecon Inlet. At 171 feet (52 m) it is the tallest lighthouse in the state of New Jersey and the third-tallest masonry lighthouse in the United States. Construction on Absecon Lighthouse began in 1854, with the light first lit on January 15, 1857. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1933 and, although the light still shines every night, it is no longer an active navigational aid. The lighthouse is open to public visitation and, for a small donation, one may climb to the watch room and external gallery. A re-creation of the keepers' quarters was opened in 2002 and serves as a museum and gift shop. The original oil house now contains a Fresnel lens exhibit. Along with school and group tours, the Absecon Lighthouse offers an overnight program for Scouts, a winter arts program for children, and a wide variety of special events throughout the year. The Absecon Lighthouse was designed by George Meade and still retains its original first-order fixed Fresnel lens. The lens is made of lead glass and weighs 12,800 pounds (5,800 kg) As the light was fixed (non-flashing), it does not have a landward segment allowing visitors to look up in the lens where the keepers entered it for maintenance. Jack E. Boucher conceived and oversaw the preservation of the lighthouse in 1964. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Historic American Buildings Survey, and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places.
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Absecon Lighthouse
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Questions about this property
When was Absecon Lighthouse listed on the National Register?
Absecon Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 24, 1971.
What type of historic resource is Absecon Lighthouse?
Absecon Lighthouse is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Absecon Lighthouse?
The period of significance for Absecon Lighthouse is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1856.
Can I research the history near Absecon Lighthouse?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Absecon Lighthouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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