| Barnegat Light
Barnegat, New Jersey
"Old Barney" is located 45 miles south of Sandy Hook, at the north
end of Long Beach Island, at Barnegat Inlet. In 1834 a 40 foot tower was
built here and eventually fitted with a fourth-order lens.
The present tower was erected in 1857/58 and first lit New Year's
Day, 1859. The tower is 165 feet tall, and was originally fitted with a
first-order fresnel lens. Migrating birds were drawn to the light and often
crashed through the lantern. As a result, the dome was reinforced with
wire mesh.
In 1926 the Barnegat Light was transfered to the state of New Jersey,
and its duties were assumed by the Barnegat lightship. In 1944 the Coast
Guard decommissioned Old Barney, and the first-order lens was replaced
with a gas blinker on the roof of the lantern. This odd solution only lasted
a few weeks, although the gas apparatus can still be seen at the top of
the tower. A 250 watt electric bulb replaced the blinker, and remains the
source of Barnegat's light today.
During the 1960's the tower came very close to succumbing to erosion.
Today Barnegat Light stands in a well-maintained park, and the tower is
open daily for climbing.
Old
Barney view 1 Old
Barney view 2
Old
Barney view 3 Old
Barney view 4
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