The Cape May Lighthouse Station was established in 1823 with a 68 foot brick tower. This was replaced with a 78 foot tall tower in 1847. The third and existing tower was completed in 1859. The new tower was built 147 feet tall and housed a first order rotating Fresnel lens. The classical optic was replaced in 1946 with a rotating aero beacon which was in turn replaced in 2003. Four keeper's houses have served at the site, one being built in 1847, two in 1860 and the last in 1903. Today only one of the 1860 houses remains along with the 1893 brick oil house. The lighthouse station was leased to the State of New Jersey in 1986 and was sub-leased to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC). In 1992 the lighthouse was deeded to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Division of Parks and Forestry and is now an attraction in the Cape May Point State Park. MAC continues to manage the lighthouse and has been successfully restoring and interpreting this historic site.

The Cape May Lighthouse was painted in its historical paint scheme of a beige tower topped with a red lantern and re-opened to the public in 1994. The lighthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and continues to be an active aid to navigation displaying a white flash every 15 seconds visible for 24 nautical miles. The optic is maintained by the US Coast Guard.

February 2003 Issue, New Beacon For Cape May. By Bob Trapani Jr. The historic DCB-36 beacon that was in continuous use for 56 years was retired and replaced with a new optic. With the pre planning and extraordinary efforts of the US Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team, the exchange was completed in 10 hours and the light was only darkened for one night. Please go to the Lighthouse Digest Magazine Archives for the full article. Lighthouse Digest magazine not only keeps the history of our lighthouses alive both in print and on line, but it is the best single source to keep current on all aspects of lighthouse preservation, news and events

The Cape May Lighthouse is located at the southern tip of New Jersey and easily accessible by road.
Directions: From the southern end of the New Jersey Garden State Parkway continue straight onto State Route 109 southbound. Continue on SR 109 for 2.15 miles to a right turn onto Bank St. In one block turn left onto Broad St. In one block continue straight onto Jackson St. In two blocks, Jackson St. becomes West Perry St, continue straight on W. Perry St (westbound). W. Perry St becomes County Route 606 Sunset Blvd. Continue westbound on Sunset Blvd for about 1.2 miles to a left onto Seagrove Avenue. Turn left onto County Route 629 Light House Avenue. The Cape May Lighthouse is located in the Cape May Point State Park; the entrance will be on your left.

"The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) is a multi-faceted non-profit organization that promotes the restoration, interpretation and cultural enrichment of greater Cape May for its residents and visitors. With a membership of over 5,000, a paid staff of 160 and some 300 volunteers, MAC offers a year-round calendar of tours and special events that serves more than 380,000 people each year. Through its sponsorship of cultural and heritage tourism, MAC has helped transform Cape May from a "summer only" beach resort to the country's leading Victorian theme destination." Please visit the MAC website for information on the Cape May Lighthouse as well as the Cape May region.

Division of Parks and Forestry for information on Cape May Point State Park hours and facilities.

For more photographs and history of the Cape May Lighthouse, you can visit the:

United States Coast Guard Historians' Official Web Site

Lighthouse Explorer Database