Lighthouse History: Located on the southernmost tip of New Jersey is the quaint town of Cape May, which has a rich maritime history and once boasted a thriving whaling industry.  Ships traveling to and from Philadelphia needed guidance around the dangerous outcropping as they entered and departed Delaware Bay, so officials erected a lighthouse on the peninsula at Cape May.There were two previous lighthouses located on Cape May.  The first lighthouse consisted of an 1823 sentinel, which fell into the ocean as the result of erosion.  Local historians say that bricks from the first lighthouse occasionally wash ashore to this day during storms.  The second lighthouse was a 78 foot tower built in 1847.  It was located directly in front of the present tower just beyond the present day shoreline.  It was replaced by the present lighthouse because it was poorly constructed. 

 The current lighthouse, which stands at 157 feet tall now exhibits a beacon that can be seen 24 miles out to sea and was first lit in 1859. The conical brick tower was erected in on a surface rock foundation. The lighthouse was first lighted on October 31, 1859.  The next year, two lighthouse keeper's dwellings were built.  Only one of the original two keeper's quarters remains standing today and is used by the State Park Service.  The other was destroyed in a fire.  The lantern for light's First Order Fresnel lens was electrified and automated in 1946 which eliminated the need for lighthouse keepers being permanently stationed at the tower. The Cape May light is one of the oldest continually operating lighthouses in the United States.

The active beacon is visible 24 miles out to sea exhibiting a flash every 15 seconds. The station is owned by the state of New Jersey with the beacon apparatus and emergency generator maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.