Lower Township near Cape May in Cape May County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Welcome to the Cape May Lighthouse

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 17, 2022

1. Welcome to the Cape May Lighthouse Marker

Inscription.
For almost two centuries, a lighthouse beacon has stood here at the southern tip of New Jersey, guarding the entrance to the Delaware Bay. The present tower was constructed in 1859. Standing 157½ feet tall, it is the third lighthouse on this site, replacing earlier structures built in 1823 and 1847. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the present lighthouse is owned by the State of New Jersey (Division of Parks in the Department of Environmental Protection), and is still operated by the U.S. Coast Guard as an active Aid to Navigation. Since December 1986, the Cape May Lighthouse has been leased to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC), a non-profit organization located nearby in Cape May. MAC has assumed the responsibility of restoring the lighthouse, interpreting it as a historic site, and opening it to the general public.

You may begin your Lighthouse visit at the Oil House, which contains an Orientation Exhibit and the Lighthouse Museum Shop.

Erected by The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

lists: Communications • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1986.

Location. 38° 55.988′ N, 74° 57.613′ W. Marker is near Cape May, New Jersey, in Cape May County. It is in Lower Township. It can be reached from the intersection of Light House Avenue (County Road 629) and Lehigh Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 215 Light House Ave, Cape May NJ 08204, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on New Jersey’s Jersey Shore.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Maritime Sentinels (here, next to this marker); Lighthouse Keepers' Homes & Gardens (a few steps from this

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 17, 2022

2. Welcome to the Cape May Lighthouse Marker

marker); Oil House (a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Oil House (a few steps from this marker); Monomoy Lifesaving Boat (a few steps from this marker); A Beacon to Freedom (a few steps from this marker); The Cape May Lighthouse (a few steps from this marker); A Woman Leads the Lighthouse (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cape May.

Other markers no longer nearby. Welcome to the Cape May Lighthouse (has been replaced with this marker); All Shapes, Sizes and Materials (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

A view of the lighthouse from the visitor center image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 17, 2022

3. A view of the lighthouse from the visitor center

Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 350 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 19, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.