Barnegat Light in Ocean County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Maritime Sentinels
Aids to Navigation
— Maritime History —
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 19, 2010
1. Maritime Sentinels Marker
This marker is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route.
Primary seacoast lights were located to warn mariners of their proximity to land, areas of danger, and to help set their course. Sandy Hook and Navesink Twin Lights marked the entrance to New York Harbor. Cape May and Cape Henlopen Lighthouses marked the entrance to the Delaware Bay.By 1852 lighthouses and lightships often looked so much alike that it was difficult to distinguish one from another. Today, each lighthouse has a “characteristic” or coded sequence of light flashes making it possible for the mariner to identify the light and its location along the coast. For example, Barnegat Light’s “characteristic” was a flash every ten seconds at each point of the compass.
Each lighthouse is also designed or painted in a distinctive pattern, called a “daymark,” which makes it easy to identify by day. Absecon Lighthouse is painted yellow-black-yellow so mariners will not mistake it for any other lighthouse. Some lighthouses, especially those located on dangerous shoals, are also equipped with fog signals to warn mariners of potential danger.
Erected by
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Landmarks. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1852.
Location. 39° 45.812′ N, 74° 6.385′ W. Marker is in Barnegat Light, New Jersey, in Ocean County. Marker can be reached from Broadway, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Barnegat Light NJ 08006, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. All Shapes, Sizes and Materials (here, next to this marker); Massacre at Long Beach (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Salty Survivors (within shouting distance of this marker); Lighthouse Keepers of Barnegat Light (within shouting distance of this marker); Maritime Forest Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Vigilant Guardian (within shouting distance of this marker); Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Barnegat Lighthouse (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Barnegat Light.
More about this marker. Photos of local lighthouses appear along the bottom of the marker. These include Sandy Hook Lighthouse, Gateway NRA, NJ; Navesink Twin Lights Lighthouse, Highlands, NJ; Cape May Lighthouse, Cape May, NJ; Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, Delaware; Absecon Lighthouse, Atlantic City, NJ; and Barnegat Lighthouse, Long Beach Island, NJ. The Cape Henlopen Lighthouse photo has a caption of “Plagued for nearly a century and a half by erosion and shifting sands, a severe storm toppled the old lighthouse on April 13, 1926. (Photograph provided by the Delaware State Archives)”
Also see . . .
1. Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. New Jersey Division of Parks & Forestry website. (Submitted on August 22, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 19, 2010
2. Maritime Sentinels Marker
2. New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. National Park Service website. (Submitted on August 22, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 19, 2010
3. Maritime Sentinels Marker
Barnegat Lighthouse can be seen behind the marker.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
4. Sandy Hook Lighthouse
Photographed By Thomas Christopher Anderson, July 14, 2018
5. Barnegat Lighthouse
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
6. Navesink Twin Lights Lighthouse
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2010
7. Cape May Lighthouse
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 19, 2011
8. Absecon Lighthouse
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 19, 2010
9. Barnegat Lighthouse
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2018. It was originally submitted on August 22, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 740 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 22, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 5. submitted on July 14, 2018, by Thomas Anderson of Haddon Township, New Jersey. 6, 7. submitted on August 22, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 8. submitted on August 21, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 9. submitted on August 22, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
