Lower Township near Cape May in Cape May County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Landscape
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2010
1. Landscape Marker
Inscription.
Landscape. . The original landscape of this site was typical of the Cape May peninsula – hollies and red cedars interspersed with beach plums and native grasses. When the Army constructed these cylindrical towers, the original landscape was disturbed. The Army planned to plant “medium growth” trees to partially disguise the tower and make it a less prominent target. There is no evidence that the Army ever planted the oaks and holly trees that they proposed. Soon thereafter, the construction of the Northwest Magnesite plant started changing the local environment. The magnesite plant was located north and west of the tower, just across Sunset Boulevard and towards Sunset Beach. It extracted magnesium salts from seawater to create firebricks to line steel mill furnaces and ships’ boilers. The smoke from the magnesite plant spewed large quantities of very alkaline pollution, killing all of the acid-loving vegetation. Since the closing of the plant in 1983, red cedars, poison ivy, primroses, grasses, sedges and beach-plums have begun to re-colonize the site as the rain has washed away the alkaline surface.
The original landscape of this site was typical of the Cape May peninsula – hollies and red cedars interspersed with beach plums and native grasses. When the Army constructed these cylindrical towers, the original landscape was disturbed. The Army planned to plant “medium growth” trees to partially disguise the tower and make it a less prominent target. There is no evidence that the Army ever planted the oaks and holly trees that they proposed. Soon thereafter, the construction of the Northwest Magnesite plant started changing the local environment. The magnesite plant was located north and west of the tower, just across Sunset Boulevard and towards Sunset Beach. It extracted magnesium salts from seawater to create firebricks to line steel mill furnaces and ships’ boilers. The smoke from the magnesite plant spewed large quantities of very alkaline pollution, killing all of the acid-loving vegetation. Since the closing of the plant in 1983, red cedars, poison ivy, primroses, grasses, sedges and beach-plums have begun to re-colonize the site as the rain has washed away the alkaline surface.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1983.
Location. 38° 56.61′ N, 74° 58.017′ W. Marker is near
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Cape May, New Jersey, in Cape May County. It is in Lower Township. Marker is on Sunset Blvd. (County Route 606), on the left when traveling west. Marker is located near the World War II Lookout Tower. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Cape May NJ 08204, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The background of the marker contains a silhouette of the area showing Fire Control Tower No. 23. Also on the markers are two photographs. One is of “Oenothera humifusa, or the Beach Evening Primrose, [which] is an endangered plant that thrives in the sandy soil of Cape May.” The other is of “The magnesite plant [that] once stood across Sunset Boulevard from Fire Control Tower No. 23.”
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2010
2. Markers in Cape May
Several markers are found at this location. The Landscape marker is seen here on the left.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2010
3. Landscape Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 18, 2010
4. Fire Control Tower No. 23
The marker is located at the base of this World War II Lookout Tower.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 720 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 27, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
