3 October 13

The 19th and 20th

That is the Hereford Inlet  Lighthouse in Angelsea or North Wildwood NJ.  The event will be the NJ  Lighthouse Challenge.  The first one was held in 2001, I think.  According to the Lighthouse Digest at least.  It was a big deal back then and still is today.  I have been there for each one so this year makes this year my hum, er, aah 13 years.  Jeez, had to use both hands and a part of a foot for that one.  Hereford looked a little different back then.

Different paint job and different time as this was taken in the winter in the late 90's.  I enjoy going there because of the people who run the place and just gathering with other lighthouse freaks.  This is an article I wrote for their news letter a few years back which kinda sums up my ties to them.

"The Making of a Fine Image"

"I met the Hereford Inlet lighthouse in February of 1995 when I was photographing the lighthouses in New Jersey for a poster which was subsequently published later in that year.  Unknown to me at the time, I should have done the photography later in the spring when the Victorian gardens were in full bloom.  I am a professional photographer of some modest renown specializing in lighthouses and other beach and maritime studies.  The original photos I made in 1995 had nothing to do with the “Image” of this light. 

Lighthouses and the history of them, their locations, keepers, legends and or myths have become a favorite topic of not only my vocation but my avocation as well.  There is a sense of history and drama associated each light not found in other historic structures.  I guess the aura of the ocean and the mariners lost at sea lend a mystique to lighthouses.  Each light has its own romance and local devotees eager to work long hours to maintain them. The original Keepers, for the most part, were paid less than $500 per year to keep and maintain their light.  Current “Keepers”, for the most part, are unpaid in dollars but reap much more in the satisfaction of promulgating the legends.

When most ships were powered by wind and sail, sailors were necessarily limited to hugging the coastlines.  Lighthouses were the only sure marker of one’s location and served to warned ships to stay away. Modern shipping is conducted with GPS, radar, and other marvels of the electronic age.  Lighthouses hence have become more of a destination rather than beacons warning of potential disaster. 

North Wildwood is blessed with an historic beacon carrying on the history and mystery of an age long gone.  Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is truly a destination in itself.  Yes, for the lighthouse aficionados there is that.  The Victorian house, the tower, the light, the memorabilia are all there for the lighthouse buff.  But this treasure also affords one of the most unique Victorian gardens on the east coast.  Steve Murray is the Superintendent of Parks for North Wildwood and is responsible for the spectacular plantings surrounding the lighthouse front and back.  With 25 plus years of experience in seashore gardening, Steve has created the setting for the crown jewel of North Wildwood.

I have witnessed and documented, over the last ten years, a total exterior renovation of the physical structure, bringing it back to the way it was when the place was built in 1874.  But the infrastructure, gardens, and location are merely the shell.  A shell held together by the folks who put in many long hours of dedication and pure work.   This is truly a place where people afford other people an opportunity is see, visit, learn, and contemplate.  Steve also serves as the head of the organization.  Betty Mugnier is the unofficial modern day “Keeper” and runs the place with the help of Jane and Marie.  Sam and Ronnie Black run the food concessions when there is an event at the light and Ralph Feindt sells lighthouse caps and other memorabilia to help raise funds.

It is ironic that a place which was originally intended as a signal for mariners to avoid has become a place for folks to gather.  But it seems that lighthouses are just that today, a place for good folks to gather.  And, Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is one of the finest places to gather on the east coast and is truly the crown jewel of North Wildwood.  And that is the image I see."

So in the next week or two I will be busy loading the camels and donkeys for yet another trip north on the Blue Hair Highway.  Pictures will have been framed, matted, and packed.  Posters will be ready to lay out on tables and business cards will have been printed.  I look forward to seeing some of the old regulars that attend each challenge.  Like the Christian motor cycle club that seems to make it each year.  You can hear them coming from miles away.....Harley's you know.  Families with small children in tow.  Historians or just plain the interested.  Sure I'll make some money (pass that on to the IRS please NSA), but the comraderie means more than cash ever will. 

 So, enough drivel...I gotta get to what some would call work!

Great day everyone!