The 9th of the 3rd

ABSECON LIGHTHOUSE

One of the lighthouses that I have found most difficult to photograph is the one in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  No rocky shores or sandy points with ideal waves crashing at this one.  Inner city urban landscape where they try to do their best to offer a decent view of this piece of history.

The shoals of Absecon and Brigantine had to be marked by a light of some sort in the early 1800’s when Atlantic City was but a small ocean side village.  The Lighthouse was first authorized in 1837 but not built and lit until 1857.  Built by the active Lt. George G. Meade of civil war fame, the tower was erected on a stone foundation, which rested on a wooden platform.  The structure rose 150 feet and was fitted with a first order Fresnel lens as was befitting a coast line light house.

Shipwrecks had been many along that coast on the aforementioned shoals, but after it’s construction the incidents of wrecks in the first months became nil.  In 1872 the tower was white with a red band around the middle but in the latter part of that century, the light was painted orange with a black middle band.  Until 1998 tower was white and red. It has been since painted a light yellow with a black band.  The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1932 and was turned over to the state.  It is now the centerpiece of a town park.

I wrote the above some years ago as a part of the image package I was selling and it gives a little insight into the history of the place.  They still have the Fresnel lens in the tower room which can be seen in this image of the top of the tower.