Philatelic Photograph: Barnegat Lighthouse - Long Beach Island - Barnaget Light, NJ

Barnegat Lighthouse

Long Beach Island

Barnaget Light, NJ

N 39° 45.861 W 074° 06.365

Short Description: 

Barnegat Lighthouse "Old Barney" is located at the northern end of Long Beach Island in Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, Ocean County, NJ.

Long Description:

Barnegat Light built by the Federal Lighthouse Board from 1857 to 1858. It was first lighted on January 1, 1859. The tower light is 172' above sea level and was the second tallest lighthouse in the United States. It remained a first-class navigational light until August 1927 until the Barnegat Lightship was anchored 8 miles off shore. At that time the light was diminished but not fully extinguished until January 1944. The tower is flood-lit at night.

The lighthouse underwent repairs in 1988 and reopened to the public in 1991 and attracts thousands of visitors each year as a museum. The lighthouse was refitted with a first order Fresnel lens and re-lit January 1, 2009 by the Friends of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. It maintains the original flash pattern and is visible for 22 nautical miles. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

The stamp was issued as part of a set of six stamps by the Bailiwick of Jersey, a self-governing parliamentary democracy under the British crown in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy, France, to commemorate the 350th anniversary of New Jersey.