East Point Light, Maurice River Township, New Jersey
EAST POINT (MAURICE RIVER) LIGHT
Location: Near Heislerville, Maurice River, Delaware Bay
Station Established: 1849
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1849
Operational? YES
Automated? YES 1911
Deactivated: 1941-1980
Foundation Materials: STONE
Construction Materials: WHITEWASHED BRICK
Tower Shape: OCTAGONAL ON ROOF OF SQUARE HOUSE
Height: 40 feet
Focal Plane: 43 feet
Markings/Pattern: BLACK LANTERN ON HOUSE W/RED ROOF
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: SIXTH ORDER 1849
Chronology:
- 1849, 10 September: The lighthouse was established with an octagonal tower in the center of a Cape Cod style house. This was the second lighthouse built in the state.
- 1911: The light was automated.
- 1913: The name changed from the Maurice River to the East Point Lighthouse.
- 1941 The USCG decommissioned the lighthouse and it quickly fell into disrepair.
- 1971, July: Fire almost destroyed the building as the Maurice River Historical Society, which was founded earlier that year, was in the process of obtaining the lighthouse from the state.
- Mid-1970s: Fundraising allowed for the rebuilding of the roof and the lantern lost in the fire.
- 1980, 2 July: The USCG reinstated a beacon in the tower to act as an active aid to navigation.
- 1999: The first phase of the exterior restoration was completed.
- 2002: The grounds are open year round. There is an annual open house to tour the lighthouse.
Chronology was researched and written by Diane Hackney.