History
Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, in North Wildwood, New Jersey, United States (Formerly Anglesea, NJ) was first used by whalers in the 17th century. Though the area was frequented, environmental conditions such as shifting sandbars and strong currents created reason for concern and in 1849, A life-saving station was built along the inlet. With shipwrecks on the rise throughout America, the United States Life Saving Service was founded 22 years later and a larger Life-Saving Station would replace the existing one. Being on Hereford Inlet for only one year, the United States Life Saving Service recognized the need for a Lighthouse and they included in their annual report that, "A small light, say a fourth order, is respectfully recommended for this place, as it would be of importance to the coal trade and to steamers navigating the Delaware Bay and River, and to mark the entrance to the inlet, where there is a good harbor of refuge for small coasting vessels." Finally, on 10 June 1872, Congress acted to fund the erection of a fourth-order light along the New Jersey shoreline. On 7 July 1873, Humphrey S. Cresse sold the 1.5-acre (6,100 m2) site to the U.S. government for $150. The lighthouse was designed by Paul J. Pelz, who also designed Hereford Inlet's sister stations, Point Fermin, East Brother, Mare Island, and Point Hueneme (since replaced) in California and Point Adams in Washington State in essentially the same style. The United States Army Corps of Engineers undertook construction of the lighthouse on 8 November 1873, completing it on 30 March 1874. A "Notice to Mariners" issued 11 May 1874 announced the operation of the light on the north end of Five Mile Beach.
Hereford Inlet Lighthouse withstood many potential dangers. One of the noted environmental dangers included a storm that hit between September 8-12 of 1889. According to Mid-Atlantic Hurricanes the storm "occurred when stalled off the coast… producing erosive, enveloping surf and covering part or all of many barrier islands." Many residents of Historic Anglesea fled to the lighthouse for shelter. A more severe storm in August of 1913 brought the water dangerously close to the lighthouse, damaging the foundation and threatening the structure. The lighthouse was temporarily closed and the structure was moved 150ft West. It reopened in 1914. A fire later threatened the structure in 1938 while the current keeper, Ferdinand Heinzman, was painting the structure. According to Lighthouse Friends, "A coastguardsman … noticed thick smoke emanating from one of the upstairs windows, called the fire department, and then alerted the occupants of the imminent danger." Heinzman attempted to extinguish the fire but was deterred by the fire. "Undaunted, he procured a ladder and equipped with a garden hose, he climbed to the second story and fought the fire through a window… and saved the lighthouse… An investigation determined that spontaneous combustion had started the fire."
The light was decommissioned in 1964 when the United States Coast Guard constructed an automated skeletal light tower. Disputes are made as to when the lighthouse and adjoining Life-Saving Station were turned over to the New Jersey State Police's Marine Services Unit. It is argued that the transfer occurred in 1963, just before the tower was constructed, other say that it occurred when the buildings were no longer needed. The Life Saving Station remains used by the New Jersey State Police today, however, the lighthouse was boarded up and left unused until 1982 when locals petitioned to take over the building. In 1886, the light was transferred from the skeletal tower into the lighthouse and Hereford Inlet was opened as a privately owned light. The grounds were taken over by North Wildwood's superintendent of parks, Steve Murray. It is also noted that, at the time of the lighthouse's closure, it had been painted white with red trim and blue shutters. In 2003, it was restored to its historically accurate "buff" color.
Today, Hereford Inlet Lighthouse operates as a fully operating lighthouse, museum, and gift shop. It operates under the volunteers of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Commission. According to the Lighthouse Commission's website, the Hereford Lighthouse is listed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places as of 1977 and it is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail. It is operated and maintained with money generated by Lighthouse tours, the gift shop and various fund raising projects.
Read more about this topic: Hereford Inlet Light
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