Name and Location

The Absecon Lighthouse, also known locally as "Old Absecon," is located at 301 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City, Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. Its coordinates are 39.3663321 N, 74.4141541 W.

2. Construction and History

The lighthouse was built between 1854 and 1857, with the first light lit on January 1, 1857. It was constructed during a period of rapid growth in Atlantic City as a coastal resort. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers designed the lighthouse under the direction of Lieutenant George Gordon Meade (later a Civil War general). Over the years, 15 keepers served the lighthouse until the early 20th century. Notable events include the schooner Meta running aground in 1858 and the light being dimmed during World War II to avoid assisting enemy submarines.

3. Architecture and Materials

The Absecon Lighthouse is an Italianate conical brick tower made of red brick laid in English bond, with an interior brick and iron staircase. The tower stands 171 feet (52 meters) tall above its base, with a focal plane of the same height. It has a diameter at its base of 32 feet and at the lantern gallery of 10 feet. The original lens was a third-order Fresnel lens manufactured by Henry-Lepaute in France, replaced in 1864 with a first-order Fresnel lens that is still in place and operated electrically.

4. Light and Navigation

The light characteristic is Fl(3) W 15 s (three white flashes every 15 seconds). The range of the light is approximately 18 nautical miles (21 statute miles). The lighthouse was automated in the 1950s and is monitored by the U.S. Coast Guard (Station ALC–445).

5. Accessibility and Visiting

The Absecon Lighthouse is open to the public year-round, weather permitting. Visitors can access the site through a ticket office at 31 S. Rhode Island Avenue adjacent to the lighthouse base. The elevator and gift shop are located at ground level, but please note that there is no elevator to the lantern room; visitors must climb 228 steps of the spiral staircase.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

From the gallery, visitors can enjoy panoramic vistas of the Atlantic City skyline, beach, inlet channel, and distant Brigantine shoreline.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Visitors sometimes hear "ghost bells" said to be from the schooner Meta when the wind blows offshore. According to local tradition, a young girl named Elizabeth Stroud who died in 1864 after falling from the staircase still whispers in the tower on foggy nights.

8. Technical and Operational Details

The Absecon Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP #71001046) since 1971 and designated New Jersey Register of Historic Places (ID #385). The Friends of Absecon Lighthouse, a nonprofit volunteer organization, manage the site in cooperation with the Atlantic County Department of Parks & Recreation.

9. Further Information

For more information on the lighthouse's history and operations, visit the official site at https://www.abseconlighthouse.org or consult the U.S. Coast Guard Light List, Volume I: Atlantic Coast, National Park Service NRHP nomination form for Absecon Lighthouse (1970), "Absecon Lighthouse: Beacon of the Boardwalk" by the Atlantic County Historical Society (2010), or Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absecon_Lighthouse.