Before the Sea Girt Lighthouse was built, shipwrecks often occurred near the coast. Dangers like rocks and shallow water caused as many as 90 shipwrecks in the 1890s. The coast and Sea Girt Inlet were called Wreck Pond because of the shipwrecks. A lighthouse was needed to see the coast between the Barnegat Lighthouse and the Sandy Hook Lighthouse.

Workers completed Sea Girt Lighthouse in 1896. It was two stories tall and made of red brick. A red light flashed once every second and could be seen for 15 miles. There were 5 lighthouse keepers, including a woman, which was rare. Harriet Yates kept the lighthouse for two months after her husband died.

In 1921 Sea Girt was the first lighthouse to use a radio fog beacon. It sent a radio signal to nearby ships. Captains knew they were near land when they heard it, even if it was foggy and they couldn’t see.

Sea Girt Lighthouse was used until 1955. The Coast Guard thought the lighthouse was no longer needed. Today, local groups use the lighthouse as a meeting place and there are guided tours for visitors and schoolchildren.