The first lighting of the Absecon Lighthouse occurred on 15 January 1857. Construction of the lighthouse began under the direction of Major Hartman Bache of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lieutenant (later General) George Mead replaced Bache and oversaw completion of the structure. The United States decommissioned the light in 1933. The lighthouse is owned by the State of New Jersey and leased to the Inlet Public Private Association. The Association maintains the 171-foot lighthouse and reconstructed the light keeper’s house; the two buildings now operate as a museum.

The 2006 grant helped fund the repainting of the lighthouse tower from the ground up to, and including, the distinctive black stripe.

For more information, visit: http://www.abseconlighthouse.org/