Published On: Mar 16, 2007
31 Rhode Island Av, North
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
The Abescon Lighthouse tour is a State-owned historic monument in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Inlet Public / Private Association, Inc. is the body that is responsible for its administration. Not so long ago the area around the lighthouse was quite run down with nearby building boarded up, cracked and damaged sidewalks, and a fair amount of trash needing to be cleared up.
Today, however, that has all changed. The entire area, which lies just to the north of all the casinos, has been revitalized. The famous New Jersey lighthouse ranks as one of the top attractions in Atlantic City. Along with the accommodation for the keepers, the lighthouse was fully refurbished in 2001.
Abescon Lighthouse is not the tallest lighthouse in the USA. That honor goes to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in North Carolina, which stands tall and proud at 191 feet high. It isn't even the second tallest in the USA. That honor goes to Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse in Florida, which stands 175 feet high. It is, however, the third tallest lighthouse and it stands at 171 feet high, just slightly lower than its nearest rival.
General George Meade is the man responsible for building Abescon Lighthouse in 1857. It was built on sand dunes very close to the water, and it had a first-order Fresnel lens installed from the beginning. In fact, it still has this lens and is now the only New Jersey lighthouse to be still able to make this claim.
There are 228 steps to climb to get to the top of this Atlantic City attraction. It is worth every step however, as the views are impressive to say the least. Not only can the visitor see all of the Atlantic City area, but there are also excellent views of nearby Brigantine, located on a small island to the north of Abescon Island.
The lighthouses on America's east coast all have distinctive colorings and markings to distinguish them from each other and let passing ships know which lighthouse they were approaching. Abescon Lighthouse has undergone many color changes in its history.
The original color scheme was a white background sporting a red central band. This soon changed to an off-white, almost yellowish background with a black central band. Following its decommission in 1933, the color scheme reverted back to its original. But since its recent refurbishment, it once again has its pre-1933 yellowish with black band color scheme.
The Abescon Lighthouse stands in two acres of its own ground. It has its own parking facilities, and apart from Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it is open to the public all year round for a modest charge. Most people probably come to Atlantic City to see, or to play in, the casinos. But just two minutes walk away from the boardwalk and the casinos stands a prominent part of American history that is well worth a visit. The spectacular views alone make it worth the time, if only just to put Atlantic City into perspective in the greater New Jersey background.
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