Sea Girt Lighthouse: The Community Beacon

The Jersey Shore lighthouse that stands in Sea Girt has beena guiding beacon for seafarers since the end of the nineteenth century. Arevolutionary lens, designed by Frenchman Augustin-Jean Fresnel, captured theflickering flame of a burning wick and projected a unique flash that could beseen for fifteen miles. The genius of Fresnel’s design, on full display at thelighthouse, impresses as much now as it did in the days of sail. Many colorfulcharacters were put in command here, including a Civil War soldier, apioneering woman, an inventor and, for one day, the twenty-year-old daughter ofa keeper. Sea Girt Lighthouse played an important role in defending the coastduring World War II, when U.S. Coast Guard troops stood watch in the tower andpatrolled the beaches. After its decommissioning, the lighthouse served forover two decades as the town library and recreation center, but by 1981, it wasat risk of being closed and sold. That’s when a group of community members-theSea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee-successfully fought to save and preservethe shore landmark. Today, the lighthouse is the community beacon, alive withactivity and attracting visitors who flock from around the country and theworld to experience its history.