East Point Lighthouse
Overlooking the mouth of the Maurice River and the Delaware Bay, and ringed by marshes and scrub, the East Point Lighthouse sits quietly in its red brick splendor as a monument to the traffic that once frequented the Delaware Bay and Maurice River. The East Point Lighthouse is the second oldest lighthouse in New Jersey; only the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, in Monmouth County, is older.
In 1894, the Lighthouse Board claimed that “some 500 sailing vessels are engaged in the oyster trade on the Maurice River during the season,” and that they “give employment on average to 1500 men; in addition, a number of coasting vessels visit this river, and the establishment of manufacturers at Millville, N.J. is increasing the marine traffic.” They used this claim as justification to build a set of range lights at the entrance to the river.
Almost 50 years earlier, the East Point Lighthouse was built. At the time, it was called the Maurice River Lighthouse. The odd thing is, instead of being built due to the needs of the community or sailing vessels, it was built because of the intense persistence of one man: Joshua Brick.
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In the beginning of the year in 1849, Brick wrote to his congressman, Charles Brown, requesting a lighthouse be built at the Maurine River. Congressman Brown forwarded the letter to an auditor of the U.S. Treasury, Stephen Pleasonton. Pleasonton replied, “I do not recollect ever to have heard it suggested before that a Light House was necessary at this place, and therefore cannot form an opinion as to the propriety of recommending an appropriation for the erection of it.” Pleasonton then explained the regular procedure for the construction of a lighthouse. “It is usual for the parties interested to unite in a petition to Congress, in which they will state their reasons, and this being referred to the Committee of Commerce of the proper House of Congress, is by them acted on. I would advise Mr. Brick to take this course in the present instance, more particularly as it is not probable that Congress will, at this short session, pass any bill for the erection of new Light Houses.”
Either Brown or Brick had very good connections, because a letter was then later sent on March 10th from Pleasonton telling Henry Hicks, Superintendent of Lights at Wilmington, Delaware that money was being allotted to build a lighthouse, and that Hicks should find the best plot of land to build the lighthouse on, and to purchase it.
The best plot of land was soon found and bought from its owner who unsurprisingly was Joshua Brick. Brick still wasn’t done; he then told Pleasonton that he should be the one to build the lighthouse. Pleasonton replied that the contract would go to the lowest bidder, and it ended up being given to given to Nathan and Samuel Middleton, who had recently completed the second Cape May Lighthouse.
Brick stepped in one last time to request that “additional story be added to the proposed lighthouse so that its light could be visible above low-lying fog. The patient Pleasonton replied that eight more feet could be added to the lighthouse if the Middletons could accomplish the additional work for a reasonable sum. Brick even offered to contribute the $250 he was paid for his land towards the extra story.”
Brick was one very persistent man, but he succeeded in getting the East Point Lighthouse built. It was built in the “Cape Cod” design that would later on influence lighthouses built on the west coast in the later 1800’s. The lighthouse is 2 stories tall, 48 feet above sea level, and is visible for 7 miles. The lighthouse was lit by a lamp that burned whale oil, which was kept in a special brick building and had to be carried up the stairs to the tower.
The East Point Lighthouse had various lighthouse keepers over the years, until 1911 when the lighthouse was fitted with an acetylene light that could operate night and day for several weeks on fuel supplied by tanks. Fulltime lighthouse keepers were no longer needed, so instead a custodian was allowed to live there. They had to keep up the grounds, and notify the Lighthouse Service if something was wrong with the light. These custodians were paid $1 a year.
The most inventive of these custodians operated a boat rental business from the lighthouse, to supplement his $1 salary.
After WW2, the East Point Lighthouse was darkened and soon its use was discontinued completely. The property was sold to the State of NJ, who used the property just for its water access. The lighthouse was boarded up, and left to itself.
In 1971 a group of concerned citizens formed the Maurice River Historical Society to save the lighthouse. Unfortunately, before they were able to finish negotiations with the state, trespassers and vandals set fire to the lighthouse. This destroyed the lantern room, roof and much of the inside. Undeterred, the Historical Society raised money to restore the lighthouse and fix the damage, to proudly reopen it to the public in July 1980.
The East Point Lighthouse is open for tours every third Sunday of the month, April through October, from 1pm to 4pm. It is located on East Point Road, just off of Route 47 in Heislerville, where the Maurice River meets the Delaware Bay.
For more information, contact the Maurice River Historical Society, PO Box 141, Heislerville NJ 08324; eastpointlighthousenj@yahoo.com.
Photo by Jessica Westerland.
For more South Jersey History, visit our South Jersey History page.
For an extensive list of South Jersey Attractions, with links to websites and other information, check out our South Jersey Attractions page.
Author: Jessica Westerland
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