History of Long Beach Island, New Jersey

Explore the rich history of Long Beach Island, New Jersey

Long Beach Island is an eighteen-mile barrier island bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean and on the other by Barnegat Bay and Little Egg Harbor Bay.The island earned its name in the earliest days of European exploration for the long stretches of white "sugar" sands.

The Earliest Days of Long Beach Island
Dutch explorer Captain Cornelius Jacobsen May (sometimes spelled Mey in historical documents) traveled the coast of New Jersey from New York in 1614.When his ship reached the northern end of Long Beach Island, he noted rough waters and dangerous shoals marking the inlet to the bay beyond.May named the island "Barendegat" -- Inlet of the Breakers.The inlet, the bay, and the township share the anglicized version of the name:Barnegat.

May was also responsible for naming Cape May and Mays Landing.

Traveling the Island
Before 1886, there was only one way to reach Long Beach Island:boat.Many of the visitors to the island were wealthy enough to own their own boats.Some of the larger boarding houses offered ferry service to and from the island.

A formal, scheduled ferry line was created in 1873.Builder Archelaus R. Pharo started the ferry service in order to bring construction materials to the newly founded community of Beach Haven.

Pharo was determined to bring as many visitors as possible to his favorite vacation spot:Long Beach Island.He was a stockholder in the Tuckerton Railroad company and encouraged the creation of a train line from Whiting, NJ to Tuckerton on Long Beach Island.A railroad bridge was built in 1886 that crossed Barnegat Bay; a spur line of the railroad went to Edge Cove, where travelers could catch the ferry to Beach Haven.

Barnegat City also established a steam line from Toms River, where travelers could catch a train on the Philadelphia and Long Branch Railroad.

The railroad bridge was eventually destroyed by a 1935 storm, but by that time, an automobile causeway had been built to access the island.Today, the Causeway is the only way onto Long Beach Island without a boat -- the railroad tracks were removed in 1936.The majority of visitors to Long Beach Island use the Causeway to get there.

Strong Tides and a Strong Beacon
The strong tides that Captain May noted at the entrance to Barnegat Bay were responsible for many shipwrecks along the length of Long Beach Island.A lighthouse was built at the northern end of the island in 1834.The first Barnegat Lighthouse stood forty feet tall and had a non-flashing, fifth-class light. Sailors quickly denounced the lighthouse as inadequate.

In 1855, government engineer Lieutenant George G. Meade was assigned to design a new lighthouse for the Barnegat inlet.Meade had recently designed the Absecon Lighthouse, but is today better known for his actions during the Civil War.By then a brigadier general, Meade defeated General Lee in the Battle of Gettysburg.

While the new, taller lighthouse was under construction in 1856, the Atlantic Ocean moved in.The tides threatened the original Barnegat lighthouse, so the light was moved to a temporary wooden tower in June 1857.The original Barnegat Lighthouse fell into the ocean later that year.The new lighthouse was being built one hundred feet south of the original, as tides and erosion in the inlet remained a problem.

Barnegat Light is the second tallest lighthouse in the United States -- and is actually two towers in one.The exterior tower is conical in shape; the interior tower is cylindrical.The light sits 165 feet above sea level. Between January 1, 1859 and August 1927, the tower contained a first-class navigational light.

In 1871, the head of the Revenue Marine Service founded the United States Life Saving Service.With Congressional funding, the U.S. Life Saving Service established red houses all along the Atlantic coast.

The red houses had paid lifesaving crews who worked as a team to reach grounded ships.The crews were trained in First Aid, teamwork, speed, and efficiency -- exposure to the elements was often the biggest threat to crews of a grounded ship, so time was of essence.During a storm, one crew member would watch for grounded vessels from the tower of the red house.If the watchman saw a grounded ship or a signal flare, the crew would head out to the rescue.

As steam-powered ships replaced traditional sailing methods and better navigation methods became available, the U.S. Life Saving Service became obsolete.The service was incorporated into the United States Coast Guard in 1915.

Long Beach Island was home to six of these red houses; three of the original stations are still standing in Loveladies, Long Beach, and Harvey Cedars.

In August 1927, the Barnegat Lightship was anchored eight miles off the coast of New Jersey to aid in navigation.Electronic navigation eventually made the Barnegat Lightship obsolete; it was removed from service in 1965.While the lightship was in service, the light in the Barnegat Lighthouse was reduced eighty percent, but was not extinguished entirely until January 1944.

The Barnegat Lighthouse stood quietly until 1988, when it was closed for repairs.In 1991, it was reopened to visitors.The light in the tower no longer functions, but the tower itself is lit at night by flood lights.The lighthouse attracts thousands of visitors every summer.

Losing Long Beach Island
Long Beach Island is only between a quarter of a mile and a half mile wide in most areas.The Atlantic Ocean is constantly stealing bits of the island away.

An island known as Short Beach once sat off the southern end of Long Beach Island at the entrance to Little Egg Harbor Bay.The small island was a convenient resting place for seafarers during long voyages or storms.During the mid 1700s, Short Beach became the first resort on the Jersey Shore.

Reuben Tucker purchased the island in 1765 and renamed it Tucker's Island.Tucker built a large house with a tavern on the highest point of the island; the house grew into a prosperous boarding house.Tucker's Island and the resort called Sea Haven were well known up and down the Eastern seaboard until the boarding house burned down in 1845.

In 1848, another lighthouse was built on Long Beach Island -- this one on Tucker's Island.The Little Egg Harbor Lighthouse was built on the former site of Reuben Tucker's boarding house.

Over time, the tide built up sandy shoals that would connect Short Beach to Long Beach Island itself.The Beach Haven Inlet closed up by 1860, rendering the Little Egg Harbor Lighthouse unnecessary.By the time of the Civil War, people could walk from Tucker's Beach to Beach Haven on Long Beach Island.During the 1880s, developers planned to extend the Beach Haven Railroad down to Sea Haven.

After the Civil War, the Little Egg Harbor Lighthouse was used to remind mariners to check their charts as they approached the Little Egg Harbor Inlet three miles farther south.

A storm in 1920 separated the two islands again.The Atlantic Ocean ate away at the beach until it reached the base of the Little Egg Harbor Lighthouse.In October 1927, the water was too much for the foundation, and the lighthouse fell into the ocean.

Will Tucker's Island ever re-emerge from the Atlantic Ocean?The Beach Haven Inlet is slowly closing, building up new shoals and sandbars at the southern end of Long Beach Island.Short Beach may once again rise from the waves.

The only boardwalk on Long Beach Island was destroyed by a storm in 1944.Today, the island has only one amusement area.The lack of more commercial tourist areas makes the island a peaceful feel for visitors.

Long Beach Island Today
The barrier island and its townships offer a variety of activities for vacationers of all ages.Most of the beaches are open to the public; in the evenings, you'll often find surf fishers on those same sandy stretches.The Barnegat Lighthouse attracts countless visitors all year round.

You'll also find a range of dining options from casual to fine dining. Don't miss the annual Chowderfest in October, where you can taste Manhattan and New England-style chowders from top Jersey shore chefs.