Sea Girt Lighthouse

Sunday tours of Sea Girt Lighthouse are conducted Sundays from 2-4 p.m., except holiday weekends through mid-November.

Tours have been expanded with the recent discovery of historic details not previously known and new displays of artifacts donated in recent months and rare documents uncovered in the archives.

In preparation for the new season of tours, docents shifted through stored archive boxes and filing cabinets of correspondence and other documents going back more than a century and found buried treasure.

Among the discoveries are fascinating details about John L. Hawkey, keeper at Sea Girt from 1910-17, who was until now the least known keeper but may emerge as the most interesting keeper, a 1928 keeper’s manual of procedures for everything from trimming the wick to responding to shipwrecks, and President Roosevelt’s 1941 Proclamation of National Emergency as Europe becomes engulfed in World War II.

Tour Schedule

Knowledgeable docents conduct tours Sundays through November 18.

Note: There will be no tours on these holiday Sundays: Mother’s Day (May 13), Memorial Day weekend (Sunday: May 27), Father’s Day (June 17), Independence Day/Fourth of July (Sunday before: July 1), and Labor Day weekend (Sunday: September 2).

Visitors have access to every room, from the keeper’s office, throughout the living quarters and up to the top of the tower. On display are a Fresnel lens, keepers’ letters and a 1903 lighthouse log book and other artifacts that capture the history of the lighthouse and the keepers and later Coast Guardsmen who operated the landmark.

Bygone Sea Girt is recalled in rare photos and documents. There are many artifacts from the Morro Castle, the cruise ship that burned offshore in 1934 and prompted a heroic rescue effort.

Of special note are the following items added to the displays.

Bravest Woman in America

The U.S. Lighthouse Service commander kept in touch with keepers at all light stations through frequent bulletins sent by mail. They often contained vital information about operations, changes and improvements in procedures, announcements of commendations and Lighthouse Service news.

Uncovered is the urgent bulletin once displayed at Sea Girt Lighthouse and on display again, announcing with “regrets” the death October 25, 1911 of light keeper Ida Lewis, once called the “bravest woman in America.” She was a legend, Lighthouse Service pioneer and an inspiration to fellow keepers.

Idawalley Lewis, known as Ida, was the daughter of the keeper at Lime Rock Lighthouse, off Newport, R.I. She helped her mother operate Lime Rock after her father fell ill in 1854. Four years later, Ida made her first rescue at age 16, rowing to four people whose sailboat capsized. She was a strong rower from rowing her siblings to school every day. She took on more lighthouse duties as her mother became ill. Ida was finally named keeper at Lime Rock in 1879. She was tending the light when she died at 69.

The Lighthouse Service credited Ida Lewis with 13 rescues “requiring the highest courage.” Other sources credit her with as many as 36 saves. Out of respect, this notice of her death was posted at Sea Girt Lighthouse and all other light stations for 5 days. In 1924, Lime Rock was renamed Ida Lewis Rock. And the lighthouse was renamed Ida Lewis Lighthouse, the only U.S. lighthouse named for a keeper.

The Lighthouse Service notice has been framed and displayed again at Sea Girt Lighthouse beside a studio portrait of Ida Lewis as a young woman in a long Victorian dress and hat holding at her side a rowboat oar.

Inventive John Hawkey

After years of searching, docents have yet to unearth a photo of keeper John L. Hawkey. The search continues. However, Sea Girt resident Dan Herzog, who learned of our interest in tracking down Mr. Hawkey, undertook his own genealogical detective work that yielded intriguing details. (See related news story at the top of the home page).

All that was previously known about Hawkey was that he entered the predecessor organization of the Lighthouse Service in 1872. He served aboard Five Fathoms Lightship and then Northeast End Light Vessel, No. 44 before becoming keeper at Sea Girt in 1910. It had been assumed by Sea Girt docents that he was a bachelor because of his offshore postings, which proved an erroneous assumption.

Dan, who is familiar with census records from having done genealogical research on his own family, discovered in the census files of 1880-1910 that Hawkey was married, although he and his wife Viola had no children. They lived in a house they owned in Cape May. He listed his job as engineer and his workplace as lightship.

A check of Lighthouse Service procedures for lightship crews revealed Hawkey’s schedule would have been three weeks aboard ship and 10 days liberty. So he would have been a commuter.

Dan also discovered a fleeting reference in an online edition of the journal American Architect and Architecture, Volume 13, (1883) to United States Patent 274,765 issued that year to John L. Hawkey, of Cape May, New Jersey for an “Automatically-Operating Door.”

By the Book

Light keepers and their families and the men aboard lightships had many daily duties to attend to and had to be prepared to act quickly and correctly in emergencies because the lives of mariners and their passengers depended on their vigilance. And those assigned to light stations throughout America depended on Instructions To Employees of the United States Lighthouse Service, published annually by the Service.

A near fine 1927 edition of the book, which belonged to one of Sea Girt’s keepers, was found tucked away on a top bookcase shelf. Running to 124 pages, the indispensable manual of orders and procedures covers everything from trimming wicks to responding to shipwrecks and what to do in dense fog.

Also uncovered is Regulations for Uniforms (a 14-page pamphlet published in 1928 by the USLHS and issued to all personnel), which provides descriptions and illustrations of the dress uniforms and work uniforms and who should wear which and when.

Both historic documents are now on display in the northeast cabinet on the first floor of the lighthouse.

Lighthouse Mistaken for Oil Plant

At the conclusion of a 1926 voyage, an officer aboard the Dutch merchant ship S.S. Hillegom included in his route report a suggestion for Sea Girt Lighthouse that reached the Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C.

Unearthed by docents is a copy of the letter the Navy sent to the Commissioner of Lighthouses, relaying the Dutch sailor’s suggestion: “I would also politely suggest that Sea Girt Lighthouse be painted another more striking colour; because in hazy and snowy weather like we encountered as we passed it, this lighthouse is extremely difficult to make out, owing to its similarity to chimneys of oil plants or factories which abound in that vicinity.”

The Dutchman’s suggestion was rejected by the Lighthouse Commissioner who wrote on the letter from the Navy: “Sea Girt does not look like a chimney.” An official National Archives copy of the typed letter from the Navy’s Hydrographic Office, with the Lighthouse Commissioner’s cryptic response, is included in a lighthouse binder titled Sea Girt Lighthouse 1910-1930: Years of Modernization.

The lighthouse remained its original red brick throughout its years of active service and during World War II. It was painted white at some point in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The paint was eventually removed and by 1977 the lighthouse was again returned to its historic red brick appearance.

Morro Castle Survivor

A typewritten letter by Morro Castle survivor Agnes M. Prince to John Bogan Sr., of the fishing boat Paramount, has recently been donated to the lighthouse collection. The letter expresses gratitude and thanks to Mr. Bogan and the other rescuers on the Paramount.

Responding to reports of fire aboard the cruise ship Morro Castle in the early morning hours of September 8, 1934, John Bogan Sr., his sons John Jr. and Jim, and other volunteers braved a Nor’easter and put out to sea in the 60-foot Paramount, rescuing 67 people. In all, more than 400 people survived the disaster, which claimed 137 lives.

The letter reads in part: “One month has passed since your boat pulled my sister and myself on board your fishing schooner, the Paramount. In that month we have mentioned you and your men many, many times, commending you beyond words for your wonderful work that day. And believe me, we shall never forget you for saving our lives.

“Such action on your part, unsolicited, deserves more, much more, than the mere thanks which we and no doubt others you have rescued, have offered. But maybe the thanks will recompense you in a very small measure for the good you have done. … ”

The Prince letter was donated by the great-grandson of John Bogan Sr., Greg Bogan, on behalf of the Bogan family. It has been added to the lighthouse’s significant Morro Castle collection and displayed prominently with other artifacts that include two Morro Castle life jackets, a lifeboat oar, photos and news clippings. Also donated by Jim Bogan Jr. is a color photo of his father reunited with Agnes Prince at Sea Girt Lighthouse in 1994 at the 60^th anniversary Morro Castle memorial program.

National Emergency

Safe but unseen for many years in a binder of classified bulletins from the Intelligence Office of the U.S. Coast Guard are numerous alerts to all stations, including Sea Girt, regarding the spreading war in Europe and America’s military buildup. The Coast Guard took command of Sea Girt and all U.S. lighthouses July 1, 1939 by executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The order is on display.

Newly added to the Coast Guard exhibit:

· Advisory to Lighthouse Service employees transferred to Coast Guard, detailing Coast Guard structure, ranks, uniforms, and the new insignia for Coasties assigned to lighthouse duty.

· Intelligence Office alert April 17, 1941 regarding the “Proclamation of a state of war between Germany and Italy, on the one hand, and Yugoslavia, on the other.”

· Intelligence Office alert of Presidential Proclamation No. 2487, May 27, 1941, declaring Unlimited National Emergency requiring heightened vigilance and military readiness in response to the spreading war in Europe.

These documents hang beside the Intelligence Office alert dated December 8, 1941 that announces: “Effective this date, a state of war between the United States of America and Japan now existing. … ”

Volunteers Sought

The Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee, which is responsible for maintaining and operating the historic landmark and preserving its history, invites newcomers to join the fun, accept the challenge and experience the satisfaction of helping to preserve local history.

There are numerous ways to get involved at the lighthouse, for example, researching the lighthouse history, giving talks and slide presentations, organizing group visits, donating artifacts, volunteering at special events such as the Lighthouse Challenge in October.

Being a tour guide is another opportunity. You don’t need to be an historian, just enthusiastic. You’d be joined on any given Sunday by several other volunteers. Each guide is assigned a room or two, such as the keeper’s office, the parlor or the lantern room. As visitors enter a room, the guide greets them, discusses the history of the room and points out the artifacts on display.

Pick your own room where you will be welcoming and chatting with people from down the block, across America and around the world. There’s a script for quick reference. But after giving a tour or two, most guides know the lighthouse story so well they don’t need the script.

Volunteers of any age are welcome, from students to retirees. For students, the experience can fulfill community service requirements and makes for an impressive activity on college applications.

During Sunday tours, volunteers are also needed to staff the merchandise desk, where lighthouse scale models, prints, postcards, caps, shirts and other souvenirs are sold. All sales proceeds go to help maintain and operate the lighthouse.

Group Tours

In addition to Sunday tours through mid-November, group tours can be arranged year round.

To volunteer or to request a group tour, call the lighthouse at 732-974-0514, or write Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee, P.O. Box 83, Sea Girt 08750, or write us at this website’s Contact page.

Also visit the website for more history, rare photographs and the latest news of the Sea Girt Lighthouse.

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When the fog rolled in, making it difficult if not impossible for mariners to find landmarks and lighthouse beacons, Sea Girt Lighthouse was the first lighthouse in America to transmit radio signals to enable sailors to navigate in low visibility.

In 1921, the U.S. Lighthouse Service chose Sea Girt to be the first land-based light station in America equipped with a radio fog beacon transmitter that broadcast guiding signals that could be heard by ships up to 100 miles away. It began transmitting May 1 of that year. Transmitters were also installed aboard Ambrose Channel Lightship in Lower New York Bay off Sandy Hook and Fire Island Lightship off Long Island.

“The stations are identified by the characteristics of the signal, thus Ambrose Channel sends one dash, Fire Island a group of two dashes and Sea Girt a group of three dashes, with brief intervals between the groups,” explained the U.S. Lighthouse Service at the time.

Ships anywhere within range of the radio beacons could navigate by triangulation – tracking the three signals to fix their own position. “This system, for the first time in navigation, affords a practicable means by which the navigator can take reasonably accurate bearings on fixed beacons which are not visible,” stated the U.S. Lighthouse Service.

Cannon Balls and Whistles

The first fog signal in America was sounded in 1719 at Boston Light in 1719, where a cannon was fired once every hour during fog. In time many other lighthouses were equipped with cannons, as well as whistles, horns, sirens and bells to be used by the keeper to warn ships away from fog-shrouded shoals and the shore.

The radio fog beacon system, a vast improvement over previous generations of audible systems, was an outgrowth of research done before World War I. In 1915-16 the Bureau of Standards was working on improvements of radio compasses. In 1917, the Bureau of Standards and the Lighthouse Service experimented with a radio transmitter at Navesink Twin Lights that sent signals to a radio compass receiver on a lightship miles offshore. Further work was put on hold during World War I but resumed afterwards with encouraging test results at three lighthouses in Chesapeake Bay.

Upon the successful deployment of the first radio fog beacon system at Sea Girt, Ambrose and Fire Island, other triangulating networks were then installed along the Atlantic Coast, Great Lakes and Pacific Coast. Within a decade there were 90 stations transmitting radio fog beacons. Where fog beacons were not installed, audible warning devices remained in use.

The need for the radio fog beacon system was underscored by a 1923 survey of New England and West Coast lighthouses which reported foggy conditions anywhere from 11% to 19% of the period covered by the survey.

Sea Girt Transmitter

The fog transmitter at Sea Girt was installed in the spring of 1921. “The transmitting apparatus now in use is a commercial panel-type transmitting set of simple and rugged construction of about 1-kilowatt power. In addition to this set a special automatic motor-driven timing switch for producing the desired signal at regular intervals is provided,” stated the Lighthouse Service.

“The antennas are the same as used for ordinary radio communication,” noted the Service. “The range of usefulness varies from 30 to 100 miles, depending upon the sensitivities of the receiving apparatus.” In contrast, lighthouse beacons, depending on the size of the lens, can be seen in good weather at distances between 12 and 21 miles. The antennas at Sea Girt were atop 60-foot-high metal skeleton towers – taller than the lighthouse itself. The towers stood on southeast and northwest corners of the property.

“No, I am not a radio operator,” noted William H.H. Lake, then Sea Girt’s light keeper, explaining the system to The Asbury Park Press. “One doesn’t have to be a radio man to operate the range signal apparatus. It is all automatic.”

The 1923 annual report of the Lighthouse Service stated: “The signals are operated continuously during thick or foggy weather, and also at the present time they are sent each day from 9 to 9:30 a.m., and from 3 to 3:30 p.m., so as to permit any vessel equipped with radio compass to try out the method and apparatus in clear weather.”

To help mariners distinguish one station from another, the Lighthouse Service and the Coast Guard published annual chart books such List of Lights and Fog Signals that listed and described the “characteristics” of each station’s light beam, the appearance of the lighthouse structure, and – if it had a fog beacon – the unique sequence of its transmission.

Sea Girt’s radio signal was changed by the Lighthouse Service after two years. “On April 23, 1923 the characteristic of the radio fog signal at Sea Light Station was changed from 3 dashes for 60 seconds, silent six minutes to 3 dashes for 30 seconds, silent three minutes,” announced Lighthouse Superintendent J.T. Yates.

The radio fog beacon continued to transmit from Sea Girt Lighthouse until 1928 when it was transferred to Barnegat Lighthship.

The towers were finally removed in late 1931 – not long after the arrival of a new keeper – on the orders of the Lighthouse Service. While nothing remains, the seven years the radio fog beacon system operated established Sea Girt Lighthouse as a pioneer in navigation.

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The search continues for a photograph of John L. Hawkey, keeper at Sea Girt Lighthouse from 1910-17. He was – until now – the least known of all Sea Girt keepers and the only one missing from the popular Keepers Gallery photo exhibit at the lighthouse. But some intriguing clues and interesting details of this man of mystery have emerged.

A newspaper article last year about efforts of Sea Girt Lighthouse docents to learn more about keeper Hawkey and hopefully find a photo intrigued Dan Herzog, a member of the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee.

Dan, who lives in Sea Girt with his wife and their two children, was inspired to launch his own Hawkey hunt. He knows where to look. "I've had good results finding family history with genealogical research,” noted Dan, Senior Programmer/Analyst with Barnabas Health. “After reading the story about the search for John Hawkey, I tried this approach to find more information about John."

The starting point for Dan was what little was previously known about Hawkey, who joined the predecessor of the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1872. He served many years as the engineering officer aboard Five Fathoms Lightship, anchored 15 miles east of Cape May Lighthouse, and then on Northeast End Light Vessel, No. 44, anchored some seven miles off North Wildwood before coming to Sea Girt.

Commuter

Because of his offshore postings, it had been assumed – erroneously – by Sea Girt Lighthouse historians and docents that he was a bachelor.

But what Dan uncovered in census records was that Hawkey, born in Massachusetts in 1845, was in fact married. In 1876, at the age of 31, he married Viola J. Tinker, age 23, of Connecticut.

In the 1880 census, Hawkey listed his trade as “engineer” and his workplace as “lightship.” John and Viola resided in Lower Township, Cape May City in a home they owned. The household also included her mother and his parents. By 1900, Viola’s mother was still living with them, although John’s parents were not, probably having died sometime after the previous census. John and Viola had no children. The Hawkey home was on Banks Road in what is now the historic downtown district of Cape May near the harbor.

Pursing Dan’s leads, lighthouse trustees then checked Lighthouse Service regulations of that period and contemporaneous newspaper accounts of the lightship life. Hawkey likely would have commuted to work, spending 10 days at home before having to return for three weeks aboard ship. He most likely would have gone to and from his lightship by a launch or supply ship out of Cape May Harbor.

As engineer aboard a lightship, he would have been the officer in charge of maintaining and repairing the ship’s lantern apparatus and other equipment to keep everything shipshape.

Five Fathoms Lightship was a wooden, sail-powered ship. Oil lamps were rigged to the masts so as to project light to passing ships. Northeast End Light Vessel, No. 44 “was the first iron lightship built as such in the United States,” according to the New Jersey Lighthouse Society. No. 44 was steam powered and had metal skeleton towers fore and aft atop which were lanterns.

Aboard Ship

The New York Times offered a detailed account of lightship duty in a 1903 article titled “Lonely Life of Lightship Sailors.” A typical lightship crew numbered 14 – captain, mate, engineer, assistant, 3 firemen, 6 able-bodied seamen and a cook. The majority of men aboard lightships were married, according to The Times, which reported:

It is a dreary and lonesome existence at best, life aboard a lightship; within sight and almost within hearing of a coast that teems with life and human interest, where something important is happening almost every hour of every day, and to be as ignorant of it for days at a time as though you were living on the moon; to be shut out of sight from the coast for days at a time by an impenetrable fog, and to hear no sound but the mournful bleat of the horn that conveys no message but that of imminent danger; to keep long, silent watches in the bitter Winter nights, and to realize that not only your safety and that of your shipmates on the lightship depends on your vigilance, but the lives of scores, possibly hundreds of others, going down to the sea in ships whom you never saw and never expect to see. Twenty or twenty-one days of this each month, then ten days ashore if the weather will permit – that is the life of a coastguardsman on a lightship.

Automatically-Operating Door

Off-duty aboard ship, lightship sailors passed time as mariners everywhere typically did – playing cards, reading books and magazines from the ship’s library, writing letters, whittling, tying knots, painting. And perhaps it was aboard ship or at home, that lightship engineer Hawkey or his father, a retired sailor also named John, brainstormed the invention for which he was awarded a patent.

Among the intriguing evidence Dan Herzog uncovered was a fleeting reference in an online edition of the journal American Architect and Architecture, Volume 13, (1883) to United States Patent 274,765 issued that year to John L. Hawkey, of Cape May, New Jersey for an “Automatically-Operating Door.”

The brief reference appeared in a list of newly issued building patents. The list also included patents for waterproof paint, a fire escape, a sliding door lock, a revolving water-closet stench trap, and a new method of manufacturing Portland cement.

Peculiar Arrangement

A lighthouse trustee followed Dan’s lead and checked the United States Patent and Trademark Office and discovered Patent 274,765, with drawings and specifications:

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known, that I, John L. Hawkey, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Cape May city, in the county of Cape May and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatically Operating Doors.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of door-operating devices in which one door is operated by the motion of another; and the invention consists in the peculiar arrangement and construction of parts.

Which Hawkey was the inventor is unknown at this point, although strong evidence points to the younger Hawkey, the lightship engineer. His job required mechanical and technical skills and the ability to solve problems – all traits of an inventor. He would have been 37 – in the prime of his life – when the patent was issued. In contrast, in 1883, his father was 67 and a “retired sailor,” according to census records.

Furthermore, the name of the inventor as it appears on the patent is John L. Hawkey. In filling out the census forms and signing all lighthouse documents while keeper at Sea Girt, the son always included his middle initial, while census forms of 1870 and 1880 identify the father simply as John Hawkey – no middle initial.

While a photo of Sea Girt light keeper Hawkey has yet to be found, we offer instead the diagram of the Automatically-Operating Door that accompanies Patent 274,765.

Last Post

Hawkey would have been 64 when he was assigned his last posting as keeper at Sea Girt Lighthouse, which was considered a plum assignment for a respected Lighthouse Service veteran because of the pleasant surroundings and the fact there were only 42 steps from the keeper’s office to the lantern room – a reward for valued service.

He arrived at Sea Girt July 23, 1910, relieving Harriet Yates, who had been acting keeper for two months since her husband, Abram, Sea Girt’s second keeper, died on the job May 29.

During his 7-year tenure at Sea Girt, Hawkey served reliably and instituted changes and improvements in accordance with instructions from headquarters. In 1912, he changed the light source for the 4^th order Fresnel lens from a kerosene wick lamp and a red chimney projecting a red beacon to a 35mm incandescent oil vapor lamp with a clear glass chimney that produced a brighter, white light. Given his engineering background, he kept meticulous notes and wrote official reports with precision and technical detail.

John Hawkey was still light keeper when he died in 1917 at age 71, the second keeper at Sea Girt to die in the post. Census records indicate that his widow went on to live for many years in a house on Beacon Boulevard just two blocks from the lighthouse.

Researchers at the Cape May Historical and Genealogical Society provided the final details of the Hawkey story. Viola Hawkey died in 1954 at age 94. She was buried alongside her husband in historic Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, near Cape May City.

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A limited number of prints of the 2012 Sea Girt Lighthouse poster – the 4^th in an annual series of collectible art prints that capture the landmark in dramatic photos – are now available for purchase.

Robert Varcoe, a lighthouse trustee who conceived of the series to raise funds for the lighthouse, is the photographer and designer of this year’s poster as well as the previous posters.

The 2012 poster shows the lighthouse and its dominating tower in striking silhouette against a stormy cloudy sky at dawn. The poster, measuring 11x17 inches, is printed on heavy coated stock paper and is suitable for framing.

The dramatic print will be on display at the lighthouse for the membership at the annual meeting of the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee and during Sunday tours, which are conducted 2-4 p.m., April 15 through November 18, except holiday weekends.

This year’s print as well as posters from previous years can be purchased in person for $15 each. They can also be ordered by mail by sending a check for $21 for purchase, handling and postage to the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee, P.O. Box 83, Sea Girt, NJ 08750.

All proceeds go to SGLCC, the all-volunteer, non-profit organization responsible for operating and maintaining the lighthouse.

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From the porch of Sea Girt Lighthouse an amateur radio operator broadcast the international CQ signal – calling any station. “This is special event station WR2DX – Whiskey, Romeo, 2, Delta, X-ray – at Sea Girt Lighthouse in New Jersey on International Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend, calling CQ.”

Silence – no response except for static on the 40 meter band. The radio operator – Don Pingitore – tried again and then listened. Nothing. He tried a third time. Suddenly, amid the static, a distant voice answered. Matt was calling. He picked up the CQ from Sea Girt Lighthouse some 4,000 miles away and responded with the news that he was transmitting from a mobile unit atop a mountain just outside of Berlin, Germany!

The conversation was brief but friendly, an exchange of technical details and then short messages about their respective locations, weather conditions, and such. While Don was at the microphone, Arnold Peterson sat beside him to record the details of the transatlantic exchange in a logbook that would be filled by day’s end with the record of all the transmissions completed from Sea Girt Lighthouse.

Speaking In Code

The calls lasted less than 2 minutes each, accelerated by the use of acronyms and code, such as DX (distant station), Uncle Charlie (Federal Communications Commission), 5 by 5 (I understand you perfectly), Zulu (Universal Coordinated Time, 24-hour clock, similar to Greenwich Mean Time) and 73 (best regards, goodbye).

After bidding Matt 73, Don was soon sending out his next CQ signal, which is like casting a fishing line into the ocean and waiting to see if there are any bites. Later that day, Arnold sat in the operator’s chair. He put aside the microphone and used a paddle – a telegrapher’s key – to tap out his CQ message in the rapid-fire dots and dashes of Morse code, which can travel farther than voice transmissions.

Such was the excitement and the challenge for the amateur radio operators – hams – in the 18^th annual International Lighthouse / Lightship Weekend August 20-21. The event, which started in 1994 in Scotland, has grown this year to amateur radio enthusiasts transmitting from more than 450 lighthouses and numerous lightships in some 50 countries around the world.

International Goodwill

At the event website (http://www.illw.net), the organizers note: “The basic objective of the event is to promote public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and their need for preservation and restoration, and at the same time to promote amateur radio and to foster International goodwill.”

A dozen or so local hams took turns transmitting at Sea Girt Lighthouse on Saturday of that weekend from the station they rigged up on the southwest corner of the porch. They worked in pairs, one speaking at the microphone or using a key to transmit Morse code, and a teammate who recorded the details of the stations successfully reached or “worked” – time of contact, call letters, first name of operator, location, numerical rating of the incoming signal strength and clarity, any brief message.

Taking a turn at the microphone was Julian Meehan, 7, the son of lighthouse trustee Jude Meehan, who was on duty for the event. Julian talked to a ham operator in Virginia. Julian reported he was transmitting from Sea Girt Lighthouse by the beach and it was a sunny day.

Not just an exciting and challenging hobby that attracted numerous beachgoers to the porch to observe the hams in action, amateur radio also plays an important role in emergency communications. Amateur operators have often provided a vital communications link in natural disasters when cell phones and traditional radio and TV broadcasts are knocked out of commission.

Sea Girt Station

This is the seventh year that local hams from two area clubs chose to come to Sea Girt Lighthouse to set up their broadcast station. Organizing this year’s event at Sea Girt was Don Pingitore, president of the Jersey Coast Chapter of the North American DX Association. Assisting was Tony Tarantino, vice president of the Neptune Amateur Radio Club.

Frank Wroblewski was the lead engineer, overseeing set up of the antennas and gear. He also worked the last five transmissions by sending Morse code. He reached hams in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, nearby Oakhurt, New Jersey, Ohio and finally Illinois.

Other New Jersey lighthouses from which hams broadcast included Absecon, Barnegat, Sandy Hook and Twin Lights.

Stations Worked

In addition to the ham operators transmitting from lighthouses and lightships around the world, many more amateur operators participated from their home stations or mobile units, like Matt’s mobile unit set up on a Berlin mountaintop.

While it was not a race, operators at each station were eager to “work” as many stations as possible. Making contact with a lighthouse or lightship was especially prized. By day’s end, operators at Sea Girt had “worked” 100 other stations in 20 states, as far away as Maine, Florida, Arizona and California. In addition to the international contact with Matt in Berlin, there were several stations reached in Canada.

The hams at Sea Girt also reached hams at five other historic lights, in this order:

· Fire Island Lighthouse (built in 1858), the first beacon many European immigrants saw in the approach to New York Harbor and Ellis Island. This is the lighthouse where Sea Girt’s last keeper George Thomas was assistant keeper earlier in his career.

· Fort Niagara Lighthouse (1872) on the northeastern shore of the Niagara River, facing Lake Ontario.

· Nantucket Lightship No. 12 (launched in 1936), the largest lightship ever built. It served as a warning to mariners of the treacherous Massachusetts waters of Nantucket Shoals. It is now docked in Marina Bay, Quincy, Massachusetts.

· Dunkirk Lighthouse (1875), a 61-foot stone tower by Dunkirk Harbor of Lake Erie, south of Buffalo, New York.

· Sandy Hook Lighthouse (1764), the oldest lighthouse in America, built in colonial times by the merchants of New York City to guide ships into New York Harbor. During the American Revolution, the lighthouse was captured by the British. Sandy Hook remains in service.

QSL from Sea Girt Lighthouse

Arnold Peterson was the designated QSL manager for the Sea Girt hams. That assignment had him busy with correspondence in the days following the event.

A QSL card – a postcard – carries the call letters of a ham’s radio station. After successfully completing a call, the hams at both ends of the transmission exchange QSL cards, as confirmation and a record of a transmission successfully completed. QSL cards are highly prized and usually proudly displayed on the walls of a radio club or an individual’s home shack.

Hams often aim to collect a complete set of QSL cards or top a high number, such as cards from all 50 states, or all 3,143 counties in the U.S., or from 100, 200 or 300 countries – or lighthouses.

Arnold chose to send the 100 stations worked by the Sea Girt hams the colorful photo of the lighthouse on one side and the special-event call letters – WR2DX – on the other side.

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From early morning to dusk a steady stream of people equipped with maps and determination found their way to Sea Girt Lighthouse the weekend of October 15-16 as they trekked up and down and around the Jersey coast in the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey 2011.

The Challenge was to visit 11 historic lights, two associated museums and two life-saving stations. This was the most challenging Challenge ever with 15 stops – one more than last year and four more than the Challenges of the 1990s. This is the 12^th year of the Challenge.

From Across America and Beyond

In contrast to Sea Girt’s typical turnout of 30-40 people for Sunday tours, the 2011 Challenge attracted almost 500 people each day. A total of 982 people came to Sea Girt Lighthouse. They came from every region of the continental United States – from 20 states altogether and Washington, D.C.

While most folks were from New Jersey and surrounding states, the guestbook also showed the visitors came from as far away as California and Texas and from Florida and most every state on the Eastern Seaboard, as well as the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

For many, it was a family outing. Rosemary Everly, from Arkansas, did the Challenge with her daughter, Joyce Price, who lives in Oklahoma. Kristin and Christina Barneski and their 6-year-old niece Destinyann Christina make this an annual adventure. Destinyann has already done six Challenges.

Venturing the farthest of any of the visitors to Sea Girt were Martin Thompson, an IT engineer from Scotland who lives in Sweden, and his wife, Pernilla, and their daughters, Tindra, 9, and Lova, 5. The Thompsons were vacationing in New Jersey, visiting relatives. They were enjoying a sunny afternoon at the Sea Girt beach when they wandered over to see what was happening at the busy lighthouse and wound up joining the fun. Martin and his family opted for their own mini-Challenge – exploring every room in Sea Girt Lighthouse and climbing into the tower.

Points of Light

The stops to make to complete the Challenge were (north to south and then up the Delaware):

o Sandy Hook Lighthouse (built 1764). Seized by British in American Revolution. Oldest U.S. lighthouse still on active duty.

o Navesink Twin Lights (1862). Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first ship-to-shore telegraph message to Twin Lights in 1899.

o Sea Girt Lighthouse (1896). Built midway between Navesink and Barnegat to illuminate a blind spot. In 1921 Sea Girt was first land station to have a radio fog beacon system.

o Barnegat Lighthouse (1858). Denotes 40^th parallel, crucial point in transatlantic sailing.

o Barnegat Light Museum. Old Barney’s 1^st order Fresnel lens on display here.

o Tucker’s Island Lighthouse (1868). Replica built 1999 of lighthouse lost in 1927 storm.

o Absecon Lighthouse (1857). Built near Atlantic City as warning of dangerous shoals. Black & white stripes distinguish this light from the red & white striped Barnegat Light.

o U.S. Life-Saving Station 30 (1885). Congressman William Newell, a New Jersey physician and life-saving volunteer, sponsored the 1871 bill creating the U.S. Life-Saving Service and funding stations like No. 30, a new stop on this year’s Challenge.

o Tatham Life-Saving Station 35 (1895). Built in Stone Harbor on the site of one of the earliest U.S. life-saving stations.

o Hereford Inlet Lighthouse (1874). Built in North Wildwood to guide coal carriers and other commercial vessels passing through the inlet.

o Cape May Lighthouse (1859). Replaced two earlier lights destroyed by storms and tides.

o Cape May Museum. Current tower’s 1^st order Fresnel lens on display here.

o East Point Lighthouse (1849). At confluence of Delaware Bay and Maurice River, East Point guided cargo ships to/from Millville manufacturing plants and local oystermen.

o Finns Point Range Light (1877). Not a lighthouse but a Delaware River rear-range light. Mariners steered so beams of the front-range light and taller rear light aligned as one beam. If a mariner saw two beams, the ship was outside the channel’s safe area.

o Tinicum Range Light (1880). Rear-range light farther up the Delaware, teamed with a smaller front-range light to guide ships into Camden and Philadelphia.

Meeting the Challenge

Visitors carried the official Challenge booklets, which were available for purchase at each lighthouse for $1. The souvenir booklets had images of all the stops in the Challenge on which participants put the appropriate stickers as they collected them at each location.

Kylie, an 8-year-old third grader doing the Challenge with her grandmother Lynne, knew just what to do upon arriving at Sea Girt Saturday morning on their third stop. Kylie went straight to the check-in desk, presented two Challenge booklets and received a sticker for each, which she carefully affixed in the proper spot.

Then Kylie pulled out a lighthouse passport. Such passports are popular with serious lighthouse enthusiasts to record all the lighthouses they’ve ever visited – no matter the time of year. Kylie opened her book to a blank page and politely asked a trustee to stamp it with the official Sea Girt Lighthouse seal. The trustee happily complied, bringing to 14 the number of lighthouse stamps Kylie has in her passport. After a quick look about, she and her grandmother were off to their next stop – Barnegat. “We have more to see, but already it’s great,” Kylie enthused.

Challenge takers set their own courses. Some went north to south. Others south to north. Some zig-zagged. Kathy Reinke made Sea Girt her 15^th and last stop Sunday, arriving at 10:25 a.m., having logged 439 miles in the two-day shore sojourn to all the sites.

After a participant collected the prized sticker from the last stop, he or she was given one more for the keepsake booklet – a golden shield reading:

Challenge

CONGRATULATIONS

Completed

Rare Opportunity

By the end of the 1800s, there were more than 40 lights illuminating New Jersey’s treacherous coastline and almost as many life-saving stations. Today, only half the lighthouses survive and fewer life-saving stations. Less than a dozen lights are regularly open to the public and only a handful of life-saving stations, which made Lighthouse Challenge 2011 a rare opportunity.

The Challenge was a collaborative effort of the volunteers at each site who have succeeded against long odds in preserving these shore landmarks and their rich history. The much-anticipated Challenge gave these volunteers the chance to share that history with their many visitors.

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Teacher Maureen Masto recently brought her third-grade class from Sea Girt Elementary School to Sea Girt Lighthouse where her students toured, took many photos, asked good questions and wrote in their notebooks. They were doing research in preparation for each child writing an illustrated essay on the history of the town and its landmarks.

This is the fourth year Ms. Masto has brought her class to the lighthouse. As in previous years, the students, their teacher and several mothers walked the 10 blocks from school to the lighthouse, escorted by a policeman in a cruiser who guided everyone as they crossed the streets.

“We can read all about the history of Sea Girt and the lighthouse in books, but it means so much more to the students when we actually get to visit a historical landmark like the lighthouse,” said Ms. Masto. “The kids walk away with a great understanding and appreciation for the wonderful and unique town that they live in.”

Going Back In Time

The attentive and enthusiastic visitors were guided by docents through every room from the keeper’s office and throughout the living quarters. They enjoyed sitting in the parlor where keepers and their families spent their evenings in conversation, writing and reading and playing parlor games to entertain themselves in an era long before computers and television.

The students learned that before the living quarters were electrified in 1932, oil-burning lamps were used to light up a room. And during the winter, lighthouse families kept warm by burning coal in the parlor fireplace.

Ms. Masto well prepared the students by teaching them in class that the beacon projected by Sea Girt enabled mariners to fix their ship’s position and guide the crew safely in their journey to the next beacon, which then guided them further. Each lighthouse had a different sequence of blinks on and off, which is how the sailors identified one lighthouse from another.

Lesson in Light

The third graders were especially interested to see an authentic fourth-order Fresnel lens on display – similar to the Fresnel lens used at Sea Girt beginning in 1896 – and to discover how it worked. The beehive-shaped lens, with bullseye prisms in sections A and B and brass doors on the opposing sections, revolved on pedestal. A weight dropping down a shaft drove gears that caused the lens to revolve.

The Fresnel lens captured the light from the flame of an oil-burning lamp inside the lens and multiplied the light’s intensity so it could be seen 15 miles at sea. The mariners saw the illusion of a light blinking on and off as the lens revolved. The light from the flame was projected through prism A and then prism B, followed by darkness as the brass doors blocked the projection of light. Many times a day the keeper climbed into the tower to replenish the oil to keep the lamp burning and cranked the weight up to keep the Fresnel lens revolving.

In groups of five, escorted by their teacher or a parent, the children completed their tour by climbing the winding staircase and then the ladder into the lantern room at the top of the tower, where several students agreed the view was “cool.”

Upon completing the tour, the students met Jerry Hayward, president of the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee who thanked them for visiting. He encouraged them to return to the lighthouse with their families and friends, thereby spreading the story of the lighthouse and helping to preserve its rich history. Each student was presented with a Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee Junior Member card.

Favorites

In the days following the tour of the lighthouse, Ms. Masto instructed her class to write down what they learned about the lighthouse and what they liked best. Their observations were thoughtful and informative.

“The Fresnel light is awesome. The person who made it is Augustin Fresnel. People had to fill it with special oil,” wrote Haley.

“I think it was neat that people actually lived there and that we got to see their living room and other rooms,” noted Erin. She also thought it was “neat” that the keeper climbed up the tower several times a day to tend to the light. “I would get tired,” Erin admitted.

“I saw people’s writings and how they write back in the days,” reported Alexis O.

“The lighthouse is really interesting because there are so many facts,” wrote Connor. “It was the best trip in my life.”

Being at the very top of the tower was tops in the opinion of Alexis N., Alexis O., Andrew, Casey, Eddie, Erin, Keira, Miles and Nick. The unobstructed view taking in miles of beach and ocean was the best part for Alexis S., Connor, Lily and Stephanie. The chance to see a fourth order Fresnel lens was the most interesting to Haley.

“We are so lucky we have a lighthouse in our town,” wrote Casey. “I wish one day I could go back. It was a lot of fun. I think our whole class had fun!!”

Each student was assigned by Ms. Masto to create a scrapbook on Sea Girt history illustrated with the photographs taken during the tour and expanding on the notes they wrote on what they learned at the lighthouse and the next day when they toured the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey at Camp Sea Girt.

Arranging Group Tours

Group tours, like the one the third-grade class took, are conducted year-round for groups of all ages. Such tours are popular not only with schools, but scout groups, community groups and clubs looking for an educational outing.

To arrange a group tour, send us an email from the Contact Us page, or phone 732-974-0514, or write Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee, P.O. Box 83, Sea Girt, NJ 08750.

There is no charge for group tours, although donations are appreciated.

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The Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey this year will be held Saturday and Sunday, October 15-16. The challenge is to visit 11 New Jersey lights, including Sea Girt Lighthouse, two life-saving stations and two museums over the two days. The museums in Barnegat and Cape May, as well as Sea Girt Lighthouse and a few other lighthouses have rare Fresnel lenses on display.

This is the 12^th year New Jersey lights have had a challenge, the first anywhere in the country that has inspired lighthouse challenges in many other states and Canada.

Points of Light

Participating lights, life-saving stations and museums (north to south and up the Delaware):

• Sandy Hook Lighthouse (built 1764). Fell under British control during the American Revolution. Withstood bombardment by the Continental Army. Oldest U.S. lighthouse still on active duty.
• Navesink Twin Lights (1862). Built on Highlands of Navesink 200 feet above sea level. First Fresnel lens in the U.S. In 1899, Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first ship-to-shore telegraph message to Twin Lights. First order Fresnel lens on display.
• Sea Girt Lighthouse (1896). Built midway between Navesink and Barnegat Lighthouses to illuminate a blind spot. In 1921 Sea Girt was first land station equipped with a radio fog beacon system. A 4^th order Fresnel lens is on display.
• Barnegat Lighthouse (1858). Denotes the 40^th parallel, a crucial point in transatlantic navigation. Old Barney’s 1^st order Fresnel lens now on display at nearby Barnegat Light Museum.
• Tucker’s Island Lighthouse (1868). Collapsed into the sea 1927. In 1999, a replica of the lost lighthouse was built as the centerpiece of Tuckerton Seaport.
• Absecon Lighthouse (1857). Built near Atlantic City to warn mariners of dangerous shoals off Absecon and Brigantine. Black and white stripes of the 171-foot-tall tower distinguish Absecon from the red-and-white striped Barnegat Lighthouse.
• U.S. Life-Saving Station 30 (1885). The U.S. Life-Saving Service was created in 1871. By 1900, there were some 40 life-saving stations along the Jersey coast, including this one in Ocean City on a barrier island 11 miles south of Atlantic City.
• Tatham Life-Saving Station 35 (1895). Located in Cape May County on Seven Mile Island, 2½ miles northeast of Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, Tatham was built on the site of one of the first life-saving stations in the U.S. The Coast Guard operated the station from 1915-48. After its decommissioning, the station was acquired and refurbished by American Legion Post 331, which meets there and whose members preserve the building’s rich history.
• Hereford Inlet Lighthouse (1874). Built in North Wildwood to guide coal carriers and other commercial vessels passing through the inlet. Like Sea Girt, Hereford is a live-in lighthouse – tower attached to the keeper’s residence. Hereford has a 4^th order Fresnel lens on display.
• Cape May Lighthouse (1859). Replaced two earlier lights nearby that were destroyed by storms and tides. Current tower’s 1^st order Fresnel lens on display at nearby Cape May Museum.
• East Point Lighthouse (1849). At the confluence of Maurice River and Delaware Bay, the lighthouse was built to aid the crews aboard the estimated 500 ships then engaged in oyster fishing and the scores of ships carrying cargo to and from the manufacturing plants in Millville.
• Finns Point Range Light (1877). Not a lighthouse, but a rear-range light, 115-feet tall, along the Delaware River channel. To keep safely within a channel, mariners steered their craft so that beams from a front-range light and the taller rear-range light aligned to produce one beam. If a mariner saw the two beams of light, the ship was sailing outside the channel’s safe area.
• Tinicum Range Light (1880). Rear-range light farther up the Delaware, teamed with a smaller front-range light to guide ships into Camden and Philadelphia.

Step Back in Time

The event is the collaborative effort of the preservationists at each historic site. A few dozen members of the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee will work in 3-hour shifts welcoming visitors to this lighthouse that weekend.

Each stop in the Challenge will be staffed by local people who regularly volunteer at their location. They are eager to show visitors what they have preserved and hopeful of getting more people involved in the ongoing challenge of preservation.

Organizers of the event explain: “These majestic beacons have played an important role in New Jersey's history, guarding mariners and protecting our coasts for over a century. Lighthouses serve as a reminder of American ingenuity while honoring the values of safety and heroism. Visit the lighthouses and museums on the Challenge for an opportunity to step back in time and learn more about our state and country's history.”

Accepting the Challenge

Joining the fun is easy. Set your own itinerary and pace. Some go north to south, others south to north, depending on where they live.

Souvenir pamphlets will be available at each participating site for $1. At each stop, stickers will be given to visitors to put in their commemorative pamphlets. In this way, participants can track their progress and document their successful completion of the Challenge.

Among the expected visitors there will no doubt be serious lighthouse buffs identifiable by the passport-like booklets they carry and in which they also collect the official stamps of all the lighthouses they have visited. It’s not unusual for ardent appreciators of lighthouses to have visited 200-300 over the years.

At Sea Girt, visitors will have access to every room in the lighthouse – the keeper’s office, the living quarters, and up the spiral staircase to the lantern room at the very top of the tower. While volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and staff the merchandise table, tours will be self-guided.

Strong Turnout Expected

If last year is any indication, there will be a good turnout. In 2010, more than a thousand people participated in the Lighthouse Challenge. At Sea Girt Lighthouse, volunteers counted 1,098 Challenge participants, plus two dogs.

While the majority last year came from New Jersey, many came from neighboring New York – City, suburbs and upstate – and Pennsylvania, particularly from the Philadelphia area. Still others came from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and Texas, as well as Canada and Germany.

Further Information

On this Challenge weekend, Sea Girt Lighthouse will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There is no admission fee at Sea Girt Lighthouse, although donations are appreciated. For directions to Sea Girt, click the Directions button in the left column of this website.

All locations will be open from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will be night climbs offered as well at Absecon, Barnegat, Cape May, Sandy Hook, Tinicum and Tuckerton. Visit the Challenge website (http://www.lighthousechallengenj.org) for directions and additional information. Some charge admission fees; others accept donations.

The lighthouses encourage the public to take advantage of this special weekend to financially support and preserve the maritime history.

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Neighbors, friends old and new, came together for a festive evening at Sea Girt Lighthouse in celebration of the historic landmark and in support of the preservation efforts of the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee.

The occasion was the 31^st annual Signing of the Lease Party, August 6, hosted by the committee. Members and their guests enjoyed lively conversation, drinks and hors d’oeuvres under tents on the north lawn.

Sold Out

Upon arrival, people were greeted by Jerry Hayward, SGLCC president, who thanked them for coming. “The turnout is gratifying and a testament to the strong community support for the lighthouse,” he later observed.

Tickets for the event sold out. Attendance was up over recent years. Among the partygoers were those attending for the first time, as well as people who have attended the party for years in what has become a summer tradition for many families.

Three generations of the Davis family were there, including John Sr. and Mary Lou, their son, John Jr., his wife, Erin, and granddaughters Molly McGuire Davis and Liz Farrell.

Also attending were Sea Girt Mayor Mark Clemmensen, Councilman Joe Bonacci, Patrolman Robert Melendez and local attorney and veteran Sea Girt lifeguard Richard (“Ace”) Aljian.

“All who came here share a love of the lighthouse. The party provides the opportunity to enjoy fellowship, appreciate the landmark and its rich history, and recommit ourselves to the never-ending task of preserving and protecting this historic site,” said Mr. Hayward.

The event, considered by many to be Sea Girt’s social event of the season, is the annual fundraiser of the SGLCC, the non-profit, volunteer organization responsible for the building and preserving its history. All proceeds from the party go to maintaining and operating the lighthouse.

As an example, new front steps were installed and other woodwork in the southeast corner of the porch completed days before the party as part of the ongoing maintenance program.

Colorful Flowers, Cool Breezes, Soft Music

The party was chaired by trustee Lauren Behre, who noted it was a collaborative effort involving trustees, numerous members and other volunteers working together to insure the party was a success.

The lighthouse was decorated for the occasion with flowers and plants located inside and out. The Holly Club, which meets regularly at the lighthouse, replanted the flower bed by the front entrance with impatiens of red, white, pink and violet. Beside the lighthouse sign, noting its activation in 1896, the club placed a pot of zinnias and dune grass.

Sea glass, the theme of the party, was reflected in the tent lighting, colorful decorations in shades of blue, green and white and table clothes of aqua blue. Tables were further brightened by arrangements of blue and white chrysanthemums arranged by the Holly Club. Mrs. Behre also created table arrangements of white roses. She decorated all the glass flower vases with sea dollars and filled the bottoms of the vases with sea glass.

There were several new features this year. Pianist Katie Quinn played a selection on the electric keyboard, providing a soft and pleasant accompaniment to the party fun. Later recorded Frank Sinatra standards played over the sound system. Fans under the tents circulated the cool ocean breezes.

The party was once again catered by Carol Ann McLaughlin, who catered the very first Signing of the Lease Party in 1981 and most every party since. A selection of seafood, steak, vegetable and cheese hors d’oeuvres were served by her capable wait staff dressed in their pastel polo shirts.

Signing the Lease

The Signing of the Lease Party takes its name from the first gathering in 1981 when the volunteers who formed the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens to “save our lighthouse” came together one summer evening to mark the signing of a lease with the Borough whereby the committee took financial responsibility for maintenance and operation of the lighthouse.

The building, owned by the Borough, was then in need of extensive repairs after more than two decades of use as the children’s library and recreation center. The Borough considered selling the property, which likely would have led to the demolition of the lighthouse.

The party was a celebration of the volunteers’ success in preserving the landmark, a thank-you to supporters, an opportunity to cherish what they had saved and a reminder that the effort never ends. And the tradition continues.

Next Day and Next Year

After announcing the traditional 50-50 drawing, Mr. Hayward bid all good night, saying: “Thank you again for attending. See you next year.”

The very next day, Sunday tours of the lighthouse were being conducted by several SGLCC trustees and members who worked on and attended the lawn party, while other attendees volunteered to conduct future tours.

And plans are already under way for next year’s lawn party. Trustee Bill Mountford, who this year assisted Lauren Behre, will be the chair of the 32^nd annual Signing of the Lease Party, to be held August 4, 2012, the first Saturday of August.

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ANNUAL LIGHTHOUSE PARTY

SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 6

Anticipation builds as the 31^st annual Signing of the Lease Party at Sea Girt Lighthouse fast approaches. Lighthouse trustees and other volunteers are making final preparations for the party to be held Saturday, August 6, from 6-8 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, August 7.

The annual gathering on the north lawn, considered by many to be Sea Girt’s social event of the summer, is once again hosted by the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee, Inc., the non-profit, volunteer organization responsible for the lighthouse. This is the committee’s only fundraiser of the year – with all proceeds going to maintaining and operating the 115-year-old landmark.

Festive Lights, Cool Breezes

Sea glass is this year’s theme and will be reflected in the colorful decorations. There are to be several new features, including festive lighting and fans under the tents to circulate the cool ocean breezes.

Carol Ann McLaughlin, who catered the first Signing of the Lease Party and most every party since, returns. She will offer a selection of seafood, steak, vegetable and cheese hors d’oeuvres, served by her capable wait staff dressed in their pastel polo shirts. There will be three open bars. Live music will be provided. There will be a 50-50 drawing.

Invitation Extended

“I invite our neighbors to join us for an enjoyable evening among friends against the backdrop of our beloved lighthouse,” said Jerry Hayward, SGLCC president. “We come together to celebrate what we have and to support the continuing efforts to preserve this historic treasure. Preservation is a collaborative effort.”

Trustee Lauren Behre is chairing the event. The assistant chair is trustee Bill Mountford. Their fellow trustees and numerous members will be pitching in, taking up various assignments in the remaining days and on party day.

Signing the Lease

The Signing of the Lease Party takes its name from the first gathering in 1981 when the volunteers who formed the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens to “save our lighthouse” came together one summer evening to mark the signing of a lease with the Borough whereby the committee took financial responsibility for maintenance and operation of the lighthouse.

The building, owned by the Borough, was then in need of extensive repairs after more than two decades of use as the children’s library and recreation center. The Borough considered selling the property, which likely would have led to the demolition of the lighthouse.

The party was a celebration of the volunteers’ success in preserving the landmark, a thank-you to supporters, an opportunity to cherish what they had saved and a reminder that the effort never ends. And the tradition continues.

Ticket Information

The early ticket sales are encouraging. “We are expecting a strong turnout,” said Mr. Hayward. “I would encourage all planning to attend to get their tickets early. Don’t miss out.” Tickets are available by advance purchase only. They will not be sold at the door.

Tickets are limited and cost $55 per person, unchanged from last year. They may be purchased by sending a check to the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee, Inc., P.O. Box 83, Sea Girt, NJ 08750. For further information, call the lighthouse, 732-974-0514.

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