
Before Sea Girt Light was established in 1896, there was a long stretch of more than 38 miles with no lighthouses on the New Jersey coast from the Navesink Twin Lights south to Barnegat Light. In addition to helping coastal maritime traffic, the lighthouse served to aid mariners entering Sea Girt Inlet and Wreck Pond. The design of Sea Girt Lighthouse is unusual for the New Jersey coast. It consists of a square, red brick tower rising 44 feet and attached to a keeper’s dwelling.

After World War II, an automatic light was mounted on top of the tower and the lighthouse was decommissioned. By 1980, the building was in a deteriorated state and was closed. An organization called the Sea Girt Citizens Committee was formed to save the lighthouse, and today it’s open to the public. Our guest today is Jude Meehan, who is the president of the Sea Girt Citizens Committee.
Co-hosting this episode are Heather Porter and her daughter, 11-year-old Guinevere, of Kentucky. Heather and Guin discuss their recent visit to New England to see lighthouses, including Portland Head, Nubble, and Goat Island in Kennebunkport, Maine.


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U.S. Lighthouse Society Historian Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of 24 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is a past president of the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s weekly podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org
Thanks so much, Jeremy!!!!