One of New Jersey’s oldest lighthouses will reopen to the public
The quaint white-and-red lighthouse on the Delaware Bay has been closed since 2024 and will reopen to the public this month.
East Point Lighthouse, set on the Delaware Bay and amid 7,600 acres of wetlands, will reopen to the public this month after being closed for two years.
Ed Potosnak, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, announced a lease agreement with Cumberland County on Thursday on the steps of the lighthouse that dates to 1849.
The quaint white-and-red lighthouse within the state’s Heislerville Wildlife Management Area in Cumberland County will reopen to the public on a limited basis Oct. 16.
The number of days and hours are expected to grow when a full plan, which will include programs, is developed by early next year. Admission will be free, at least for now.
“It’s one of the state’s few surviving lighthouses from the 19th century,” Potosnak said. “With this agreement, it’ll be open again to the public.”
Who will run the lighthouse?
Cumberland County will lease the landmark at Maurice River Cove at little to no cost.
Because the lighthouse is on state land, the DEP will be responsible for overall maintenance. Cumberland County and Maurice River Township will help with programming, such as festivals, visitor services, and coordinating volunteers for tours.
Potosnak said the DEP is also working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to design a bulkhead, dunes, or other method to protect the lighthouse from the encroaching bay and rising sea levels.
The DEP installed geotubes — long membranes filled with sand — years ago along a beach that fronts the lighthouse, but they are at the end of their life expectancy.
County Commissioner Director Sandy Taylor, who grew up nearby on the bayshore, said the reopening is personal for her.
“That we finally have the opportunity to keep the lighthouse open for our community, for the county, for many visitors from around the state is huge for us,” she said.
Maurice River Township Mayor Ken Whildin recalled how the lighthouse helped guide maritime traffic until it was decommissioned during World War II so German U-boats could not be guided by it.
The lighthouse survived an arson in 1971 and was restored in the 1990s. Whildin emphasized that reopening the site has been a priority.
He said he frequents a local Wawa and is routinely stopped by residents asking when the lighthouse will reopen.
The lighthouse, Whildin said, is “not only a beacon of light, but it’s also a beacon of hope.”
And State Sen. Mike Testa noted the lighthouse’s prominent location along a key migration path for horseshoe crabs and monarch butterflies.
The beacon also remains an active navigational aid for the U.S. Coast Guard, he said.
“This is a really good day,” Testa said.
Why the lighthouse closed
The lighthouse closed in 2024 after the DEP, under the administration of former Gov. Phil Murphy, failed to reach a lease agreement with the previous operator, the Maurice River Historical Society.
Nancy Patterson, the group’s volunteer president, had been tussling with the state since 2017 over the terms of a new lease.
» READ MORE: Volunteers tearful as Shore-area lighthouse abruptly shutters, to be reopened later by the state
But efforts stalled, and the lighthouse was closed.
It’s unclear what role the historical society will play going forward, though officials credit the group with reviving the lighthouse’s fortunes.
After the fire, the society led an $850,000 restoration effort along with the Cumberland County Improvement Authority and the New Jersey Historic Trust.
The historical society began managing the lighthouse in the 1990s under a lease of the small property at the confluence of the Delaware Bay and Maurice River.
The group installed period-replica pieces in various rooms to give visitors an idea of what life in a lighthouse was like. Those have been removed.
‘A great day’
Matthew Pisarski, head of the county planning department, said details of the interior are still being worked out, as is programming.
“We’re really excited at the opportunity to interpret the site and not only talk about the history of the lighthouse, but talk about some of the techniques of preservation that’s gone on, some of the challenges like rising tides, and preservation of historic properties.”
Potosnak, the DEP commissioner appointed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill, said the current government agencies now involved began meeting in March to find a way to reopen the lighthouse.
“It’s a great day for the residents of New Jersey,” Potosnak said. “When people roll up their sleeves and work together, good things can happen.”
