The Last Lighthouse Keeper

By Phil Ferrara

Harken back to the great age of 19^th century sailing when giant frigates and long-haul sea clippers cruised the waters of the Atlantic coast and around the world. They carried the freight, agricultural cargo, and passengers from continent to continent. Their towering masts and sails could propel those graceful ships at speeds of 20 knots across the sea.

Going to sea was a high risk venture, and great faith and mariner skills were essential for the safe return to port of any ship of that era. The sea was and remains a perilous pathway.

Those ships did not have the benefit of electronic navigation, radar, or modern methods of safety for seagoing transit. Sea captains sailed around the earth with hand-drawn charts, handheld sextants, and navigated through the use of the sun, the stars, and the moon. They also sighted known and charted points of land, and using their compass, took lines of bearing to such an aid to navigation.

Lighthouses were among those great aids that assisted 19^th century mariners in their ships’ voyages around the world. They were typically 100 to 200 foot high brick, cement, or stone towers. The structures were built on cliffs or high bluffs above a rough shoreline or upon barrier islands along shallow sea coasts. They shone a light far to sea that in the early days burned kerosene and focused its flame through a Fresnel lens.

One particularly interesting lighthouse, the Absecon Lighthouse, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, offers an excellent example of the type of facility that provided navigation aid to mariners. The lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it presents an opportunity to tour the actual lighthouse, the lighthouse keeper’s home, and a wealth of historical exhibits all contained in a museum on site. Visitors may climb to the summit of this 171 foot high tower and glimpse an extensive view of the beaches and casinos of Atlantic City and the islands that surround the marshlands and inlets of Absecon Bay.

The Absecon Lighthouse began its service to seagoing Mariners in 1857 when its kerosene flame was projected nearly 20 nautical miles out to sea. It was then the home and the duty of the first lighthouse head keeper, Mr. Daniel Scull. He lit and extinguished the flame at sunset and sunrise every day, maintained the lens and the machinery that revolved it, preserved the buildings, the tower, and all of the properties. He was the full time custodian of this vital, life protecting asset.

Many modernizations occurred over the subsequent decades, including changing to electric navigation lighting in 1925 during the tenure of Knud Hansen, the Head Lighthouse Keeper from 1914 to 1933. But times changed, and Atlantic City became a popular resort, including the Miss America contest, nightclubs with music and comedy, elaborate hotels, gambling, spas, and miles of sandy beaches.

The Absecon Lighthouse’s mission became obsolete, and Mr. Hansen oversaw its decommissioning, and the light was extinguished on July 11, 1933, under his guidance as the Last Head Lighthouse Keeper.

Today the historic Absecon Lighthouse is administered by the Inlet Public-Private Association Inc. The lighthouse and exhibits are located at Pacific and Rhode Island Avenues in Atlantic City and are open to the public for nominal fees. Extensive details can be found at www.abseconlighthouse.org or by calling 609-449-1360.

Atlantic City presents myriad opportunities for restaurants, casinos, beaches, and its dazzling boardwalk of many miles. Entertainment and nightclubs abound, and can be found at https://www.atlanticcitynj.com/events/ 

Opportunities exist for offshore fishing, sailing, and parasailing, plus all the restaurants to satisfy you upon return: https://njmonthly.com/articles/eat-drink/best-restaurants-in-atlantic-city/

If one wishes to explore further afield, take a short ride down the Garden State Parkway to the seaside village of Cape May. Walk the myriad lanes among shops of the old town. Or peruse the restaurants and galleries of the Washington Street Mall.

Enjoy a play at the unique site of the Cape May Stage on Lafayette Street. https://capemaystage.org/ Have dinner at one of scores of restaurants. A popular and busy dinner site would be the Lucky Bones Backwater Grille on Route 9 entering Cape May, as well as dozens of others available: https://njmonthly.com/articles/eat-drink/best-restaurants-in-cape-may/

Credit is due to my good friend Michael Pladus for the title of this short travel story. When we recently toured the lighthouse and Atlantic City with our spouses, Michael remarked “a nostalgic book could be written about this lighthouse and titled, ‘The Last Lighthouse Keeper.”

If you are intrigued by history and nostalgia and unique stories of America, a visit to Atlantic City will offer an excellent port of call.

Phil Ferrara is an avid hiker and traveler, and operates the Piedmont Trekkers hiking club. Interested hikers and outdoor enthusiasts may reach him at [email protected].