In 1889 Congress appropriated $20,000 for the purchase of land near Squan
Inlet (now Manasquan Inlet) for a much-needed lighthouse. The section of
the coast now called the Sea Girt Inlet was originally known as Wreck
Pond; a name appropriately assigned to the site where an estimated 92
vessels were shipwrecked during the early 1890’s. It was not until 1896
that the land was purchased and construction began. The beacon would light
up the 40-mile blind spot between Navesink Twin Lights and Barnegat Light.
On December 10, 1896 Sea Girt Light first illuminated the night with its
Fourth-Order Fresnel Lens. A red signal light flashed once every second
and could be seen for 15 miles. The two-story, L-shaped Victorian
structure with a red French chimney, a 44-foot square red brick tower and
an attached keeper’s dwelling, would be the last live-in lighthouse built
in the United States.
The first keeper was Major Wolfe who served for seven years. A retired
Army officer, Major Wolfe proved to be an effective spy during the Civil
War. Wearing a gray uniform and imitating a southern accent, he went
undercover among captured Confederate troops to learn of their army’s
battle plans. His successor was Abram Yates who served from 1903 until his
death. On May 29, 1910, Harriet Yates recorded the death of her husband
and took over the duties of keeper. She was relieved two months later by
John W. Hawkey, who was followed by William H. Lake and finally, the last
keeper, George J. Thomas, who assumed his duties in 1931. In 1936, the
Coast Guard took over the lighthouse, using it as headquarters for beach
patrols on the lookout for German U-boats. Keeper Thomas continued his
duties until 1941 at which time the light was darkened because of WWII.
The beacon was frequently threatened with erosion problems necessitating
the construction of a 240-foot sand fence in 1900 to protect from further
damage. Seven years later, the lighthouse was only 80-feet from the
nearest high water mark, and by the 1920’s, the Atlantic Ocean had reached
the light. Interlocking steel pilings were built around the seaward side
of the lighthouse preventing further erosion.
In May 1912, Sea Girt became the first on-shore light station equipped
with a radio fog signal. The light, along with Ambrose Lightship and Fire
Island Lighthouse transmitted radio signals enabling mariners to sail
safely in and out of New York Harbor.
On August 10, 1956, the Borough of Sea Girt bought the lighthouse for
$11,000. By 1980 it was in a serious state of disrepair. A group of
concerned citizens formed the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee, Inc.
and took on the costly restoration project. In 2002, the light received a
new Third Order Fresnel Lens, purchased from Australia where it had been
used in the Crowdy Head Lighthouse from 1920-1970. Contact the Sea Girt
