Hiking Slowly
My fifth day on the road and I was finally going to see some East Coast Lighthouses. These beauties were the inspiration for this entire trip, so I was VERY excited to get to the coast, see the Atlantic for the first time, and explore the lights. While doing research to prepare for this trip, I truly thought I would get to see ALL of the lighthouses on the northern part of the coast. Believe me, when I say that I had no idea how many lighthouses existed; there are 60 lighthouses in Maine alone!! (BTW, the state with the most lighthouses is actually Michigan with 130 active lights - you can catch a few on my Great Lakes Lighthouses adventure.)
Many of the lights have been decommissioned, even more are now on private property or are not easily accessible, and then there are all of the lights that are way out in the water so you need a boat to get to them (did I mention that I have to take all the drugs when I get on a boat?). I stuck to the ones on the mainland that I could easily get to, and I was not disappointed in the least.
My first stop was at the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse in Baltimore, Maryland. Not exactly on the Atlantic, this one is located at Pier 5 on the Inner Harbor of the Patapsco River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay and then out to the ocean. Built in 1856 this beauty is one of the oldest Chesapeake screwpile (the structure sits on "legs" that have been screwed into the riverbed rather than being built on a foundation) lighthouses still in existence.
The museum was not open, but that didn't stop me from snapping some pictures and then walking around town and exploring a bit. The buildings were these gorgeous, red brick structures. I mean, even the water treatment plant was beautiful!! I meandered across a bridge, and some twinkle lights caught my eye, so I ended up in Little Italy. If it had been later in the day, you know I would have stopped for some authentic pasta. But it was early in the morning, and I just really wanted a coffee. So I stopped to ask some officers if there was a little “caffetteria” around and they didn’t know of one (look, if a police officer can’t point you to a coffee shop, then...), so I looped back toward the car and headed off.
Just a little bit north and still on the Chesapeake Bay, I stopped at the Concord Point Lighthouse, which sits at the mouth of the Susquehanna River in Havre De Grace, MD. Built in 1827, this is the second oldest and the northernmost lighthouse in Maryland. She was automated in 1920 and was the oldest light in continuous service when she was decommissioned in 1975.
The location of this light is so peaceful and beautiful. I parked in front of a little inlet and noticed a fishing dock, so I walked out and sat on a memorial bench for a bit to take in the view. After chatting with a couple of birds and a few geese that swam by, I headed over to the park and meandered along the Promenade. There were some art installations and informational signs and a monument where President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore delivered an Earth Day speech in 1995.
And the views! This park is situated on its own little peninsula with rocks and huge pieces of driftwood and sailboats and birds and a fishing pier and bridges and the cutest little protected wetland area. If it had not been so humid, I could have spent hours in this park. But it was, so I climbed into car, blasted the air, and headed on down the road. (Well, I was going north so, technically, up the road…but that’s not the saying, so we'll just leave that as is.)
I have never watched the show, but I can now say that I have officially been to the Jersey Shore. And I was astounded. Here on the west coast, the wealthiest people live within gated communities, so there isn't a lot of opportunity to accidentally drive down a street in the Malibu Hills and just happen to come across a few mansions. When I turned down the street to find a parking spot, I could not believe the size of the homes, and how many there were, all lined up right next to each other. The Sea Girt Lighthouse was just sitting there, on the end of the street, with a manicured lawn and a flag flying high, just like all of the other brick and stone houses. If I had not specifically come to see the light, I wouldn't have even known this pretty little lady was there.
Shining her light for the first time on December 10, 1896, the Sea Girt Lighthouse was the last live-in lighthouse to be built on the Atlantic coast. Sea Girt became the first land-based light station with a radio beacon navigation system in 1921. The light was automated in 1945 and officially decommissioned in 1954. Today the building is owned by the Borough of Sea Girt and is leased and maintained by the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee. The building and gift shop are open on Sundays, and you can cross the street and hang out on the beach if you want to pay the day use fee.
My final stop in New Jersey was just a little bit north and slightly inland, which was surprising (and I totally thought I was lost since I had to head away from the water to get there, but I wasn't). Driving north on a tiny little strip of land that separated the Navesink River from the Atlantic, I headed to Highlands, NJ to see the Twin Lights. Friends, this is hands-down my favorite lighthouse on the trip (and there are more to come in a couple of weeks!).
While the current building was not completed until 1862, the first light shone over 100 years earlier when the New Jersey Militia was ordered to install a whale-oil warning beacon on the site (thank you technology for saving the whales). Building of the initial twin lighthouses was completed in 1928 and America's first Fresnel Lenses were installed in 1941. Construction of the current building, modeled after the Army Corps of Engineers insignia, was completed in 1862.
And that's not all, so much more history occurred here! The Pledge of Allegiance was presented for the first time at an official Patriotic event, and the Twin Lights was the first primary lighthouse to generate its own electricity. The Twin Lights were decommissioned in 1949 but you can come tour the museum and the grounds and see the bivalve Fresnel Lense and take in the AMAZING views (on a clear day they say you can see Manhattan!!), thanks to the Twin Lights Historical Society.
If you find yourself in Jersey and happen to stop by the Twin Lights (and you TOTALLY should), please be sure to talk to the people who work there. Every single one of them, from the barely 20-something landscaper to the lovely woman in the gift shop who had a few more years under her belt, every single person was in love with this building and the location and had some helpful, interesting information to share. How lucky they are to work in such a breathtaking place, and how lucky I am to have met them and had the opportunity to share that experience with them.
