When the Life Saving Service was started in 1849, Hereford Inlet Station No. 35 was one of the most active because the inlet’s waters were among the most treacherous along the east coast. This service developed a hardy breed of men, some of whom made their homes in Anglesea.
In 1874, the lighthouse was built and the island’s first religious services were held there, a Baptist program conducted by Freling Hewitt, the light keeper. By 1879, 45 men were employed at Anglesea. The rest of the island was pretty much uninhabited.
That’s how George Boyer succinctly described the place in his book “Old Cape May County,” the yellowed pages of which I found in the attic of a house built more than 100 years ago in North Wildwood.
That’s history. All of it. The wild, rugged, Hereford Inlet and the undeveloped Five Mile Island Boyer described. Boyer himself is history, a museum named after him in a town where few can probably explain why. The forgotten book found in the attic of an old house by a curious kid some 30 years ago. A house still standing in a North Wildwood dramatically changed by “progress.”
The lighthouse is still there, at First and Central avenues. Although there are some who would see it make way for the same “progress” that has altered most of the island, it is still there.
And the fact that it’s still there, its light shining out over the inlet, is largely due to a small and dedicated group of people, volunteers who gave and still give of their time and talent to keep that particular bit of history alive, still hugging that still harsh inlet. Shining out
And that’s what the eighth annual Lighthouse Challenge weekend is about.
Over the years, some 49 lighthouses and light ships have aided navigation along a New Jersey coast laced with sand bars, barrier islands, and inlets. Some still operate, most are gone or have become a part of local history the way the Hereford lighthouse has. The New Jersey Lighthouse Society developed the weekend challenge to encourage public awareness of these unique bits of historical landscape.
NJLHS was formed in 1989. Today it has over 1,000 members dedicated to preservation and restoration, and collecting the stories that form the histories of these special places.
The challenge takes place this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20-21. Those participating will attempt to visit each of the state’s eleven land based lighthouses. At each stop, a souvenir token will be given to mark the visit.
At Hereford Lighthouse, water colorist Barbara Brinkman will be on the grounds to greet visitors. She will be selling and signing her landscapes, which specialize in lighthouses. Joining her will be award-winning photographer Skip Willitts. He, too will be selling and signing his artwork.
And of course, there will be food vendors and a chance to browse through the gift shop to pick up some unique items. With Christmas coming up, check out the lighthouse Christmas cards.
But mostly, enjoy the place. Explore the gardens. Tour the lighthouse. Climb to the tower and look out over the inlet and imagine that it’s a stormy night, pitch black except for the white caps rushing in from the open ocean. And you have to go out in that and rescue a mariner in distress….
That’s history and while we may have succeeded in removing ourselves from it, we should never forget to cherish those special places that still exist to remind us of it.
Dennisville – As a parent of a Tech student it would be great if the school would update their staff directory. So many old staff still listed and no new teachers listed. What gives?
