Barnegat Light Historical Society, Inc

For whatever reason we were hell bent on doing the challenge in order so instead of skipping ahead to ‘Ol Barney we stopped here at the historical society first.
The Barnegat Light Historical Society operates and maintains the Barnegat Light Museum and organizes and promotes events to further the awareness of the history of Barnegat Light and Long Beach Island.
From 1903 to 1951 it served the LBI area as a one room schoolhouse.
One of the major features in the museum is the First Order Flashing Lens from the Barnegat Light Lighthouse, build by the French Physicist Augustin Fresnel. It was capable of throwing its light 20 miles or more to the horizon. Construction of the present lighthouse began in 1857 and was completed in 1858. The lens was removed in 1927 when the Barnegat Lightship took up station off Barnegat Inlet. The lens was sent to the Tompkinsville Lighthouse Depot on Staten Island, New York. In 1954, the lens was returned to the town of Barnegat Light and now is on exhibit in the museum.
A number of artifacts and replicas depict the fishing industry that in the past, and even today is an important part of the island’s economy.
If you go, the Museum Gardens (the same idea as the gardens behind Hereford in North Wildwood but not nearly as nice) are open all year and the museum is open June, September & October on weekends from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and July & August, daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.