When operational, the light could be seen from as far as 30 miles. Vessels bound to and from New York along the New Jersey coastline depended on Barnegat Lighthouse to avoid the shoals extending from the shoreline. The swift currents, shifting sandbars, and the offshore shoals challenged the skills of even the most experienced sailor. In 1926, the Bureau of Light Houses gave the station, except for the tower, to the state of New Jersey. R estored by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, now serves as a museum where visitors can climb the 217 steps to the observation tower to watch the local fishing fleet leaving and returning through the inlet, or gaze at the prolific growth of hollies, bay berries, beach plums, red cedars, beach grasses, and other native plants of the barrier islands.
Documentation consists of a page of text and a photograph.