WayfarrowCape May Lighthouse
Lighthouse · Cape May County, New Jersey
Cape May Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Cape May County, New Jersey. New Jersey has 26 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 4 of them in Cape May County.
It was built in 1859, in the Civil War era, making it the 3rd oldest of the 19 in New Jersey with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 157 feet tall (2nd tallest of 13 measured in New Jersey); its light sits 164 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 15s (a white flash every 15 seconds), with a range of about 24 nautical miles; it guards Delaware Bay; the recorded designer or builder is George Meade.
Status check, 2026-11: The current tower is the third on the site, first lit in 1859; the 1823 and 1847 towers were lost to erosion and their sites are now underwater. Cape May Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 38.9330° N, 74.9604° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1859 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 157 ft |
| Focal height | 164 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 15s |
| Range | 24 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Delaware Bay |
| Designer / builder | George Meade |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 38.93300, -74.96042 |
Nearby places
- South Cape Mayghost town · Cape May County · 1 mi
- Brandywine Shoal Lightlighthouse · Cape May County · 9 mi
- Hereford Inlet Lighthouselighthouse · Cape May County · 10.4 mi
- Harbor of Refuge Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 10.8 mi
- Cape Henlopen Beaconlighthouse · Sussex County · 11.8 mi
- Delaware Breakwater East End Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 12 mi
- Cape Henlopen Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 12.6 mi
- Fourteen Foot Bank Lightlighthouse · Kent County · 14.4 mi
- Delaware Breakwater Range Front Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 14.5 mi
- Delaware Breakwater Range Rear Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 15 mi
- East Point Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 18.5 mi
- Miah Maull Shoal Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 18.9 mi
Questions
Where is Cape May Lighthouse?
Cape May Lighthouse is in Cape May County, New Jersey, at 38.9330, -74.9604.
How many lighthouses are in Cape May County?
Cape May County, New Jersey has 4 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.