National Register Listing

Ship John Shoal Light Station

a.k.a. Ship John Shoal Light

In Delaware Bay, 3.3 mi. W-SW of Sea Breeze, Sea Breeze, NJ

Ship John Shoal Light Station is locally significant in Cumberland County as a property important to the history of maritime transportation in southern New Jersey. It is also significant as a well-preserved structure that is representative of the architecture and engineering characteristics of late nineteenth century offshore lighthouses. It qualifies for the National Register under Criterion A its association with the efforts of the federal government to provide an integrated system of navigational aids to promote safe maritime transport in the Delaware River and Bay. It also qualifies for National Register listing under Criterion C for its embodiment of the distinctive character of late nineteenth century caisson foundation lighthouse design, a major advancement in the development of offshore light stations in the United States that became manifest during that time period and represents a technological improvement of great public benefit. Ship John Shoal Light, built in 1874 to 1877, embodies the distinctive characteristics and methods of construction employed in United States lighthouses during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its superstructure was exhibited as a state-of-the-art lighthouse at the 1876 United States Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After the exposition closed, it was relocated to its present position.

Local significance of the structure:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2006.