Finns Point Rear Range Light

Finns Point Rear Range Light At A Glance...

The tower is wrought iron, an unusual choice for a lighthouse, and it is the only tower of its type left in New Jersey.
It was built in Buffalo, New York in 1876, taken apart, sent by rail to Salem and hauled to the river on wagons pulled by Army mules.
A cast iron spiral staircase of 119 steps and an 11 step ladder lead up to the lantern room, 130 steps in all.
Fort Mott State Park, with its old gun emplacements, is a short drive down the road along the same stretch of river.
Todays Sunrise: 7:23 am, Sunset: 6:09 pm
New Jersey Delaware River Region Salem County

About Finns Point Rear Range Light

c. 1876 wrought iron lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally constructed in Buffalo, New York by the Kellogg Bridge Company and then moved here by train and mule-wagon, this unusual wrought-iron, open-frame lighthouse was built at a cost of $1,200 in 1876. Standing 115 feet tall, it featured a 24-inch range lens with double wick burner and kerosene vapor lamp emitting 150,000 candlepower. The tower was shipped by rail to Salem, then hauled the rest of the way on wagons pulled by Army mules.

The tower stands in Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, about 2,800 acres just north of the Salem River. The refuge's Grassland Trail starts at the large parking area on Lighthouse Road, and its Forest Habitat Trail starts at the corner of Christmas Tree Lane and Fort Mott Road. Woodcock, American kestrels and shorebirds rest and feed here during the spring and fall migrations.

Close by is Fort Mott State Park, a 104-acre waterfront park with buildings and gun emplacements from the Spanish-American War. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can drive down the road from the tower to see the stretch of the Delaware River that the range lights once guided ships through.

Activities:
- Hiking
- Walking
Amenities:
- Parking Lot(s)
- Lighthouse
Park Type:
- Historic Area
Attractions:
- Lighthouse
Rules/Regulations:
- Alcohol Not Permitted

Contact / Location

Primary Address:

Get Directions 199 Lighthouse Road,
Pennsville, New Jersey 08070

Contact:

A Brief History

In 1875 Congress set aside $55,000 for two pairs of range lights to mark the channel from Delaware Bay into the Delaware River. The Port Penn Range was in Delaware and the Finns Point Range was in New Jersey. The front light was a two-story wood-framed dwelling with a square tower, built in marshy ground along the river, and it was later replaced by a light on a pole in the river. The old front dwelling is gone.

The rear light was lit for the first time on April 2, 1877. It was automated in the 1930s, and the lights were deactivated for good on March 22, 1950, after the river channel was dredged and altered. The tower went on the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1978, and was sandblasted, repaired and repainted in the early 1980s. A replica keeper's dwelling was built beside it in 2004 as the refuge office.

Monthly open houses ran until 2006, when budget cuts ended them, and open houses resumed in 2013.

Hours / Season of Operation

The tower opens on scheduled days only. The 2026 dates, from 1 to 4 pm unless noted, are April 19, May 17, June 21, July 19, August 9 and September 20, plus October 17 and 18 from 8 am to 6 pm for the Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey. Openings are weather dependent and are canceled for thunderstorms or extreme heat.

Directions

From Route 49 south of Pennsville, take Fort Mott Road south 1.7 miles to Lighthouse Road. A large parking area on Lighthouse Road serves the Grassland Trail.