Miah Maull Shoal Light

Miah Maull Shoal Light

Miah Maull Shoal Light (USCG)
Location	lower Delaware Bay
Year first constructed	1913
Automated	1974
Foundation	cast iron caisson
Construction	cast iron
Tower shape	conical with lantern on top
Original lens	fourth order Fresnel lens
Current lens	500 mm
Range	12 nm
Characteristic	Occulting 4s
Miah Maull Shoal Lighthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Location:	In Delaware Bay 5 mi. SW of Egg Island Point, Delaware Bay
Coordinates:	39°7′36″N 75°12′35″W / 39.12667°N 75.20972°W / 39.12667; -75.20972Coordinates: 39°7′36″N 75°12′35″W / 39.12667°N 75.20972°W / 39.12667; -75.20972
Area:	0.7 acres (0.28 ha)
Built:	1913
Architect:	Lynchburg Foundry Co.; Tatnall-Brown Co.
Architectural style:	Conical tower lighthouse
Governing body:	COAST GUARD
NRHP Reference#:	90002188[1]
NJRHP #:	[2]
Added to NRHP:	February 4, 1991

The Miah Maull Shoal Light is a lighthouse on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay on the east coast of the United States, southwest of the mouth of the Maurice River.

History

This light, the last offshore lighthouse to be erected in Delaware Bay, marks one of a series of shoals along the eastern side of the shipping channel, between the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light and the Brandywine Shoal Light. The name of the shoal commemorates Nehemiah Maull, a river pilot who was drowned in 1780 when the ship in which he intended to sail to England was wrecked on the then-unnamed shoal.

This light and the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light were intended to replace the Cross Ledge Light, and appropriations for both were first requested in 1904. In the case of this light construction was delayed by the inability of the first contractor to set the caisson before exhausting the budget, so that the caisson was not set in place until 1909. A wooden shed was mounted and a light first exhibited that September, but the superstructure was not completed until 1913, again due to financial requirements.

Originally the light was painted brown, and a fourth-order Fresnel lens imported from France was used. This lens was later replaced by an American-made model which served until the early 2000s. Around 1940 the superstructure was painted red, a color it has retained ever since. The keepers of this light controlled that of the Elbow of Cross Ledge Light when the latter was automated in 1951. In 1973 the light was automated.

The Fresnel lens has recently been replaced with a conventional modern 500 mm beacon, with the old lens to be displayed at the East Point Light.

In June 2011, the General Services Administration made the Miah Maull Shoal Light (along with 11 others) available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them. ^{[3] [4]}

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, New Jersey

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Cumberland County". NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office. April 1, 2010. p. 12. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/lists/cumberland.pdf. Retrieved October 13, 2010. 
3. ^ "For sale: Waterfront property; cozy, great views, plenty of light, needs TLC". CNN. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/12/for-sale-waterfront-property-cozy-great-views-plenty-of-light-needs-tlc/?hpt=hp_t2. Retrieved 12 July 2011. 
4. ^ Beatty, MaryAnne. "GSA Making 12 Historic Lighthouses Available at No Cost to Public Organizations Willing to Preserve Them". GSA Website. US General Services Administration. http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/286133. Retrieved 12 July 2011. 

• NOAA Office of Coast Survey (2008). Chart 12304: Delaware Bay (Map). 1:80,000. http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12304.shtml. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
• "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New Jersey". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHNJ.asp. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
• "Miah Maull Shoal Lighthouse". lighthousefriends.com. http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=385. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
• "Inventory of Historic Light Stations: New Jersey Lighthouses: Miah Maull Shoal Light". National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/light/miahmaul.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-08.