Barnegat Light Museum/The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens
501 Central Avenue
Barnegat Light, NJ 08006
(609) 494-8578
Open: July and August Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm/June-October 10:00am-4:00pm/Seasonal
Fee: Donation to the museum
https://barnegatlightmuseum.org
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Barnegat Light Museum at 501 Central Avenue
I was on Long Beach Island for the afternoon and had wanted to visit the Barnegat Light Museum on my last trip to the island but it was closed for the afternoon. When I checked the site to see if it was open this weekend, I found that it was and since I had to be in Beach Haven that afternoon I made it my first trip.
The Barnegat Light Museum sign in the off season.
The museum is now open ‘by appointment only’ in the off season, so I called the number provided and the President of the Museum Board opened the museum up for me and gave me a personal tour. What an interesting little museum packed with information and artifacts.
The Barnegat Light Museum main gallery
The museum is a former one room school house that was built in 1903 and used by island school children until 1954. The building still houses the original heating unit, a coal burning furnace and books of the children’s notes from school that had been handwritten (now typed) of current events and school notes.
The main gallery of the Barnegat Light Museum
The main gallery of the museum
The main attraction is the original light, a 1052 prism lens, for the Barnegat Lighthouse on display since 1927. The glass panels and sheer size and beauty of light shows how it was once the beacon for ships along the New Jersey coast. It had been brought to museum after moving around to various places over the years.
The original Barnegat Light for the Lighthouse
The Lighthouse and light display in the museum
Along the walls are all sorts of local artifacts such as dinosaur bones that had been found in the bay and donated to the museum (the president of the museum said today there are certain laws on this), local housewares from families that lived on the island and various types of fishing equipment.
Display cases filled with local fishing artifacts and net configuration for ‘Pound Fishing’
Shark Teeth, Native American Artifacts and prehistoric fossils
There is even a mini display of ‘Pound Fishing”, which is a series of poles and nets are used to catch the fisherman’s prey. This small display shows how it is constructed and used to catch the fish. There is an extensive display of Duck decoys, showing the island’s past and present as a hunting ground for water fowl. The displays come in all colors and types of ducks. There is also an interesting display of whale vertebrae and other fishing displays.
The Whale Vertebrae exhibit
There is an extensive history of the resort hotels that used to be on this part of the island that had been effected by the changing tides of the island. Like the old lighthouse and lighthouse keepers home, one of the hotels just gave way to erosion. This part of the island just keeps shifting.
The Resort and Hotels display of menus
The Resort and Hotels display-The former hotels
The Resort and Hotels display-Dishware and resort artifacts
Hotels disappeared because of shifting tides
Water sports and fishing displays
Since the building was once home to Barnegat Light’s School house, the original furnace is still in the building along with a display of items from old schools in the area.
The School gallery
The Schoolhouse Gallery
The schoolhouse furnace
The retail trade in the early part of the century leading from the old railroad track to the island was the local General Store. The railroads were a big part of the growth of this area until automobiles to the shore became the preferred mode of transportation.
The railroad display
The General Store exhibit
The General Store exhibit
The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens behind the museum in all seasons:
One beautiful benefit of the museum is the beautiful gardens that surround the museum, The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens. The pathways are maintained by the Long Beach Island Garden Club. These wondering paths surround the property and especially elegant looking in the back of the building.
The Gardens from the back of the museum
The Garden plaque to Edith Duff Gwinn
The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens are on the side and behind the museum
The Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens that surround the museum are maintained by the Long Beach Island Garden Club. The gardens are at their peak in the late Spring and early Summer months. The paths are filled with seasonal flowers and shrubs.
In the off season, you can visit the museum by calling ahead and you can schedule an appointment with the staff of volunteers that work at the museum.
The Gardens in the late Summer of 2024
The Beehive
The Gardens in the late Summer of 2024
The Gardens in the late Summer
The Gardens in the late summer
The Garden paths are filled with colorful flowers and plants
The back of the Gardens and the seating area
The back of the Gardens
The Gardens also looked beautiful in the late fall when I arrived for the early holiday activities in Viking Village. I was able to walk around when the museum was closed for the season.
The Gardens during the late fall:
The Gardens during the late fall:
The Gardens during the late fall:
The Gardens during the late fall:
The gardens around Halloween time
The gardens in the Spring and Summer are quite spectacular and the volunteers do a nice job with the landscaping around the museum.
The gardens in the early Summer of 2024
The Gardens in the Summer of 2024
The Gardens in the Summer of 2024
The Gardens in the Summer of 2024
The gardens are really nice in the summer months
Both on the personal tour and when the museum is open during the summer months, the museum is a real treat both inside and out. This small museum is chock full of information not just on Barnegat Light but on the areas development for tourism and business.
It is such an interesting piece of Jersey Shore history.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 