Barnegat Light was commissioned on January 1, 1859. The tower light was 165 feet above sea level and the lighthouse itself was four times taller than the original. The new light was a first-order flashing Fresnel lens, which stood about 12 feet tall. The total cost of the project was about $40,000, with the lens alone costing $15,000. The current lighthouse is really two towers in one: the exterior conical tower covers a cylindrical tower on the inside. Photo by Carol Highsmith.