History for the day

Fire Control Tower No. 23 is New Jersey’s last remaining restorable World War Two tower and was part of the immense Harbor Defense of the Delaware system known as Fort Miles. Built in 1942, the tower was one of fifteen towers that helped aim batteries of coastal artillery, stretching from North Wildwood, New Jersey to Bethany Beach, Delaware. Four were in Cape May County, New Jersey, but the towers located in North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest were torn down and a third tower is located inside Cape May’s Grand Hotel at Beach and Philadelphia Avenues. With the tower fully restored, visitors can now climb to the sixth floor-spotting gallery while reliving the homeland defense efforts during World War Two.  The World War Two Lookout Tower is owned by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forestry, and is leased to Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC).  The $1.3 million restoration of the tower, completed in 2008-09, was funded by grants from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, the New Jersey Historic Trust, the New Jersey Historical Commission and a Small Cities Block Grant administered by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. For information about MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, visit MAC’s website.