For almost two centuries, a lighthouse beacon has stood at the southern tip of New Jersey, guarding the entrance to Delaware Bay. The present tower, constructed in 1859, stands 157½ feet tall and is the third lighthouse on this site, replacing earlier structures built in 1823 and 1847. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is owned by the State of New Jersey, through the Division of Parks in the Department of Environmental Protection, and is still operated by the U.S. Coast Guard as an active aid to navigation. Since December 1986, the Cape May Lighthouse has been leased to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities, a nearby non-profit organization in Cape May, which has taken responsibility for restoring the lighthouse and opening it to the public.