Last lookout tower being restored in Lower Twp.

New Jersey’s last freestanding World War II Lookout Tower is being restored by Cape May’s Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) and will pay tribute to the men and women who bravely served in the armed forces.
The public is invited to purchase Memorial Plaques to honor their loved ones that served in the military at any time in our country’s history.
These plaques will be affixed to the wire mesh of the staircase leading to the top of the World War II Lookout Tower (Fire Control Tower No. 23) Museum & Memorial, located on Sunset Blvd. in Lower Township near Cape May Point.
Beginning this spring, visitors can climb to the observation platform at the top of the World War II Lookout Tower and see equipment used to determine firing coordinates for massive guns on both sides of the Delaware Bay.
Each level of the Tower includes interpretive panels and photos that explain the Tower’s function, as well as Cape May’s important role in homeland defense during World War II.
A staircase affixed with wire mesh and Memorial Plaques takes visitors to the top of the Tower.
Memorial Plaques will be seven inches wide by five inches high and made of an exterior grade Metalex with a bronze patina.
Each plaque will include the name of the man or woman who served in the military, the branch they served in, the war or wars they served in, years of active duty and any additional information (up to two lines of 30 characters each) the purchaser would like to include.
Price is $150 each. For an order form or more information please call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278.
The World War II Lookout Tower (Fire Control Tower No. 23) played an important role in homeland defense and was part of the immense Fort Miles system to defend the Delaware River and Bay from enemy ships during World War II.
It was one of 15 towers that helped aim batteries of coastal artillery, stretching from North Wildwood to Bethany Beach, Del. The Tower will be open to the public daily beginning Friday, March 27; call for times. Admission is $6 for adults and $2.50 for children ages 3-12.
The World War II 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. The $1.3 million restoration of the tower was completed in 2008-09.