Fire Control Tower No. 23 is a NRHP-listed tower located in Lower Township,

Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are f ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, United States. The tower was built in 1942 as part of

Fort Miles Fort Miles was a United States Army World War II installation located on Cape Henlopen near Lewes, Delaware. Although funds to build the fort were approved in 1934, it was 1938 before construction began on the fort. On 3 June 1941 it was ...

, the system of harbor defenses of the

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltwater of the Atlantic Ocean. The bay is bordered inland ...

. It was one of 15 towers from

North Wildwood, New Jersey North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 3,621, a decr ...

Bethany Beach, Delaware Bethany Beach is an incorporated town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the town is 1,060; however, during the summer months some 15,000 more populate the town as vacationer ...

used to aim coastal batteries at German ships and submarines. It is located near Sunset Beach in

Cape May Point State Park Cape May Point State Park is a state park located in Lower Township, New Jersey, with a Cape May Point postal address. The park offers walking, hiking and nature trails as well as beaches, an exhibit gallery, a ranger office and is the site of ...

. The tower was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on May 29, 2003, and to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on November 17, 2003. About this time the tower was renovated under the direction of architect Robert Russell. Spiral staircases, lighting and safety features were installed, allowing the public to climb to the top of the tower and a wooden walkway was built to Sunset Avenue.

References

Government buildings completed in 1942 Lower Township, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Cape May County, New Jersey Military facilities on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Cape May County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places 1942 establishments in New Jersey {{NewJersey-NRHP-stub

See also

References