Grand Opening Ceremony for the World War II Lookout Tower
Lower Township – The Grand Opening Ceremony for the World War II Lookout Tower (Fire Control Tower No. 23) was held Saturday, May 16 at 10 a.m. Local World War II veterans were present and honored. A dove release was made to honor their service to our country. Dignitaries included Freeholder Leonard Desiderio, Congressman Frank LoBiondo, Senator Jeff Van Drew, Assemblymen Nelson Albano and Matt Milam, representatives from the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC) and those involved with the restoration project.
Fire Control Tower No. 23 was part of the immense Harbor Defense of the Delaware system known as Fort Miles. Built in 1942, the tower was one of fifteen concrete lookout towers that helped aim batteries of coastal artillery, stretching from North Wildwood, N.J. to Bethany Beach, DE. Four were in Cape May County, N.J.-the towers located in North Wildwood and Wildwood Crest were torn down and a third tower is located inside Cape May’s Grand Hotel, Beach and Philadelphia avenues.
With the Tower restored, visitors can climb to the sixth floor observation platform at the top 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. The third level of the tower is dedicated to the brave men and women from the Cape May area who served during World War II and contains the “Wall of Honor” as well as “Cape May’s World War II Honor Roll.”
The World War II Lookout Tower is located on Sunset Boulevard in Lower Township near Cape May Point. The tower is open to the public daily; times vary.
