U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) today announced that he has helped to secure a $32,047 Site Management Grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust for the preservation of the former Coast Guard Station in the Borough of Manasquan. At the request of Mayor Rich Dunne, in July Smith wrote a letter to the Historic Trust petitioning for the grant to be awarded to the Borough of Manasquan. 

    The station, which was built it 1902 and is owned by the Borough, was in serious need of repair as a result of asbestos, water damage, and wear and tear. It is one of the few remaining Duluth Type Life-Saving Stations remaining in New Jersey. In addition, Manasquan will also use and maintain the property as an emergency response facility. 

    “Preserving this historic site will provide a window to Manasquan’s heroic past and I am proud to announce that funding has been secured to begin rehabilitation,” said Smith. “Preserving this treasure will allow the public to understand both our local history and that of the Coast Guard.” 

    The Historic Trust administers the Garden State Historic Preservation Trust Fund, which was established to enhance historic preservation and encourage joint preservation efforts by the public and private sectors. The Site Management Grant is 3 to 1 matching grant and has been authorized to be met by the Borough of Manasquan. The facility will be used: to preserve and maintain the maritime heritage of the life-saving station; for community civic and education purposes; to maintain the historic value of the life-saving station as one of the few remaining in New Jersey available to the public. 

    The Borough of Manasquan has also agreed to preserve and maintain Coast Guard Station in a way that allows it to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Duluth type stations was first designed were first designed in 1894 and were larger than previous ones. They featured a four-story lookout tower on the front of the structure. At least 30 stations of this type were established on the Atlantic and Great Lakes; the first at Duluth, Minnesota. Many Life-Saving and early Coast Guard stations have been deactivated and are no longer used in their original function.