Tucker's Island - the Atlantis of Long Beach Island.

Tucker’s Island – the Atlantis of Long Beach Island.

Last Updated on September 21, 2023 by Christopher G Mendla

Tucker’s Island was a small community on an island/peninsula just south of Holgate. The island had been inhabited since the late 1700’s. In the 1800’s Rueben Tucker purchased the island and built a home and small tavern. The community grew. Eventually it was about half the size of Beach Haven.

The Tuckerton Seaport has a full size replica of the Tuckers Island Lighthouse. They also have some memorabilia and a map of the island on the floor in one of the rooms in the lighthouse. The Seaport is located at the head of Tuckerton Creek on Route 9

In the 1920’s Tucker’s Island was being destroyed by erosion. A photographer shot an amazing series of photos showing the lighthouse finally toppling into the ocean.

Resources:

Lbi History
Tuckers island on Facebook. This Facebook page has some very interesting documents and photos. If you want to see photos of Tuckers island, this is a good place.
Hidden New Jersey
Down the shore – A lengthy history of Tuckers Island
App.com – An article about the Rider Family whose family manned the lighthouse.
A New Jersey map circa 1856 from Rutgers. The quality is very high and will allow zooming in
Links to various charts and maps from NOAA

Tuckers Island Lighthouse replica at Tuckerton Seaport — Tuckers Island Lighthouse

Location

The approximate location of Tuckers Island is shown below.

Tags: 1800's, Ocean, Store

Tucker’s Island, as it was in the 1800’s and early 1900’s no longer exists. However, many maps now show the south end of Long Beach Island as “Tucker’s Island”.

The area is heavily regulated as a wildlife refuge. You might be able to get some information at https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Edwin_B_Forsythe/visit/directions.html. I would suspect that the dunes would be off limits but the beach may be another story.