Tucker's Isle

Apr 6, 2004
3,607
552
Galloway
Historicaerials.com now has the 1920 and 1933 photos of Tucker's Island. Pretty humbling contrast! You can see in the 1920 shot that there was a bridge, a canal, and various buildings. All of that was swallowed by the Atlantic in 1927.
 
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manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Historicaerials.com now has the 1920 and 1933 photos of Tucker's Island. Pretty humbling contrast! You can see in the 1920 shot that there was a bridge, a canal, and various buildings. All of that was swallowed by the Atlantic in 1927.

didn't that island disappear for awhile only to resurface recently?I've never been on it but have canoed out to little beach island twice.The only supposedly permanent island on the jersey coast without road access.It's loaded down with Rhus Radicans but does have a nice dune forest in one area.
Al
 

GermanG

Piney
Apr 2, 2005
1,111
434
Little Egg Harbor
An island has formed in the general vicinity, but the consensus is that it is being called Tuckers Island out of nostalgia more than anything else. I land my boat there now and then in the summer with my kids. The mud flats on the east side of the island are a good area to dig piss clams.
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
I just aerialed the island and I never realized it was that extensive.It appears to have been partially wooded and had dwellings and roads on it in mid island and the southern end.The island appears to extend northward from 1920 to 33 and then wham,in 56 it is gone!.There are shoals in that area now and the waves can be observed breaking on them i rough weather from little beach but the island just disappeared in 20 years.What caused it?I know barrier islans move with the offshore current and occasionally two islands will form one as inlets close or one island will be cut in two but in 20 years a substantial piece of south jersey just rolled over and sank into the atlantic.Are there any known pics of the island back in it's heyday?What went on there?who lived there?Now I'm interested.I always thought tuckers island was just a reappearing and disappearing shoal that nude sunbathers took advantage of when it was above water.
Al
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
I just aerialed the island and I never realized it was that extensive.It appears to have been partially wooded and had dwellings and roads on it in mid island and the southern end.The island appears to extend northward from 1920 to 33 and then wham,in 56 it is gone!.There are shoals in that area now and the waves can be observed breaking on them i rough weather from little beach but the island just disappeared in 20 years.What caused it?I know barrier islans move with the offshore current and occasionally two islands will form one as inlets close or one island will be cut in two but in 20 years a substantial piece of south jersey just rolled over and sank into the atlantic.Are there any known pics of the island back in it's heyday?What went on there?who lived there?Now I'm interested.I always thought tuckers island was just a reappearing and disappearing shoal that nude sunbathers took advantage of when it was above water.
Al

Take a look at the south end of IBSP. What was once connected is now not. Water works in mysterious ways and oft times very quickly. There is no evidence of where Cranberry Inlet once was, closed up in the min 1800's and it is now all summer homes.

If you use GE, use the time slider to move between years, the change in IBSP took months rather than years and now the tidal forces will continue to change the backside of Island Beach and the sedge islands there.

5637581657_cdd53985ab_z.jpg
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
59
millville nj
www.youtube.com
Take a look at the south end of IBSP. What was once connected is now not. Water works in mysterious ways and oft times very quickly. There is no evidence of where Cranberry Inlet once was, closed up in the min 1800's and it is now all summer homes.

If you use GE, use the time slider to move between years, the change in IBSP took months rather than years and now the tidal forces will continue to change the backside of Island Beach and the sedge islands there.

5637581657_cdd53985ab_z.jpg

yes I'm aware inlets and points change quite rapidly but this was a sizeable island totally wiped out.Then again there is a 20 year gap in the photos.I still can't get over they actually caught the lighthouse falling over.
Al
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
2,465
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millville nj
www.youtube.com
actually now that I have plotted the actual island from 1920 onto modern day aerials I see the island really did not disappear after all,at least not the northern end.The island moved westward as barrier island in times of rising sea levels are won't to do and the inlet closed between tuckers and long beach island and the southern half of the island did indeed disappear except for one small sand bar next to the channel exiting from great bay which used to exit further to the south and west and little beach island did not extend as far ne then.the lighthouse location is now slightly over 1000 ft out to sea off modern long beach island.the one small piece left appears to be only above water now on extreme low tides though in the 90's it appeared to be slightly above the surface.apparently all thois breakers visible from little beach or long beach are remnants of tuckers south end.'d like to know if there is anything left of the lighthouse below the water.
Al
 

46er

Piney
Mar 24, 2004
8,837
2,143
Coastal NJ
yes I'm aware inlets and points change quite rapidly but this was a sizeable island totally wiped out.Then again there is a 20 year gap in the photos.I still can't get over they actually caught the lighthouse falling over.
Al

It is now very similar to Tuckers Island and its location to the south end of LBI. And again the works of man had something to do with it for similar reasons.
 

GermanG

Piney
Apr 2, 2005
1,111
434
Little Egg Harbor
The photo depicting the lighthouse tumbling in the water is of the second lighthouse which replaced an earlier one. The base of the earlier light can be seen in some photos and was used to store oil for the newer light. There was also a US Lifesaving station on the island which was replaced by the Coast Guard-built station at the end of Seven Bridges Road in the 1930s when the island was obviously in danger of disappearing. By that time many of the stations near inlets were being relocated to the bay anyway so the larger powered boats then in use could be more easily launched.
 
Apr 6, 2004
3,607
552
Galloway
Take a look at the south end of IBSP. What was once connected is now not. Water works in mysterious ways and oft times very quickly. There is no evidence of where Cranberry Inlet once was, closed up in the min 1800's and it is now all summer homes.

If you use GE, use the time slider to move between years, the change in IBSP took months rather than years and now the tidal forces will continue to change the backside of Island Beach and the sedge islands there.

5637581657_cdd53985ab_z.jpg

Good stuff, 46er. BTW, what is GE?
 
Apr 6, 2004
3,607
552
Galloway
... the island really did not disappear after all,at least not the northern end.The island moved westward...

Compare 1920 and 1931 again and notice that the western boundary of the island did not really move. Rather, only the eastern side of the island was eroded away, the other side being spared by dunes and maritime forests. Over time, the island indeed did vanish altogether, while LBI has steadily extended itself southward to the approximate location of where Tucker's Island was. When the Atlantic bursts through the barrier island once again to create yet another inlet and cutting off the southern stretch of LBI, then indeed Tucker's Beach would have returned. :v:
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
I've never been on it but have canoed out to little beach island twice.The only supposedly permanent island on the jersey coast without road access.It's loaded down with Rhus Radicans but does have a nice dune forest in one area.
Al

I've always wanted to explore little beach and have been fascinated by it, but I heard you need a federal permit to get on it. Is that condition enforced, or is it generally accepeted that you can land there with small watercraft without a huge concern of federal prosecution?

Jeff
 

manumuskin

Piney
Jul 20, 2003
8,552
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millville nj
www.youtube.com
I've always wanted to explore little beach and have been fascinated by it, but I heard you need a federal permit to get on it. Is that condition enforced, or is it generally accepeted that you can land there with small watercraft without a huge concern of federal prosecution?

Jeff

Jeff
I am not sure about the legality of landing on it.I did see no tresspassing signs along the southern shore of the island and the signs stated it was because of seabird nesting though there were no dates posted that you could tresspass legally.Perhaps they would not say anything if you landed after nesting season.By then i had already walked the whole island from north to south since the first time i went there i put in at the end of seven bridges road and canoed across the inlet.I was crazy back then I know.We saw one clammer parked in the inland pond at the northern edge.The second time i went there we put in off leeds road and took a flat bottom motorboat across and landed mid island on the western edge.The third time we canoed from brigantine on the marsh side and landed on the sw corner.This time we found the coast guard station and checked it out.Sleeping bags and bunks a nice cozy place.I wanted to stay but once we used up the fresh water left there it would have got uncomfortable.
I do believe it is technically off limits at least above high tide line in the dunes where the birds nest.People I hear land on the beach all the time for surf fishing and what not and I think this is ok.I doubt they would mind if you explored the island after the birds are gone.Warning there is poison ivy and oak everywhere that isn't submerged in salt water.A couple of small patches of dune forest exists which much ivy and black cherry trees.Quite attractive as long as you don't touch the foliage:)
One place i still haven't gotten too and I believe it is off limits too in the NWR is oak island.There are ruins on it from I believe colonial times.I think a Mathis or something lived out there.There is a road going to it but from the aerila the birdge appears to be out.It could be reached via a landing west of it just off route 9 or by swimming the creek where the bridge is out.Looks like a very interesting island.I'd probably go in the fall after whatever their trying to protect has reproduced and either left or went into winter mode.
Al
 
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