Tuckerton Wireless
1912 - 1955
Hickory Island, Tuckerton, Ocean County, NJ


Information and pictures of the famous
Tuckerton Wireless, which was built in 1912,
and demolished on December 27, 1955.
It was built by The Germans, and was as one of the
first, and most powerful Transatlantic stations.
The tower, at 820 feet, was the second tallest
in the world, the tallest was the Eiffel Tower.

Special thanks to the folks of the Tuckerton Historical Society,
at the Historic Giffordtown Schoolhouse Museum
on Leitz Boulevard and Wisteria Lane in Tuckerton,
who graciously allowed me to reproduce material from
the museum online for the world to see.
More information about the museum below.


Here are a few pictures of artifacts
at the Tuckerton Historical Museum.


Stone in front of the museum

All that's left of the tower - the base

It sat on a solid steel ball, in a raceway that let it move with the wind.

Front of the museum, The Giffordtown Schoolhouse.


Gifford Schoolhouse Museum
1885 2-room Giffordtown Schoolhouse
Featuring: Relics and a model of the Tuckerton Wireless Tower (1912-1955)
Also: Artifacts from early Quakers, Tuckerton RR and Little Egg Harbor area
Open: every Wednesday from 10 AM to 4 PM, Saturday 2 PM to 4 PM April 30th through September.
Groups: Up to 25 by appointment
Admission: Free, Donations appreciated
Address: Leitz Blvd. & Wisteria Lane, P.O. Box 43 Tuckerton, NJ 08087
Phone: (609) 296-2394
Directions: GSP Exit 58; East on Rt. 539 for 4 miles;
Right on Rt. 9 South for 1 mile; Left on Wisteria Lane to museum on left.
Tuckerton Historial Society Web Site

What it looked like in 1916 !


Here are some original pictures
of the tower and site from construction
in 1912 to demolition in 1955.
Click on the pictures to enlarge them ...


Construction Crew
all Tuckerton Men
in 1912

Transmitter Building
during construction

The Tower in 1912
first 200 feet in the air

A guy anchor
during construction

The Tower Base
about 1913

One of the guy
anchors

Tower and Building
about 1916 after completion
generating it's own power

Transmitting Equipment

Looks like an output network

Goldschmitt Alternator
and German Engineers

Charles Buelow and one
of the German Engineers
repair an alternator coil

The Tower
probably in the 20's

The Tower
probably in the 30's

The Tower
in the 50's

Charles Buelow
looks at one of the
glass insulators
used at the tower base
1964 ?

1950's Aerial View
Click for a HUGE picture (256 k)

A Television News
crew captures the
moment on film !

Closeup of a guy anchor

Cutting a guy with
a torch during demolition

The Tower Falls !

Twisted Wreckage


These pictures were taken in June 1999
in Mystic Islands, at the tower site.
Click on the pictures to enlarge them ...


What the Transmitter
Building looks like today
(Radio Road, Mystic Islands)

Another shot ...
Wanna buy a boat?
$ 4200

The other side
of the building

From down the street

Guy Anchor # 1
from the building

Guy Anchor # 1
closeup ...

Guy Anchor # 2
from the building

Guy Anchor # 2
closeup ...

Guy Anchor # 2
Tom McNally (6'2")
for size reference ...

Guy Anchor # 2
Top I-Beam where
guys connected
used to be about
4 feet above ground

Guy Anchor # 3
from the street

Guy Anchor # 3
closeup ...
it's in somebody's yard !


Click below for a look at an unsigned contract
between Major Edwin H. Armstrong, the Inventor
of FM radio, and HOMAAG, the German company
that built the Tuckerton Wireless. It is dated 1916 !
The Tuckerton-Armstrong Connection

Cathleen Engelsen is a local artist specializing
in paintings of a historical nature. Her painting
of the Tuckerton Wireless Tower is featured in the
background on this site. For a closer look, and
details on how to purchase a copy, click below !
Cathleen Engelsen's Art


Color pictures by Tom McNally, Black & White pictures
are courtesy of the Tuckerton Historical Society
All copyrights reserved.