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Hiding in Plain Sight: The Giffordtown Schoolhouse & The Tower to Europe

A block in from Route 9 in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, sits a building that is easy to miss. Clad in light gray siding with a modest front door, it looks like a typical suburban ranch home.

But look above the door, and the sign gives it away: Giffordtown School.

This is one of South Jersey’s best-kept secrets. It is an 1880s one-room schoolhouse that was saved from the wrecking ball, moved to a new location, and filled with the history of the Barnegat Bay area. And on the front lawn sits a piece of steel that once helped connect America to Europe during the height of World War I.

Reading, Writing, and Pumps in the Cloakroom

The Giffordtown Schoolhouse (now the home of the Tuckerton Historical Society) wasn’t always located on Leitz Boulevard. It was originally built circa 1884 on Route 9, on land donated by the prominent Gifford family (namesake of Giffordtown Road).

For decades, it served students from Little Egg Harbor and West Tuckerton. Like many rural schools, amenities were sparse. There were no indoor bathrooms, and heat came from wood-burning stoves. However, they did have one “luxury”: a water pump located inside the entrance vestibule (cloakroom), saving students from trekking outside for a drink in the winter.

Growth and Rescue:

• 1912: As the population grew, the school was expanded to two rooms. One room held Kindergarten through 4th grade; the other held 5th through 8th.
• 1951: The school closed when modern facilities opened.
• 1977: After sitting vacant for 25 years, the building was slated for demolition.

In a stroke of luck, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Leitz (owners of the neighboring Pontiac dealership) stepped in. They offered to donate the building—and a new plot of land—to the Historical Society. In August 1977, the school was lifted and moved to its current location, opening as a museum in 1982.

Inside the Museum

While the exterior has been modernized with siding to protect the structure, the interior retains its authentic schoolhouse charm.

The museum is packed with local artifacts, including:

• The Hewitt Models: A stunning display of scale-model buildings depicting Tuckerton from 1900 to the 1930s. Hand-crafted over 30 years by Mr. Bob Hewitt, these miniatures offer a 3D map of the town’s past.
• Maritime History: Artifacts relating to the Tucker’s Island Lighthouse and the local baymen.

The Spy Tower in the Meadow

The most significant artifact, however, is sitting right on the front lawn.

The massive gray steel object on the grass is a base joint from the Tuckerton Wireless Tower.

Constructed by a German company in 1912 on Hickory Island (now Mystic Island), this tower was a colossus.

• Height: 820 feet tall (That is taller than the Washington Monument!).
• Purpose: It was the second-tallest structure in the world at the time, designed to communicate directly with Eilvese, Germany.

The WWI Intrigue: When the tower opened in 1914, it was the most powerful transmitting station in the US. However, World War I broke out shortly after. Suspecting the tower was being used to send coded messages to German U-boats in the Atlantic, the U.S. Navy seized the tower in a dramatic takeover.

It was later used by RCA until 1947 and demolished in 1955. Today, the steel joint on the museum lawn is one of the few remaining pieces.

• Fun Fact: The piece on the lawn is installed upright for stability, but it is actually upside down—the narrow end was designed to point downward!

If You Visit

• Location: 35 Leitz Boulevard, Little Egg Harbor, NJ 08087.
• Hours: The museum is typically open on Wednesdays and Saturdays (check their website or Facebook for seasonal changes).
• Admission: Free (Donations appreciated).

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For More Information

Tuckerton Historical Society (www.tuckertonhistoricalsociety.org)