Landmark Smokestack in Beesley’s Point, NJ, Coming Down Thursday

A landmark that stands several hundred feet tall and has served as a beacon to those entering Cape May County for generations is coming down in just a matter of hours.

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The iconic smokestack at the former B.L. England Generating Station on the shore of Great Egg Harbor will be imploded on Thursday, October 26th, at 10 AM, according to a report in the Ocean City Sentinel.

Chris Wilson, co-founder of Beesley's Point Development Group (BPDG), which owns the site, told the publication, "Things have been going very well. We are really excited about this."

The plant's former cooling tower, which resembled one typically seen at a nuclear power plant but much smaller, was imploded several months ago.

Much of the rest of the plant was then taken down in April.

Demolition of the smokestack was set for June but Wilson said a security risk made BPDG rethink the timeline.

Chad Parks with BPDG told the Sentinel two men from Pennsylvania attempted to take explosives out of the building at one point, however, they were both arrested.

“That really disrupted us," said Wilson.

Past and future

The power plant at Beesley's Point opened in 1961. The cooling tower that was imploded was added in 1974 and the large smokestack, designed to look like a lighthouse, became a fixture of the region in 1987.

The power plant was permanently closed on May 1st, 2019.

Once the land is cleared, commercial and residential development will take its place along with a power plant for New Jersey's offshore wind farms.