Sandy Hook Light
 |
|
| Location | Sandy Hook, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°27′42″N 74°00′07″W / 40.46167°N 74.00194°WCoordinates: 40°27′42″N 74°00′07″W / 40.46167°N 74.00194°W |
| Year first lit | 1764 |
| Automated | 1965 |
| Deactivated | N/A |
| Foundation | Stone |
| Construction | Rubble |
| Tower shape | Octagonal |
| Height | 103 ft |
| Original lens | 3rd order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 19 nautical miles (35 km) |
| Characteristic | Fixed white lighted throughout 24 hours |
|
Sandy Hook Light
|
|
| Built: | 1764 |
| Architect: | Unknown |
| Architectural style: | No Style Listed |
| Governing body: | U.S. Coast Guard |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000468[1] |
| NJRHP #: | 2029[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL: | January 29, 1964[3] |
| Designated NJRHP: | May 27, 1971 |
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States.[4] It was designed and built in 1764 by Isaac Conro. At that time, it stood only 500 feet (150 m) from the tip of Sandy Hook; however, today, due to growth caused by littoral drift, it is almost one and a half miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip.
The light was built to aid mariners entering the southern end of the New York Harbor. It was originally called New York Lighthouse because it was funded through a New York Assembly lottery and a tax on all ships entering the Port of New York. Sandy Hook Light has endured an attempt to destroy it – as an aid to British navigation – by Benjamin Tupper,[5] and a subsequent occupancy of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
Sandy Hook Lighthouse, which was restored in spring 2000, is part of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. During summer weekends, the New Jersey Lighthouse Society offers free tours every half hour from 12:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
[edit] In popular culture
- On September 18, 2009 the Sandy Hook Light was filmed as a fictional backdrop for final episode of the longest running soap opera Guiding Light.
[edit] See also
- List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
- Geography of New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary
- Raritan Bayshore
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Monmouth County". NJ DEP - Historic Preservation Office. March 1, 2011. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/hpo/1identify/lists/monmouth.pdf. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
- ^ "Sandy Hook Light". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=331&ResourceType=Building. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ^ http://lighthousesusa.blogspot.com/2007/07/oldest-lighthouse-in-united-states.html
- ^ Sandy Hook Lighthouse, New Jersey] at Lighthousefriends.com
[edit] External links
- Sandy Hook Lighthouse at American Byways
- New Jersey Lighthouse Society Home Page: Sandy Hook Lighthouse
- Sandy Hook Lighthouse from Lighthousefriends.com
|
||||||||||||||||||||
- 1764 establishments
- Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places
- Lighthouses in New Jersey
- National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey
- Buildings and structures completed in 1764
- National Historic Landmark lighthouses
- Sandy Hook, New Jersey
- Museums in Monmouth County, New Jersey
- Lighthouse museums in New Jersey
