The Sandy Hook Lighthouse is located on the grounds of Fort Hancock, NJ. This lighthouse is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the United States. New York merchants petitioned their assembly to raise money for the light by conducting lotteries and charging tonnage taxes on ships entering NY. The lighthouse was built in 1764 and has since undergone reconstruction to ensure continued operation. The Federal Government formed the U.S. Lighthouse Service, which was later incorporated into the U.S. Coast Guard, to operate the light and all other aids to navigation on U.S. waters.
This lighthouse is 29-feet in diameter at the base and 15-feet in diameter at the top. In the lantern room is a 45,000 candlepower light which is 85-feet above the ground and can be seen for 19 miles. Sandy Hook Lighthouse is a reminder of our rich maritime history, and it is an important aid to navigation at the entrance to the New York Harbor.
Sandy Hook was registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The U.S. Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service in 1996. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was still an active lighthouse.
2 comments:
Another beautiful spot with a firm place in our history. Thanks Al
Hi Judy. Happy you're still enjoying the lighthouses.
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