Welcome back to National Parks & other public lands with T! If you are seeing this on Twitter or Facebook, please visit the blog to see all of the photos and read the story by clicking the link.
Sandy Hook Lighthouse reopened on September 30th, 2018 after a ten month restoration project. The renovations included replacing the front door, windows, the lantern deck and walls. The window frames were treated to prevent staining of the lighthouse.
The lighthouse is the oldest, still-active beacon in the country. Built in 1764, it was only 500 feet from the shoreline. After over 250 years worth of sand deposited by the currents, the lighthouse now sits a mile and a half from the tip of the peninsula.
During the revolutionary war, the American militia tried to destroy the lighthouse to prevent the British from using it to invade New York, but it survived.
In the 1800s, it got a new lantern house and a brick lining.
In 1964, on its 200th birthday, the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was designated a National Historic Landmark.
After the opening ceremonies and ribbon-cutting we were allowed to climb to the top of the tower and take in the views of the bay, Fort Hancock and New York Harbor.
My other posts on Sandy Hook:
- Sandy Hook
- Grand Re-opening
- Sandy Hook Light
- Fort Hancock (coming soon)
- Women’s Barracks (coming soon)
Location: 128 South Hartshorne Drive, Highlands, NJ 07732
Designation: National Recreation Area
Date designated or established: 10/27/1972
Date of my visit: 9/30/2018
