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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
What a beautiful landmark. I love the view from the top!
Thanks!
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Thanks for this view of the Sandy Hook lighthouse. It has special meaning for me. In the fall of 1677 my ancestor Dr. Daniel Wills, one of the commissioners on the ship Kent anchored in Sandy Hook bay after crossing from England with 230 passengers, went up to New York to pay their respects to Governor Andros before proceeding to West Jersey (up the Delaware River) to found Burlington.
That’s great that you are able to trace your ancestry so far back!
It was a project set aside for my retirement. Can check off that task. Looking forward to visiting this place!! Thanks for your great postings!!
You may be interested in the lighthouse challenge weekend in October since other nearby lighthouses are also open and run tours for visitors. Sandy Hook is the National Park Service and so is open more often than the ones run by historical societies (except during government shutdowns of course)
Thanks for the tip!!
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