Sandy Hook Quick Facts
Year Station Established: 1764
Is the Light operational? Yes
Year Light First Lit: 1764
Year Automated: 1965
Tower Height: 85 ft.
Original Optic: 18 lamps, 21" Reflector
Present Optic: 3rd Order, Fresnel
Existing Keepers Quarters? Yes
Year Constructed: 1883
Number of Stories: 2.5
Architectural Style: Duplex
Construction Materials: Wood
Sandy Hook Lighthouse
Fort Hancock, NJ
(8 photos, 236KB total download)
Last Visited: October, 2001
Off the tip of Sandy Hook, NJ, is the oldest working lighthouse in the country.
It was designed and built in 1764 by Isaac Conro. 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 the occupancy of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War and exposure to the elements on the end of Sandy Hook. The view of the New York skyline from the bridge crossing into the Hook illustrates the importance this light played in the history of New York harbor.
Sandy Hook Lighthouse is part of Gateway National Recreation Area at Sandy Hook, NJ. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse was restored in Spring 2000
Town of Monmouth
The lighthouse is open for tours on weekends during May, June and July, and the grounds are open daily.
Nearest Address: Hartshorne Dr, Highlands, NJ
- From the Garden State Parkway northbound take exit 117.
- Get on Route 36 and follow it about 12 miles until you get to the ocean.
- Once you go over the drawbridge take the exit for Sandy Hook Unit, Gateway National Recreation Area.
- Take that road north for 4 miles to Sandy Hook.
- At the north end of Sandy Hook enter the Fort Hancock Historic District.
- Bear right onto Magruder Road and follow it to the lighthouse.
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