Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 36 JERSEY SHORE LANDMARKS SANDY HOOK, continued from page 35 First spotted by explorer Henry Hudson in 1609, Sandy Hook has played a multifaceted role in the country's history, most notably due to its strategic defensive location at the western entrance to New York Harbor. As early as the Revolutionary War, this slim barrier beach was fought over. It was used for defense during the War of 1812 and as the first U.S. Army Proving Ground for testing weapons in 1874. From the Civil War through to the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War, it became known as Fort Hancock and evolved to develop technologies to thwart adversar- ies and adapt to emerging needs. In 1974, it was decommissioned; in 1975, it was turned over to the National Park Service and became one of three primary components of the Gateway National Recreation Area, along with the Staten Island and Jamaica Bay National Park Units. Navigation Sandy Hook Lighthouse On June 11, 1764, Sandy Hook Lighthouse began to serve our nation as an aid to navigation, thus becom- ing the first lighthouse in (what would become) the United States. The unique, nine-story, octago- nal lighthouse has remained in use since that time and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Except for being darkened during the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II, the beacon has been operating. When it was first built, the light- The Spermaceti Cove #2 Life-Saving Station is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. house was five hundred feet from the northern tip of Sandy Hook; due to the littoral drift that deposits sand northerly, it is now one-and-a-half- miles from the tip. The National Park Service owns the tower and the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the third order Fresnel lens with a fixed white light that is lit twenty-four-hours-a-day. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, Keepers' Quarters, and Barn are open seven days a week to tell the story of lighthouses and the men and women who maintained these life-saving sentinels. Reservations must be made for group tours. The 250th anniversary of the light- ing of the lighthouse is June 11, 2014. Three days later—on Flag Day, June 14 at 11:00 AM, there will be a commemoration of that milestone at the lighthouse. U.S. Coast Guard Station USCGS Sandy Hook is based at the northern-most tip of the peninsula; it is the offspring of the United States Life-Saving Service which began one hundred sixty years ago. The station has berths for several small boats and also has a deep-water pier for visiting Coast Guard Cutters, which are usu- ally forward deployed to the station during foul weather. As the nation's Maritime Guardian, the Coast Guard's mission is to protect the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. Paul Scharff Paul Scharff

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