Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • s p r i n g 2 0 1 5 30 JERSEY SHORE LANDMARKS TWIN LIGHTS, continued from page 29 Originally named Navesink Light Station, for nearly two hundred years the "Twin Lights of Highlands" have been the site of emerging technolo- gies in lighthouse construction and abilities. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, they have played a vital role in our nation's commerce, communications, and defense. William C. Vibbert, the former superintendent of the Twin Lights, credits the historic site with "bring- ing New Jersey maritime history to the forefront." Two Towers The original Twin Lights were built in 1828, following requests to Congress from the U.S. shipping industry to authorize the construc- tion of a lighthouse on the Navesink Highlands in New Jersey to support the increase in shipping traffic to the area. The War of 1812 had empha- sized how critical maritime traffic was in the waters around New York Harbor—particularly after completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. The Lights became an important landmark and guide for ships navigating the treach- erous entrances to the Harbor. There was a concern, however, that vessels might confuse a single light with the beacon at Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located five miles to the north. It was decided that the new Navesink Light Station would consist of two lighthouses separated by three hundred twenty feet. One tower would have a fixed light, and the other would have a rotating light, enabling mariners to easily differ- entiate between the single Sandy Hook Light and the dual lights of the Navesink Light Station. Thus, the first navigational beacons built on the Navesink Highlands were two octagonal towers constructed of blue split stone. The original towers were approximately forty feet high. As soon as the towers were built, the Twin Lights became a vital com- munications link for commerce. In 1829, the Merchant's Exchange (a commodity exchange for buying and selling goods in New York) erected a semaphore tower at the site. The tower was used to relay messages between ships passing Sandy Hook and the Exchange's building in Manhattan. The current lighthouse was con- structed in 1862 of local brownstone and replaced the earlier buildings that had fallen into disrepair. Architect Joseph Lederle designed the new struc- ture with two, non-identical towers linked by a keeper's quarters and storage rooms. The lighthouse keeper's primary duty was to maintain the light from sunset to sunrise. Other duties included trimming the wick, winding the clockwork mechanism that rotated the light, replenishing the oil supply, and later—after the south tower was electrified—ensuring the machinery in the powerhouse was operating all night long. First Fresnel Lens In The Western Hemisphere In 1841, a first order lens—which had been destined for the Sandy Hook Lighthouse but was too large for its lens house—was installed in the Navesink north tower, and the revolv- ing second order lens was installed in the south tower. It was the first lighthouse in the New World with a Fresnel lens, named after its inventor, French physicist August Fresnel. Fresnel produced six classes, or orders, of lighthouse lenses based on their size and focal length, with the largest rated a "first order." It provided the brightest light in North America for generations of seafarers. The non-identical towers could be identified by two beacons at night—one flashing and one fixed—allowing nav- igators a rough determination of their location upon approach of the harbor. The south tower's light was discon- tinued in 1952 as the importance of the light diminished. In 1962, the site was turned over to the State of New Jersey, which installed a sixth order lens and reactivated the north tower as a private aid to navigation. This light remains active. First Official Reading Of The Pledge Of Allegiance The Twin Lights made the news on April 25, 1893 when it was selected as the location for the first official reading of the Pledge of Allegiance, America's national oath of loyalty. This event coincided with the open- ing of the Columbian Exposition (a.k.a. The World's Fair) in Chicago and featured a grand naval flotilla off the coast of Sandy Hook. The Pledge was written by Francis Bellamy for the Youth's Companion and gained the support of Presidents Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland. The call for a national oath was triggered by the wave of The former powerhouse is now one of the exhibit areas of the Twin Lights. The centerpiece is the first order Fresnel lens, the largest in the U.S. The exhibit also includes a model of the Hornsby- Akroyd engine, which generated power for the twenty-five million candlepower electric-arc lamp, and a Francis Life Car, similar to the one that first successfully rescued 201 people in January 1850. Gordon Hesse

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