Notes:
(1) Sandy Hook Light was built to mark the entrance to New York Harbor as the Fifth Lighthouse established in America.

      By the end of the 1600s, Edmund Andros, governor of New York, expressed the need for “sea marks for shipping upon Sandy Hook” to the governor of East Jersey.  For over 60 years, requests for a Lighthouse were overlooked.

      In 1761, a group of New York merchants petitioned Lt. Governor Caldweller Colden for a beacon and his representatives were authorized to purchase a 4 acre parcel on Sandy Hook.  The sale price was unreasonable and delayed action for another year.

      On May 9th 1762, the New York Assembly authorized a lottery to provide the revenue for construction.  Two lotteries were needed for funding the Lighthouse.  The first lottery, drawn on September 21, 1761, raised 750 pounds to purchase the land and a second lottery, drawn on June 14, 1763, raised funding for the construction of the Lighthouse.  A 103-foot high rubble stone Tower was built 500 feet from the point of Sandy Hook exhibiting a Fixed White light illuminated by 48 Oil Blazes.
A tax of 22-pence per ton was levied on ships entering the Port of New York to help pay for the light’s maintenance.

      After the Revolutionary War, ownership of the Lighthouse was disputed by the State of New Jersey. Sandy Hook Light was originally known as the New York Lighthouse, owned and operated by the State of New York.  Both states passed laws charging fees and taxes.  The dispute was resolved on Nov 16, 1790 when Sandy Hook was ceded to the new Federal Government per the Act of August 7, 1789.

(2) The Keeper’s House was rebuilt in 1883 after a inspection found the house not worth repairing.

      The Light Tower built by Isaac Conro from New York City has never been rebuilt and is the longest Continuous standing Light Tower, 237 years.

      Yet, this is 41 years short of the Oldest American Light, Boston Light, whose First Tower served for 60 years (1716 to 1776) and Boston’s second Tower has been in service since 1783 for a total of 278 years.
     
      Furthermore, Sandy Hook also had interruptions in service: The Lighthouse has been extinguished during every major war (Revolutionary, Civil, WW1, WW2).  During the Revolutionary War, Major Malcolm removed 8 copper Lamps to prevent the British from using the Lighthouse on Mar 12, 1776.  The British restored the Light and on June 1, 1776, the militia attempted to destroy the Lighthouse with cannons.  For most of the war, the powerful British navy held the Light Station yet the damaged Lighthouse was ineffective until repairs were made after the war.

(3) Optics Refitted:

1827: 18 Lamps with 18" Reflectors
1842: 18 Lamps with 18" Reflectors
1857: Third-order Fresnel Lens

(4) Current Illuminant: 45,000 candle-power 1,000 watt Lamp visible for 19 miles.

1896: One Oil Lamp (77 cp) was replaced by a Electric Lamp with 150 candlepower.
1907: Incandescent Oil Vapor replaced the 2-wick Oil Lamp. Power increased from 1,782 cp to 22,720 cp
1939: Fully Converted to Electric with a Power increase to 45,000 candlepower.

(5) From 1817 to 1923, two additional smaller Beacons were aids to mariners.

      On Apr 16, 1889, The East Beacon was the second Lighthouse to use a electric light.
In 1917, The Tower was replaced by a 35 foot Skeleton Tower.  The Old Tower was later moved to Jeffrey’s Hook, NY known as the Little Red Lighthouse to our nation’s children!



(6) Directions from the Garden State Parkway, NJ:
     Travel to Rt 36 East (exit 117 Southbound or Exit 105 Northbound).  Stay on Rt 36 East (13.2 mi.) to Highlands, NJ and follow the signs to Gateway National Recreation Area, and Fort Hancock Historic District to the main park road.  Drive 5 miles to the north end of Sandy Hook and enter Fort Hancock Historic District.  Turn right onto Magruder Road which leads to both the Fort Hancock Parking Lot and Sandy Hook Lighthouse.


(7) Existing 1883 Keeper's house (2.5 story Wood Duplex)