Sea Girt Lighthouse
A beacon was needed to bridge the forty-mile gap between the Barnegat Light and the Navasink Highlands. On March 2, 1889, the U.S. Congress authorized money for the establishment of a lighthouse and after much delay the Sea Girt beach site was finally selected. It was the last live-in lighthouse built in the United States. On December 10, 1896 the building was completed and the beacon was turned on. It is usually visible 15 miles at sea. In 1915 electricity replaced the kerosene that fueled the lighthouse. Signals from Sea Girt crossed those from the Ambrose and Fire Island lightships, so ships could navigate more safely in foggy or foul weather. In 1936 the Coast Guard took over the lighthouse and changed the interior layout to make living space for the men stationed there. The keeper, Mr. Thomas, continued his duties until the light was "blacked out" because of World War II. By the end of the war the lighthouse became obsolete for navigational purposes. In 1945 the Coast Guard took the lighthouse out of service and in August 1956 sold it to the town. It was used by some community groups but gradually deteriorated until it became unsafe for any function.
Sandy Hook
Phone: Sandy Hook Visitor Center (732) 872-5970 or Gateway National Recreation Area (732) 872-0115. Located within the Fort Hancock Historic District at the northern end of Sandy Hook in the Gateway National Recreation Area, it's the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. Sandy Hook Lighthouse was built of stone in 1764 and the interior was later lined with red brick in 1863. Originally named the New York Lighthouse, it was designed to assist mariners entering the southern end of the New York Harbor. Today the lighthouse is maintained by the Coast Guard and is no longer considered a seacoast lighthouse. Nevertheless, the Sandy Hook Light still shines as a warning to mariners traveling the dangerous shoals of the New Jersey coast.
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