St. George on Staten Island in Richmond County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
National Lighthouse Museum
The Vaults
The Museum's hidden treasure.
The six brick and stone masonry vaults were constructed in 1864 to hold the volatile materials, including fuel that was used in the lighthouses; whale oil, lard, mineral oil and later kerosene.
Five of the vaults are 51' long, 21' wide, and over 13' tall. Earth fill and vegetation cover the vaults, but at the turn of the century they were covered by grass and one of the first tennis courts in the USA.
Brick arches form the ceilings of the vaults, and offer a wide range of museum uses for these unusual spaces, including "immersion" exhibits that would allow visitors to experience the lighthouse of the world through media projection. Other possible uses include a café/beer garden and a reconstruction of the historic fuel storage facilities.
Experimental Lighthouse
The Romer Shoal Lighthouse in lower New York Bay was first built as the Staten Island Lighthouse Depot and used as an experimental facility to test out new lights, lenses and other materials. It was dismantled and moved to its current location in 1898. It has been declared redundant by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Museum hopes to have it moved to the Lighthouse Plaza and restored.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
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Location. 40° 38.517′ N, 74° 4.445′ W. Marker is on Staten Island, New York, in Richmond County. It is in St. George. Marker is on Promenade at Lighthouse Point, 0.1 miles east of Bay Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5A Borough Pl, Staten Island NY 10301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. HRH The Princess Royal Visit (a few steps from this marker); The Barracks (within shouting distance of this marker); The Administration Building (within shouting distance of this marker); The 1907 Lamp Shop (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Maritime New York (about 500 feet away); Memorial to Clarence T. Barrett (about 500 feet away); United States Merchant Memorial (about 600 feet away); Giovanni Verrazzano (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Staten Island.
Also see . . . National Lighthouse Museum. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on February 13, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 162 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 11, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
