Middletown Township near Highlands in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Keeping the Light
Gateway Natl Rec Area
— Sandy Hook —
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
1. Keeping the Light Marker
For more than a century, Sandy Hook Lighthouse keepers lived in isolation at the end of this windswept peninsula. In the 1890s, the U.S. Army began building massive concrete gun batteries here to defend the entrance to New York harbor. Fort Hancock was established to man the guns.
The current two-family keeper’s quarters was built in 1883 and is the fifth house to stand near this site. The keeper and his assistant climbed the spiral stairs to the lens house every day before sunset to light the lamps. Trimming the lamp wicks, cleaning soot from the lens, and carrying oil up the tower were some of their daily chores.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Forts and Castles • Landmarks • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.
Location. 40° 27.698′ N, 74° 0.114′ W. Marker is near Highlands, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. It is in Middletown Township. Marker is on Hudson Drive, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located in the Fort Hancock area in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Sarah Patterson Johnson (here, next to this marker); Sandy Hook Light (a few steps from this marker); Climate Crisis (a few steps from this marker); Lights Out! (within shouting distance of this marker); Sandy Hook (within shouting distance of this marker); Lighting the Way (within shouting distance of this marker); Mortar Battery (within shouting distance of this marker); Fire House Number 2 (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Highlands.
More about this marker. The bottom left of the marker contains four photographs. They include “Sandy Hook Keeper Samuel Jewell and family, around 1890”; “Sandy Hook Lighthouse Keeper Enoch G. Hand around 1936”; U.S. Coast Guardsman Chester Growcock, who turned off the Light on December 8, 1941 for wartime security; and a National Guardsman with the caption “Today the United States Coast Guard maintains the automated light and lens while the National Park Service cares for the tower.” The right side of the marker features a photo of the Lighthouse and Fort Hancock. It has the caption “During the expansion of military activities at Fort Hancock during World War
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
2. Marker in Fort Hancock
Also see . . .
1. Sandy Hook Lighthouse, NJ. Lighthouse Friends website. (Submitted on September 26, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
2. New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route. National Park Service website. (Submitted on September 20, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
3. New Jersey Lighthouse Society. Website homepage (Submitted on September 20, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
3. Sandy Hook Lighthouse
This lighthouse, built in 1764, is the oldest lighthouse still in use in the United States.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
4. Lighthouse in Fort Hancock
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Fort Hancock are part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
5. 1883 Lighthouse Keepers Residence
Credits. This page was last revised on May 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 860 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 20, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.
