Monmouth County(305) ► ADJACENT TO MONMOUTH COUNTY Burlington County(331) ► Mercer County(430) ► Middlesex County(298) ► Ocean County(140) ► Queens County, New York(216) ► Richmond County, New York(226) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
Here
Captain Joshua Huddy
of the Monmouth County Artillery
A Prisoner of War
Captured March 24, 1782 while defending
the Block House at Tom's River. Was hung by Torries without warrant April 12, 1782
The British authorities repudiated . . . — — Map (db m5657) HM
Twin Lights was the first primary seacoast light in the United States to use electricity. This building contained equipment for generating electric power for the light which produced 25,000,000 candlepower, by far the most powerful in the United . . . — — Map (db m208279) HM
The Navesink Highlands overlooks the major shipping channels in and out of New York Harbor. From here, 200 feet above the ocean, there is unobstructed visibility on a clear day for 22 miles out to the horizon. This is one of the reasons the . . . — — Map (db m208259) HM
Messages from the first practical demonstration of wireless telegraph were sent from this site on September 30, 1899 by famous Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi. Marconi had been invited to America by Gordon Bennett Jr., the owner of the New . . . — — Map (db m22615) HM
Messages from the first commercial demonstration of wireless telegraph were received at this site in 1899 from the famous Italian inventory Guglielmo Marconi.
Marconi was invited to America by Gordon Bennett Jr., the owner of the New . . . — — Map (db m208250) HM
has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. From 1828 until 1949 the Twin Towers of Navesink served as a principal aid to . . . — — Map (db m22584) HM
The building in front of you is the powerhouse. Inside the large double doors to your right were the engines and dynamos used to produce electrical power to light the lamp for the 1898 south tower Fresnel lens. This brick building, built in 1909, . . . — — Map (db m22681) HM
The building in front of you is the powerhouse. Inside the large double doors to your right were the engines and dynamos used to produce electrical power to light the lamp for the 1898 south tower Fresnel lens. This brick building, built in 1909, . . . — — Map (db m208281) HM
In 1849, eight lifeboat stations were built along the New Jersey coast between Sandy Hook and Little Egg Harbor. You are looking at the only surviving structure of the original eight. It was moved here from Sandy Hook in 1956.
Boathouses . . . — — Map (db m208249) HM
In 1848, eight lifeboat stations were built along the New Jersey coast between Sandy Hook and Little Egg Harbor. You are looking at the only surviving structure of the original eight. It was moved here from its Sandy Hook location in 1954 to be . . . — — Map (db m22620) HM
Originally located at Spermaceti Cove on Sandy Hook, this station was one of the first built in the U.S. The station contained apparatus for rescue of shipwreck survivors. The U.S. Lifesaving Service and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service merged in . . . — — Map (db m208248) HM
This was a significant site for more than just the lighthouse. In this strategic location, Marconi demonstrated wireless telegraph, the US Navy established a wireless station and the US Army tested various radar units. The Navy’s Bureau of . . . — — Map (db m22614) HM
This site was significant for more than just the lighthouse. In this strategic location, Marconi demonstrated wireless telegraph, the US Navy established a wireless station, and the US Army tested various radar units.
The Navy's Bureau . . . — — Map (db m208258) HM
At almost 200 feet above sea level, the Navesink Highlands Light Station, also known as Twin Lights, is positioned on one of the highest points on the Atlantic coast. Lighthouses on this site have guided mariners safely into New York Harbor since . . . — — Map (db m22588) HM
At almost 200 feet above sea level, the Navesink Light Station, also known as Twin Lights, is positioned on one of the highest points on the Atlantic coast. Lighthouses on this site have guided mariners safely into New York Harbor since 1828. The . . . — — Map (db m208247) HM
The Navesink Highlands Light Station originally consisted of two octagonal stone towers 320 feet apart. You are standing directly on the site of the 1828 north tower. Its replacement, completed in 1862, is behind you.
[Caption:] . . . — — Map (db m22621) HM
The Navesink Light Station originally consisted of two octagonal stone towers 320 feet apart. You are standing directly on the site of the 1828 north tower. Its replacement, completed in 1862, is behind you.
[Caption:] . . . — — Map (db m208251) HM
During construction of the present lighthouse in 1861, a cannon was found buried on the grounds. It was placed in front of the keeper’s house and for a century was the “mystery” cannon of Twin Lights. There are still unanswered . . . — — Map (db m22672) HM
On New Years Eve 1783, British forces were evacuating New York City as part of their final withdrawal from the new American Nation. The British warship H.M.S. Assistance was anchored in Sandy Hook Bay when 11 seamen deserted the ship. 1st . . . — — Map (db m22579) HM
When Officers Row was built, this site was left vacant to allow space for the West Beacon Range Light. Ships traveling across Raritan Bay would line up the lighthouse and beacon lights to mark their way. After the West Beacon was demolished in the . . . — — Map (db m54511) HM
The army encouraged sporting events and friendly competition between units on the post and among neighboring forts. Fort Hancock had its own baseball, football, bowling, basketball, and weight lifting teams, which competed with posts in the region. . . . — — Map (db m54482) HM
The BOQ housed unmarried officers. Captains and majors lived on the second floor in their own suites with private baths and sitting rooms. Lieutenants occupied single bedrooms and shared a bathroom on the top floor. The first floor was the original . . . — — Map (db m54519) HM
Every day at the Post Bakery, fresh bread was made for the mess halls and for sale at the Post Commissary. At 3 a.m. each morning soldiers would begin baking bread to feed the hundreds of troops who would report to the mess hall at 6 a.m., noon, . . . — — Map (db m54496) HM
Enlisted men lived on Barracks Row facing the parade ground. The four identical buildings each held a full battery of 80 soldiers. The U-shaped double barracks on the far right, built in 1909, held two batteries. Each barracks had its own mess . . . — — Map (db m54516) HM
This barracks was built for the enlisted men at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. After the proving ground moved to Aberdeen, Maryland, in 1919, it became the Fort Hancock School and later Headquarters for the 7th Coast Artillery Regiment. Sandy Hook . . . — — Map (db m54534) HM
The army operated its first and only lift gun battery here from 1893 to 1906. Inside its cavernous galleries, two 12-inch guns could be raised to the surface for firing and lowered for loading and servicing. Concealed and protected from enemy fire, . . . — — Map (db m22695) HM
On July 5, 1778 armies under General Sir Henry Clinton passed this point to reach British ships, at anchor off Horseshoe Cove, which evacuated them to New York. This completed their withdrawal through Middletown from Freehold after the Battle of . . . — — Map (db m22575) HM
Cannon and artillery projectiles were not the only weapons tested at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. Rifles, machine guns, and new types of gun powder and explosive fuses were tested there. At the chemistry lab, explosive and propellant compounds . . . — — Map (db m54529) HM
Fort Hancock’s barracks originally included barber and tailor shops, a kitchen, and a mess hall. After a few years, the army wanted more bunk space and these operations were moved to new detached mess halls built directly behind each barracks. . . . — — Map (db m54439) HM
The parade ground is one of the most important fixtures of any military post. Here troops drilled, formed for inspection, held morning calisthenics, and paraded and reviewed for senior military officers and visiting dignitaries. Fort Hancock was . . . — — Map (db m54451) HM
Find a prickly pear cactus. 🌵 Bike or walk a park trail. Search for an egret as you explore the salt marsh. Count the butterflies. 🦋 Go birdwatching. 🐦 Look for holly in our coastal forests.
See how America's oldest . . . — — Map (db m208220) HM
Sandy Hook Ferry Landing
Many park visitors enjoy the scenic ride on the ferry from New York City to Sandy Hook each summer. Visitors coming from the city enjoy using the ocean side beaches, campground and multi-use path.
Sandy Hook . . . — — Map (db m151975) HM
The Fort Hancock Gas Station was operated by the Post Exchange. It was the only filling station on post where soldiers with privately owned vehicles could buy fuel or have them serviced. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974. — — Map (db m54438) HM
Fort Hancock’s first fire station was manned by enlisted soldiers who were the post’s firefighters. The tower at the rear of the building was used for drying hoses. Today this is the National Park Service Sandy Hook fire fighting station. Fort . . . — — Map (db m54497) HM
Fort Hancock’s soldiers doubled as firefighters. This firehouse was built close to Barracks Row so the soldiers who lived there could quickly get to the fire fighting equipment. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to 1974. — — Map (db m54437) HM
Sandy Hook has been fortified to defend New York Harbor for more than two centuries – first by British Loyalists occupying the Sandy Hook Lighthouse during the American Revolution and the American troops constructed a wooden palisade fort during . . . — — Map (db m22645) HM
This stately structure was officers’ quarters for the Sandy Hook Proving Ground until it moved to Aberdeen, Maryland, in 1919. It housed Fort Hancock officers until 1936, then it became the Officers’ Club and its red brick exterior was painted . . . — — Map (db m54521) HM
When World War II began in Europe in 1939, the U.S. Army numbered 175,000 men. By the time of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the army had swelled to over 1.5 million. To accommodate this influx, temporary wooden “mobilization” building like these . . . — — Map (db m54536) HM
Fort Hancock was established in 1895 as an Army coastal defense post. Its huge concrete gun batteries were designed to protect New York Harbor from attack by sea. Although it was never attacked, Fort Hancock’s garrison kept busy with work details, . . . — — Map (db m41712) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m22591) HM
When the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was built in 1764, ships entered New York Harbor through a natural channel that ran close to the Sandy Hook shore. Sandbars were a constant danger and the merchants of New York built the Lighthouse to protect their . . . — — Map (db m22756) HM
When the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was built in 1764, ships entered New York Harbor through a natural channel that ran close to the Sandy Hook shore. Sandbars were a constant danger and the merchants of New York built the Lighthouse to protect their . . . — — Map (db m208214) HM
The beacon on the Sandy Hook Lighthouse was extinguished on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It remained dark until the end of World War II in 1945. — — Map (db m54432) HM
Like any small town, Fort Hancock had a jail. Military life was strict and a soldier could be punished for an offense as minor as being outside his barracks after lights-out. Military penalties could include loss of rank, heavy fines, . . . — — Map (db m54466) HM
The senior railroad engineer, who ran Sandy Hook’s locomotives, lived here. An extensive military railroad system carried guns and ammunition to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground and later supplied all of Fort Hancock. Today, the building is used as a . . . — — Map (db m54532) HM
Four mortars occupied a single pit. With twelve other mortars in nearby pits, they were designed to fire simultaneously, lobbing 12-inch, 800-pound shells in high arcs, to penetrate ships’ lightly-armored decks. Built in the early 1890’s, this was . . . — — Map (db m22648) HM
In the days before automobiles, armies moved by horse and mule power. Fort Hancock stabled its army mules in this building. The teamsters, or mule skinners who drove the mule teams, lived in the house next door. In later years, the barn was . . . — — Map (db m54498) HM
On Monday, April 5, 1943, the New York Yankees played the Fort Hancock baseball team on this very field. While future Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio and Phil Rizzuto were serving their country in the Armed Forces, others, including Joe Gordon and Bill . . . — — Map (db m54460) HM
Aircraft changed the style of warfare forever, and by the end of World War II anti-aircraft guns had taken over the key defensive role at Fort Hancock. The Cold War era brought a change from anti-aircraft guns to supersonic radar guided air . . . — — Map (db m208234) HM
Established in September 1961, the Sandy Hook Marine Laboratory was the first Federal scientific laboratory devoted solely to research on marine recreational fish and fishing. It was originally located on the bay approximately 300 ft from here in . . . — — Map (db m54553) HM
Eighteen houses comprise Officers Row; each was home to an officer and his family. Traditionally, officers’ homes faced toward the parade ground. Here however, army architects placed them facing Sandy Hook Bay to take advantage of the cool summer . . . — — Map (db m54503) HM
Weddings, christenings, funerals, and services of all faiths took place here in Fort Hancock’s chapel. It is one of the few surviving buildings from the pre-World War II mobilization period of 1940-41. First Sergeant Lawrence Markle, 7th Coast . . . — — Map (db m54501) HM
The commissary was a storage warehouse for provisions such as sugar, flour, coffee, canned meats, and other food stuffs needed at the mess halls. The commissary also had a small shop where army personnel and civilian employees living on post could . . . — — Map (db m54489) HM
Here the commanding officer and his staff ran the day-to-day operations of Fort Hancock. A post of this size was usually commanded by a colonel. During World War II, Fort Hancock was headquarters for all New York Harbor Defenses under the command . . . — — Map (db m54483) HM
This was the home for one of the foremen at the Sandy Hook Proving Ground. After the proving ground closed in 1919, it was used for housing noncommissioned officers and their families. Today, this building is a residence for National Park Service . . . — — Map (db m54533) HM
This warehouse was used to store uniforms, blankets, furniture, and other personal supplies for Fort Hancock’s garrison. The “Fort Hancock” painted on the roof was a marker for pilots. This was originally a two-story building and the third story . . . — — Map (db m54491) HM
Stretching off the northern tip of the New Jersey Shore, the 1,650 acre peninsula preserves six miles of ocean beaches enjoyed by more than two million visitors a year. But there’s much more.
Beyond its well-known beaches, sand dunes and . . . — — Map (db m208215) HM
Stretching off the northern tip of the New Jersey Shore, the 1,650 acre peninsula preserves six miles of ocean beaches enjoyed by more than two million visitors a year. But there’s much more.
Beyond its well-known beaches, sand dunes and . . . — — Map (db m208219) HM
Listed in The National register of Historic Places: 1980
Barracks Building #22 is a contributing structure in the Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic District. Throughout its history, Fort Hancock played a major role . . . — — Map (db m36891) HM
Upper Marker:
This light was completed in 1764 and is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the United States. New York merchants petitioned their assembly to raise money for the light by lotteries and tonnage taxes on ships . . . — — Map (db m5092) HM
Sarah Patterson Johnson was officially appointed Assistant Keeper of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse on May 27, 1867. Sarah assisted the Head Keeper, her brother, Charles Patterson, who tended the lighthouse from 1861 to 1885. Her family . . . — — Map (db m151970) HM
Noncommissioned Officers and their families lived in this row of houses. Single NCOs lived in the barracks with their men. Today, these homes are residences for National Park Service staff. Please respect their privacy. Fort Hancock was in . . . — — Map (db m54469) HM
Fort Hancock was home to both military personnel and a civilian population of contractors and specialists. The civilians who lived on post worked, shopped, and went to school alongside their military neighbors. The building that stood here was home . . . — — Map (db m54528) HM
Fort Hancock was built on sand. To stabilize the ground, topsoil was imported in the early 1900s. A layer of earth several inches deep was added to the parade ground and to other areas around the post. Fort Hancock was in operation from 1895 to . . . — — Map (db m54453) HM
During World War II, the Women's Army Corps (WAC) was created to utilize women in Army service jobs to free men for combat duty. Enlisting women into traditionally male army positions was a radically new concept at the time. Fort . . . — — Map (db m208213) HM
