Twin Lights Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
The Navesink Twin Lights is a non-operational lighthouse
and museum located in Highlands
, New Jersey
overlooking Sandy Hook Bay, the entrance to the New York Harbor
and the Atlantic Ocean
. The Twin Lights, as the name implies, are a pair of beacons located 246 feet (75 m) above sea level on the headlands of the Navesink Highlands
.
In 1962, the State of New Jersey acquired Twin Lights. At the current museum facility, tours of the lighthouse, a climb of the North Tower and its expansive ocean view, and a view of the lighthouse equipment, await visitors. Twin Lights is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places
.
The Twin Lights State Historic Site is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
.
The current lighthouse was constructed in 1862. The non-identical towers by day and the two beacons by night—one flashing and one
fixed—allowed ready identification by mariners of the identity of the facility, thus allowing a rough determination of their location approaching the harbor.
This was the first American lighthouse to test a Fresnel lens
and was also the site of a demonstration by Marconi
of the wireless telegraph in 1899. A bi-valve fresnel lens
is on display in the museum.
The north tower light was discontinued in 1898; at the same time the south tower was electrified, one of the first lighthouses in the United States to be so equipped. It was automated in 1949, but was discontinued in 1952 as the importance of the light diminished.
In 1962, the site was turned over to the state of New Jersey, which installed a sixth order lens and reactivated the north tower as a private aid to navigation. This light remains active.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
and museum located in Highlands
Highlands, New Jersey
Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,005. It is the home town of film maker, director, and comic book writer Kevin Smith. The eastern part of the town is built on a high bluff that overlooks Sandy...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
overlooking Sandy Hook Bay, the entrance to the New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
and the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The Twin Lights, as the name implies, are a pair of beacons located 246 feet (75 m) above sea level on the headlands of the Navesink Highlands
Navesink Highlands
The Navesink Highlands, sometimes referred to as the Highlands of Navesink and also known as the Atlantic Highlands, are a range of low hills and upland areas located along the United States Atlantic coast in New Jersey...
.
In 1962, the State of New Jersey acquired Twin Lights. At the current museum facility, tours of the lighthouse, a climb of the North Tower and its expansive ocean view, and a view of the lighthouse equipment, await visitors. Twin Lights is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Twin Lights State Historic Site is part of the New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route
The New Jersey Coastal Heritage Trail Route extends along New Jersey's Atlantic Ocean shore for nearly 300 miles, from Perth Amboy to Cape May and westward along the Delaware Bay to the Delaware Memorial Bridge...
.
History
A lighthouse existed on the site since 1828, when it became an important guide and landmark for ships navigating the treacherous entrances to New York Harbor.The current lighthouse was constructed in 1862. The non-identical towers by day and the two beacons by night—one flashing and one
fixed—allowed ready identification by mariners of the identity of the facility, thus allowing a rough determination of their location approaching the harbor.
This was the first American lighthouse to test a Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
and was also the site of a demonstration by Marconi
Marconi Company
The Marconi Company Ltd. was founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 as The Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company...
of the wireless telegraph in 1899. A bi-valve fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
is on display in the museum.
The north tower light was discontinued in 1898; at the same time the south tower was electrified, one of the first lighthouses in the United States to be so equipped. It was automated in 1949, but was discontinued in 1952 as the importance of the light diminished.
In 1962, the site was turned over to the state of New Jersey, which installed a sixth order lens and reactivated the north tower as a private aid to navigation. This light remains active.