Along the New Jersey Shore
This is a view from the Twin Lights Lighthouse. It is looking north towards Sandy Hook, and if you look closely, you will see Manhattan (New York City) on the horizon. These photos are a compilation of Tim and my pictures...a day along the shore.
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Our objective was to visit four lighthouses in a single day. We planned our trip so that we would get a good sampling of lighthouse architectures. By 9:15 a.m. we left our home to make our way to the first destination: the lighthouse at Sandy Hook National Park. New Jersey has 20 lighthouses, of which 14 are still in operation. The lighthouses along the shore hold many “firsts”, including the oldest lighthouse in the United States. This is located at Sandy Hook.
The lighthouse on your left was erected in 1764, and was built to aid mariners entering the southern end of New York harbor. During the American Revolution, the American militia tried to destroy the structure, but could not be destroyed. When this structure was constructed, it was only several hundred yards from the New York harbor. Because of the change of shoreline over the past 250 years, it is now a mile and a half from the water’s edge. Of course, we had to stop at the National Park Service to get information and buy souvenirs. As with several other lighthouses, there are tours, museums, and videos explaining the history of the structure, maritime history, or local ecology.
On your right is the Twin Lights, which is situated 200 feet above sea level in Highlands, New Jersey. These lights have been used as a navigation aid since 1828 and overlooks New York Harbor and the Shrewsbury River. It was the first lighthouse in the US to install the fresnall light and became known as “the brightest light in North America”. Tim and I kept calling it the “Twin Towers”…not certain why…perhaps for the same reason we can’t tell the difference between left and right… On the ocean facing side, there is a cannon, called “the mysterious cannon”, as it was unearthed near the lights…but no one knows why it was there. It is similar to those made in Denmark in the 1600s. Some think it may have been used to produce a sound for arriving ships to be alert for land. These lights were extinguished in 1949 after 121 years of active service. |
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We stopped at Baehrs Sea Food for lunch. The restaurant is an “icon” in the area, and located on the waterfront. We had the chowder and lobster bisque…along with a main course. Elizabeth ordered a “Crab Cluster” which was really king crab legs….and lots of them…it put us “30 minutes behind schedule”…or so we kept reminding her ... On our way to the third lighthouse, Sea Girt Lighthouse, we passed through several well known New Jersey shore towns, including the home of Bruce Springsteen, Asbury Park. The section of the coast called Sea Girt was once known as Wreck Pond, as at least 92 vessels floundered along the coast in the early 1890s. This beacon was constructed to bridge the 40 mile gap between Barnegat Light and the Twin Lights. This structure was built at Manasquan, and would become the last live-in lighthouse built in the United States. Below are pictures of our next destination: the lighthouse at Barnegat Bay. |
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