Sandy Hook Light facts for kids
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| Sandy Hook Lighthouse in 2020 | |
 Sandy Hook Light
Location in Monmouth County, New Jersey
Sandy Hook Light
Location in New Jersey
Sandy Hook Light
Location in the United States
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| Location | Sandy Hook, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates | 40°27′42″N 74°00′07″W / 40.46167°N 74.00194°W |
| Year first constructed | June 11, 1764 |
| Automated | 1965 |
| Foundation | Stone |
| Construction | Rubble |
| Tower shape | Octagonal |
| Height | 103 feet (31 m) |
| Original lens | 3rd order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 19 nautical miles (35 km; 22 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fixed white lighted throughout 24 hours |
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by Isaac Conro. At that time, it stood only 500 feet (150 metres) from the tip of Sandy Hook; however, today, due to growth caused by littoral drift, it is almost one and a half miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip.
History
The light was built to aid mariners entering the southern end of the New York Harbor. It was originally called New York Lighthouse because it was funded through a New York Assembly lottery and a tax on all ships entering the Port of New York. The lighthouse has endured an attempt to destroy it as an aid to British navigation by Benjamin Tupper, and a subsequent occupancy of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
Almost two years after the State of New York ratified the U.S. Constitution, the lighthouse was transferred to federal authority. George Washington wrote to the Senate on April 5, 1790, "I have directed my private secretary to lay before you copies of three acts of the legislature of New York ... An act for vesting in the United States of America the light-house and the lands thereunto belonging at Sandy Hook". The lighthouse is located on the grounds of Fort Hancock.
In 1990, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 25 cent stamp featuring the Sandy Hook Lighthouse.
Today
Sandy Hook Lighthouse, which was restored in spring 2000, is part of the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service. Seven days a week, National Park Service Park Rangers offer free tours every half hour from 1:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. The view from the top includes the Atlantic Ocean, Sandy Hook Bay and the New York City skyline.
Images for kids
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Sandy Hook Lighthouse in 2021
