Navesink
Light (Twin Lights) |
August
2002
|
The
Navesink Twin Lights are located in Highlands near the entrance
to New York harbor. Two rubble towers were built there in 1828.
They were built on top of a hill so the light could be seen
far away. In 1862, two brownstone towers replaced them. The
north tower was 8-sided (an octagon). The south tower was 4-sided
(a square). Both towers flashed a light until 1898. Then only
the south tower continued to serve as a lighthouse.
Navesink
had many firsts. In 1841 the south tower was the first U.S.
lighthouse to install a Fresnel lens. It was the first lighthouse
to use a kerosene lamp in 1883. Guglielmo Marconi ran the first
wireless telegraph demonstration in 1899 from Navesink. He
reported the results of the America’s Cup sailing race.
In
1898, Navesink became the first seacoast lighthouse to
use an electric lamp. (The first navigational aid to
use electricity was the Statue of Liberty, but it was
a harbor light.) It was the only lighthouse at the time
with its own generator. The powerful lamp and lens allowed
the light to be seen for 22 miles at sea. In the sky
it could be seen as far as 70 nautical miles. People
started complaining about the very bright light. Dark
panels were placed on the side of the town.
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In
the following decades the strength of the light was reduced.
It closed in the early 1950s.
Next: Passaic
and Bergen Point Lighthouses
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