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.

In the following decades the strength of the light was reduced. It closed in the early 1950s.

Next: Passaic and Bergen Point Lighthouses