Chain of Signal Beacons
Large fires, cannon and flags were used to signal alarms during the Revolutionary War. The fires were called beacons and were used to assemble militia, indicate the approach direction of the enemy and to direct the movements of military forces.
In the spring of 1779, a signal chain of log and brush pyramids was ordered built in a line along the highlands of the New Jersey coast. A beacon was to have been constructed at the “point” of this hill – a location that would seem to correspond to the area within the 1777 fortification. However, no conclusive historical documentation has been found to confirm the actual building of a beacon here. Looking south from this vista to the distant horizon, you can see the hill near Summit, New Jersey, on which another beacon was erected.
Marker is on Chestnut Street, on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
