The Navesink Highlands Light Station
At almost 200 feet above sea level, the Navesink Highlands Light Station, also known as Twin Lights, is positioned on one of the highest points on the Atlantic coast. Lighthouses on this site have guided mariners safely into New York Harbor since 1828. The present lighthouse was built in 1862.
Twin Lights is famous as the first lighthouse in the United States to be fitted in 1841 with the revolutionary Fresnel lenses. These lenses create an intense and bright light that was visible at great distances.
In 1898, a large bivalve lens was installed in the south tower. This lens was, for many years, the most powerful light in the United States. The range of the light was 22 miles, but sailors reported seeing the flash against the night sky from as far as 70 miles away. This lens is currently on display in the powerhouse building down the walkway to your right.
Advances in navigation technology made many lighthouses obsolete, and in 1949, the Twin Lights were turned off. The lighthouse stood as a daytime beacon until it was removed from the official lists in 1951.
The federal government initially turned the property over to the Borough of Highlands. In 1961, it was given to the State of New Jersey and designated a State Historic Site. Twin Lights is listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Marker is on Lighthouse Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
