Hiasvtoernics BY LORI DRAZ
Twin Lights Historic Site
With summer here and a growing sense of freedom returning
to everyday life, this is a great time to treat yourself to a deep
breath of history at the Twin Lights Historic Site in Highlands.
Whether you’re cruising on Route 36, enjoying a day at Sandy Hook or
on the high seas, you can’t miss this landmark. Climb the hill, and you
will be in for a truly breathtaking sight. You will also be walking on the
same grounds visited by baseball legend Babe Ruth; Francis Bellamy, author
of the Pledge of Allegiance; as well as Gertrude Ederle, championed
The Twin Lights sits 250 feet above sea level in Highlands. It is
grounds, visitors can see the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers, Sandy
Hook, Raritan Bay, the New York skyline and the Atlantic Ocean.
The imposing structure was built in 1862 using local brownstone.
The unique twin lighthouses were the design of architect Joseph Lederle.
In addition to the two non-identical towers, there are the keepers'
quarters and multiple storage rooms.
The Twin Lights were the primary navigational aide for ships entering
New York Harbor. The height of the towers and the elevation dwarf
the nearby lighthouse on Sandy Hook. For many years, it was considered
the technological leader of lighthouses in the United States.
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per bright lenses vastly improved safety for the ships. The North Tower
to a First Order Fixed Lens in 1862. In 1883, the site became home to
lighthouse in the United States to be lit by electricity. Another distinctive
light, making it easy to recognize by ships at sea.
This was also the site where, in 1899, Guglielmo Marconi demon-
Another intriguing fact is that the Twin Lights was the place where
the Pledge of Allegiance was read. It was 1893, and the original version
one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." You can see the
story and the Pledge in the lighthouse’s museum. The museum contains
many artifacts well worth investigating when it reopens for public visits
when the state reopens the site.
In 1920, the America’s Cup competition was held in front of the
after a six-year absence due to World War I.
After 120 years of active service, the lighthouses were decommissioned
in 1949.
The building had fallen into disrepair after years of neglect following
its decommissioning. In 1955, the Twin Lights Historical Society, a
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mark from ruin. Today, the Twin Lights State Historic Site is owned and
38 JUNE 2021 | TheJournalNJ.com
Photo courtesy of the Twin Lights Historical Society
operated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,
Division of Parks & Forestry, who originally hired now-Operations Manager/
Historian Jenna Paterno as a summer intern. Working closely with
the society volunteers and state employees, Paterno impressed everyone
with her knowledge and enthusiasm for history. By retaining Paterno fulltime,
the society is dramatically upping its ability to support and enhance
New Jersey parks in conjunction with the state, in sharing the beauty and
history found at the Twin Lights.
The State Park Service maintains the grounds and buildings, and
continues to showcase the site’s history through various exhibits curated
by Resource Interpretive Specialist Nicholas Wood.
The Twin Lights has the honor of being listed on the State and National
Registers of Historic Places.
For six decades, the Twin Lights Historical Society has thrived alongside
the New Jersey State Park Service, however, like other historic sites,
it was forced to close its doors in 2020 as a precaution to the pandemic.
Devoid of visitors and eager to keep interest in this important site
active, both the Twin Lights Historical Society and the state of New Jersey
undertook social media to make the site digitally active. Trustee Mark
Stewart dug into the society’s immense collection of nautical, lifesaving
and New Jersey cultural artifacts and began posting several images each
week on Facebook. The Society’s curator, Joanne Sutton, and her volunteer
corps photographed and catalogued every item.
“I wanted to see if people actually valued what we do here,” Stewart
explained. “From mid-March to the end of June, we had 50,000 views
and a ton of shares, so obviously that told us people wanted to stay connected
to us and one another.”
Next, the society launched a daily Facebook series titled “Twin Lights
People,” which featured mini biographies of individuals with a connection
to the lighthouse.
“People loved seeing how people from Thomas Edison to Robert
E. Lee to Isaac Asimov were linked to Twin Lights,” Stewart said. “People
rediscovered dozens of local legends and shared their memories, which
was very helpful.”
In November, the society began devoting its Facebook page to lighthouse
keepers around the world in a series titled “Jeepers Keepers.”
Despite being closed for more than a year, the Twins Lights has been
series are in the works now.
The entire Twin Lights People and Jeepers Keepers series can be
found on the society’s Facebook page or by searching for the hashtags
#TwinLightsPeople and #JeepersKeepers. The Twin Lights Historic Site
Facebook page, managed by Paterno, regularly creates posts discussing
the Twin Lights, local and artifact history.
The doors are currently closed, but you can visit the grounds every
day from 9 am to 4:30 pm and enjoy those breathtaking views. Admission
is free, and donations are appreciated.
/TheJournalNJ.com