Old Stone House Society, Children of the American Revolution Presents

1. Old Stone House Society, Children of the American Revolution Presents Reflections of Independence,Lighthouses During the American Revolution By Memphis Erwin

2. What is a Lighthouse? • A lighthouse is a tower on or near the shore of an ocean, harbor, or river. There is a lantern room on top that holds the lens. This is where the light shines out. The lens shines a bright light to warn ships about dangers like rocks or sandbars. It can also mark the entrance to a river or inlet. • Before electricity, lighthouses needed light keepers. The keepers made sure the lights worked and added fuel to the lamp. They also helped rescue people who were drowning. Light keepers were almost always men. Some lived alone, and some brought their families. Lighthouse keepers were needed until electricity. Electricity made lighthouses automated. This meant they worked by themselves and didn’t need keepers. • The U.S. Coast Guard runs most of the working lighthouses today. They are called active aids to navigation. People also own some lighthouses. These are private aids to navigation. A person or group of people can buy a lighthouse to use.

3. 1877 - Statue of Liberty, NY • Long forgotten is the fact that the Statue of Liberty was once a lighthouse. Congress accepted France's monumental gift as work of art and a beacon for New York harbor in 1877. After Liberty's dedication and unveiling in 1886, President Cleveland appointed the US Light-House Board to be its caretaker. Engineers set up a steam dynamo plant on Bedloe's Island and fourteen arc lamps, nine in the torch and five others positioned strategically below at the angles of Fort Wood. Even so, the dimness of the lighting was little help to vessels entering the harbor and efforts were made to increase the illumination. In 1897 , an oil-generating engine was installed to power the lights, but they were still insufficient, and the Liberty Lighthouse closed in 1902. Today, visitors to Liberty Island can learn more about the old Liberty Lighthouse from park rangers. • The Statue of Liberty was declared a national monument by Presidential proclamation on October 15, 1924, the monument boundaries being set at the outer edge of old Fort Wood. The War Department continued to administer the entire island until, in 1933, again by Presidential proclamation, the Statue of Liberty National Monument was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior, the Army retaining the remainder of the island as a military post. • In 1937, another Presidential proclamation declared the Army Post abandoned and jurisdiction of the entire island passed to the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.

4. Lighthouse History • Americans built the first lighthouses in the United States before the American Revolution. The first lighthouse was built in 1716 in Massachusetts. The colonists depended on ships for things like travel, food, and trade. • When the British ruled America, colonies built their own lighthouses. Each colony picked the location, raised the money, and built the lighthouse. Lighthouses were important because they prevented many shipwrecks. After the American Revolution, the federal government took control of building lighthouses. • For the next one hundred years, lighthouses continued to be very important. They helped America grow and develop. Ships could bring supplies from different parts of the country safely and easily. • During World War II, German submarines, called U-boats, came up the coast of New Jersey and into the Delaware Bay. Lighthouses shut off their lights so the U-boats couldn’t see where rocks and sandbars were. This made it harder for them to come near the shore. • Coast Guard officers patrolled beaches and used lighthouses like Barnegat and Sea Girt to keep watch. The Coast Guard officers reported any activity or fighting they saw off the coast. • Today lighthouses still shine as a beacon. There are not as many working lighthouses because fewer are needed. Many lighthouses in New Jersey that do not work are open to the public. For more information, visit the New Jersey Lighthouse Society.

5. 1764 - Sandy Hook Lighthouse, NJ • Built in 1764, Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the nation’s oldest lighthouse. It was one of the 12 lighthouses built before the American Revolution. New Yorkers originally financed Sandy Hook. The New York merchants needed a lighthouse after losing a lot of money from shipwrecks. Two lottery drawings in New York City paid for the construction. A new tax on ships coming in paid for the upkeep. • During the American Revolution, American and English troops both wanted control of the lighthouse. The New York Congress heard that British ships were going to land on the coast. The congressmen sent a man to remove the lamps and equipment from the Sandy Hook lighthouse. They hoped this would keep the British from landing because they couldn’t see. But the British sent a landing party to relight the lighthouse. • The Americans tried to destroy the tower by firing cannons at it, but they did little damage. The British controlled it during the Revolution. It served as a safe place for British loyalists. • Sandy Hook was the first lighthouse in America to use an incandescent lamp.

6. 1874 - Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, NJ • The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is located in North Wildwood, NJ. It opened in 1874. The lighthouse is the only example of a Swiss Gothic building on the East Coast. It has five fireplaces. This makes Hereford Inlet Lighthouse more elegant than other lighthouses built at the same time. • The area originally served as the Hereford Inlet Life Saving Station No. 36. It was turned into a lighthouse to guide coal ships and other boats through the inlet. Hereford Inlet Lighthouse is located on a dune, and the light can be seen for 13 miles. • A storm severely damaged the foundation of the lighthouse in 1913. Builders moved it further inland to keep further damage from happening. The light was shut off for almost 20 years in the late 1900s. After restoring the lighthouse, the light was turned back on in 1986.

7. 1848 - Little Egg Harbor (Tucker's Island), NJ • Little Egg Harbor Lighthouse was first built on Tucker’s Island in 1848. The beacon was small and the light wasn’t powerful, so sailors complained. By 1859, the original lighthouse was abandoned. The light was shut off for the Civil War. • The Tucker’s Island Lighthouse opened after the Civil War ended. Sailors could see the light 12 miles out to sea. The people of Tucker’s Island liked their lighthouse. It worked for almost 60 years. During that time, Tucker’s Island became a popular tourist spot. Wealthy people from New York City and Philadelphia came to spend the summer. • In the early 1900s, Tucker’s Island began to lose popularity. There was no train service to Tucker’s Island, so the rich went elsewhere. In 1927 a bad storm hit the island. Hotels and businesses closed. By then Tucker’s Island became a ghost town. The lighthouse closed as well because it became unsafe after the storm. It tilted and leaned and fell into the ocean. Soon the ocean swallowed the entire town. • A replica of Tucker’s Island and the lighthouse is on display at the Tuckerton Seaport.

8. 1828 - Navesink Light (Twin Lights) • 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.

9. 2009-2010 National CAR ProjectPreservation of the Morris Island Lighthouse • The 2009-2010 National Project is to raise funds to aid in the restoration and preservation of the Morris Island Lighthouse. By working with Save the Light, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Charleston, South Carolina, we will have a greater opportunity to provide financial aid to the lighthouse. • http://www.savethelight.org/

10. The Morris Island Lighthouse, or the “Old Charleston Light” as it is more affectionately called, has welcomed ships entering Charleston for more than three centuries. By 1673, the Charles Towne colony had authorized a light to be burned every night on a small sandy island, later named Morris Island, six miles southeast of Oyster Pointe at the mouth of the harbor. This simple beacon was a burning "fier ball" of pitch and ocum lit in an iron basket. Each ship entering and leaving the harbor paid a small tax to help support the beacon and its attendant. • This lighthouse has welcomed newcomers, endured numerous battles, and has been subject to years of erosion. It has served the citizens of South Carolina and its many visitors for centuries and needs our help now more than ever. Due to many years of erosion and exposure to the elements, the entire foundation and physical structure of the Morris Island Lighthouse is in great disrepair. This revolutionary beacon needs to be restored before it is too late. • The funds raised by the National Society of the Children of the American Revolution will go specifically towards the completion of Phase 2 of Save the Light, Inc.’s “Master Plan.” • By contributing to this important project, we will be helping to ensure that the foundation of this beautiful lighthouse remains strong. The National Society of the Children of the American Revolution will be recognized as a donor on the Save the Light, Inc.’s web page; each contributor will be listed individually. The society will be publicized in Save the Light newsletters, Charleston newspapers, and other local media and a plaque will be placed at City Hall in Charleston, South Carolina in our honor.

11. 1767 • The first Lighthouse, 42 feet tall, is built on Morris Island to guide ships approaching Charlestown Harbor. • In 1750, His Majesty's legislature in Carolina passed an act calling for a permanent beacon to be built. Never acted on and about to expire, another proclamation in 1757 the authorized the construction of a permanent beacon extending the time for its construction to 1765. However, in late 1757, the funds for the beacon were diverted to complete the steeple at St. Michael's Church. The Charles Towne port became extremely busy, more than 800 ships clearing the port annually. King George III ordered that a permanent lighthouse be built. On May 30, 1767, the cornerstone for a permanent beacon was finally laid on Middle Bay Island. Historians know from a lead plate discovered in the 19th century that this first lighthouse was octagonal in shape, designed by Samuel Cordy, and built by Adam Miller and engineer Thomas Young. The tower was 42 feet above low tide and burned whale oil in lamps suspended from the dome's interior. The "Charleston Light" was one of 10 pre-Revolutionary lighthouses built in the Colonies. Once the Revolutionary War began, the colonists extinguished the 10 lights so as not to aid the British ships. On Sept. 15, 1775, fearing for his safety, Royal Governor William Campbell fled to the HMS Tamar, anchored in Charleston Harbor. The same day, the colonists' Council of Safety ordered the seizure of Fort Johnson. A small force led by Colonel William Moultrie captured the fort and the Charleston Light was extinguished. The Charleston Light remained extinguished until 1780 when the British lighted it after a successful siege on Charles Towne. The Charleston Light was one of only two lighthouses to survive the Revolutionary War. A French Navigational Map of 1776 shows the location of the Charleston Light on Middle Bay Island and in the vicinity of the Pumpkin Hill Channel. The map noted on the side of the channel is a reef of rocks warning, "If struck, you will sink immediately.” • The "Charleston Light" was one of 10 pre-Revolutionary lighthouses built in the Colonies. Once the Revolutionary War began, the colonists extinguished the 10 lights so as not to aid the British ships. On Sept. 15, 1775, fearing for his safety, Royal Governor William Campbell fled to the HMS Tamar, anchored in Charleston Harbor. The same day, the colonists' Council of Safety ordered the seizure of Fort Johnson. A small force led by Colonel William Moultrie captured the fort and the Charleston Light was extinguished. The Charleston Light remained extinguished until 1780 when the British lighted it after a successful siege on Charles Towne. The Charleston Light was one of only two lighthouses to survive the Revolutionary War.

12. Law passed on Aug. 7, 1789 – Lighthouse Service • After the ratification of the Constitution, Congress faced the task of running our new country. On Aug. 7, 1789, Congress passed its ninth law, establishing the lighthouse service. This service would take over the operation of the 12 functioning lighthouses. The first public works project ever funded by the US government was the construction of Cape Henry Lighthouse in 1792. The lighthouse Service grew rapidly. From 1789 to 1820, the number of lighthouses reached 55. By 1852, there were 325 lighthouses and 35 lightships and beacons.

13. 1771 - Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, NH • The first lighthouse established at Portsmouth Harbor Light Station was completed in July 1771. The structure was described as a shingled wooden lighthouse with a cooper-roofed lantern. • The American Revolution had a major impact on the light, especially given the fact that the beacon was built adjacent to Fort William and Mary, later named Fort Constitution after the war. During the period between 1774-1784,  the tower was darkened. By the turn of the century, a new lighthouse was deemed necessary at the station, prompting the federal government to erect an 80-foot octagonal wooden sentinel in 1804. The new site for the lighthouse was situated 100 yards east of the original beacon.

14. 1823 - Cape May Lighthouse, NJ • There have been three lighthouses in Cape May. In 1823 the first house opened. It was 70 feet high and had a flashing light to distinguish it from a lighthouse across the Delaware Bay. Because of erosion, water surrounded the lighthouse in 1847, and it eventually fell into the ocean. Even today, you can find pieces of the tower that washed up on shore after a storm. • A second lighthouse was built a third of a mile away during 1847. It was demolished ten years later because of poor construction. The third lighthouse is still standing today. It’s 157 feet tall and has 199 steps to the top. It had a very large Fresnel lens. An entire person could stand inside it to refuel the oil lamp. • The last keeper to live in the Cape May Lighthouse was Harry Palmer. He lived there in the 1920s with his wife and nine children. Everybody had a job to do. It was his daughter Alma’s job to pull grass out of the brick paths. To prevent the grass from growing quickly, she salted the cracks. But Alma got in trouble with Harry when the salt left permanent salt stains on the brick!

15. 1835 - Barnegat Lighthouse, NJ • There were two lighthouses built in Barnegat. The first opened in 1835 was only 40 feet tall. Sailors complained that the light wasn’t strong enough to see. Years later, erosion caused the ocean to come in and surround the lighthouse. It later collapsed. • Builders used this chance to make a stronger, better lighthouse. They built it so well that it’s still standing today. The Barnegat Lighthouse is four times bigger than the original lighthouse. At 165 feet, it’s the second tallest lighthouse in New Jersey. They built it further from the ocean than the first, so it wouldn’t fall in again. • A clock mechanism rotated the light. The keeper wound the mechanism hourly during the night to keep the light working. You can bet he didn’t sleep at nights!

16. 1849 - East Point Lighthouse, NJ • The last working lighthouse on the Delaware Bay shoreline is the East Point Lighthouse. It is located near the Maurice River in Cumberland County. It was built in 1849 and began operating in 1852. It’s the second oldest lighthouse in New Jersey that is still standing. • For almost 100 years the East Point Lighthouse helped commercial oyster fishers navigate through the Delaware Bay. In 1941 the light was shut off because of World War II. After the war ended it wasn’t turned back on. An accidental fire in the early 1970s damaged the building.. The Maurice River Historical Society rebuilt the building. The Coast Guard relit the light in 1980.

17. 1909 - MiahMaull Shoal, NJ • MiahMuall Shoal is the last offshore light station built in the Delaware Bay. It was built in 1909 and is located off of Egg Island Point. The shoal is named after Nehemiah Maull. He was a sailor who drowned there during a shipwreck in the eighteenth century. • The tower is made out of cast iron. It stands 19 feet underwater and 59 feet out of water. There was space for sleeping, eating, and relaxing. The lighthouse keeper on the MiahMaull had to stay alone in one building.

18. The Little Red Lighthouse • Inspired the imagination of people who have come in contact with it on their travels to the Manhattan shores of the Hudson River.  The spot it stands on was known as Jeffrey's Hook.  • The most beloved lighthouse in America, thanks to the children's book "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge" by Hildegard H. Swift, illustrated by Lynd Ward. The Little Red Lighthouse is actually correctly known as the Jeffreys Hook Lighthouse. • The site of the lighthouse was part of a defense perimeter for Fort Washington during the American Revolution.  About 100 yards to the northeast of Jeffrey's Hook and on top of a hill was a rifle redoubt and cannon battery.  This now has a memorial erected in 1910 by the Fort Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.  This particular chapter disbanded on October 12, 1960. • The current Jeffreys Hook Lighthouse was constructed in 1920 and commissioned in 1921, the second light on this site. Its purpose was to aid the navigation of shipping up the Hudson, the major transportation artery between New York City and the interior ports of Albany, Troy and beyond. • After the George Washington Bridge was constructed in the 1930s it was determined that the lighthouse was no longer needed and it was deactivated in 1947, and was scheduled for demolition. However, the children's book popularized the little lighthouse dwarfed by the bridge, and the millions of children tho loved The Little Red Lighthouse spoke out saving it from destruction. It was later deeded to New York City.

19. The End