Waackaack Rear Range Light

The Waackaack Rear Range Light was built in 1856 off the shore of Keansburg, in Monmouth county, New Jersey, United States. It stood about 96 feet (29 m) tall. Although it stood near the water's edge, it was the rear range light in conjunction with the Point Comfort Light on the beach. The light's main purpose was to guide vessels coming into the Raritan Bay. It was initially made of wood, but was replaced in the 1860s by an iron tower.

Waackaack Rear Range Light
LocationKeansburg, New Jersey
Coordinates40°26′39″N 74°8′10″W
Tower
ConstructionWood (orig.)
Iron
Height96 feet (29 m) (first)
106 feet (32 m) (second)
Shapesquare skeleton tower (final)
Light
First lit1856 (1st tower)
1894 (second tower)
Deactivatedca. 1955

History

In 1883 a high-powered electric lamp was installed that was magnified by a glass lens. Preparations were made to replace the light-tower beginning in 1891. The tower built for use at the Waackaack Rear Range Light Station was part of the United States Lighthouse Board's exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893. This lighthouse was built of iron rings, and as the site for the lighthouse was not ready for its erection at the time the light tower was completed, it became possible for the lighthouse to become an exhibit at the Exposition.

When the Borough of Keansburg officially incorporated as a Borough in 1917, it adopted the outline of the Waackaack Range Light as its seal. By the end of the 1950s the lighthouse was dismantled and sold for scrap.

References
  • "Lighthouse Postcards: Waackaack (rear)". National Museum of American History. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  • "Lighthouses". Keansburg Police Department. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  • Chart 12401: New York Lower Bay (Southern Part) (Map). 1:15,000. NOAA Office of Coast Survey. 1988. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
  • The Official Directory of the World's Columbian Exposition. Chicago, Illinois: W.B. Conkey Company. 1893. pp. 158. Retrieved 2008-10-25. waackaack lighthouse.
  • "Waackaack Rear Range Light - Keansburg, NJ". New Jersey Lighthouse Society. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
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