Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Sandy Hook lighthouse is found at the northern end of the New Jersey shore.  It is located near the entrance to the New York harbor.  This made it  important in protecting ships going in and out of the harbor for more than 200 years.  Sandy Hook lighthouse was first put into service in 1764 and as such is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the USA.

We visited Sandy Hook during a trip to visit lighthouses along the New Jersey shore.  The lighthouse had a small museum and gift shop in the keepers house.  The lighthouse itself is only open for visitors to climb on a scheduled and limited basis since it is still a working lighthouse.
Sandy Hook lighthouse stands on the grounds of historic Fort Hancock.

I spent some time walking around the lighthouse and looking for the best angle to shoot my photos.  I like this shot of the top of the lighthouse through the trees.  You can see the rough stone and the angled walls in the photo.
I have written more about my visits to New Jersey lighthouses on my Hubpages Mbgphoto

Photographing Barnegat Lighthouse

Photographing a lighthouse when on a trip can be challenging.  We usually stop at several lighthouses during each days travels and it is not always possible to get the best lighting conditions.  When we stopped at Barnegat lighthouse it was the middle of the day and the sky was a bright blue.  As I got out of the car and walked down the path toward the lighthouse I thought to myself that I would be able to get a nice shot of "Old Barney" with a bright blue sky but perhaps not anything very interesting to make it stand out.

After shooting this photo of a good looking lighthouse with the bright blue sky, I proceeded past the lighthouse to see what I could capture from the other direction.  Past the lighthouse was a walkway that went down along the inlet.  It was a beautiful day to take a walk and there were a lot of fishermen along the walkway along with families enjoy a walk out to the sea.  After I had walked a ways I turned around and look at the sight I got.  Beautiful fluffy clouds surrounding the lighthouse had made an appearance so that I could get the perfect shot.

I was really excited to see the clouds appear and I continued walking down the pathway to see if I could capture any other shots.  In this photo I was able to shoot the sandy and rocky shoreline in front of the lighthouse.  I love the perspective it gives to the scene.

Barnegat lighthouse is located on the northern tip of Long Beach island along the New Jersey shoreline.  It was first placed into service in 1835.  Today visitors can climb the 217 steps to the top of the lighthouse to see the fantastic views the island, the bay and the Atlantic ocean.

Barnegat Lighthouse Gift Box by lighthouseenthusiast

Barnegat Lighthouse Christmas Ornament by lighthouseenthusiast
Create one-of-a-kind personalized ornaments at Zazzle

Navesink

High atop the hills in Highland New Jersey is a very unusual lighthouse.  This structure has two towers that are 320 feet apart.

We were visiting Sandy Hook lighthouse when I looked up the hill and saw this marvelous castle like structure.  I pulled out my 300mm lens and was able to capture this photo from the bottom of the hill.

History of Lighthouse

Afterwards I researched a bit to find out out this unusual structure.  It seems that the Highlands were an important watch tower for settlers back in the mid 1700's.  They were able to watch the harbor from this local and protect the ports from raids by enemy ships.  Whenever a hostile ship was sighted a warning beacon was sent.    This went on until the time of the American Independence when shipping got busier in and out of the Hudson River.  At that time this matched pair of stone towers was built in 1828.

These brownstone towers helped to guide ships into the harbor until 1898 when the government no longer saw a need for two towers and the north tower went black.  The south tower continued to operate until 1953.

Today this historic site is ran by the New Jersey State Park Service and welcomes visitors.

Navesink Postcard by lighthouseenthusiast
Design Full color post cards at zazzle

Concord Point Lighthouse

Concord Point Lighthouse is found in Maryland at the northern part of the Chesapeake Bay.  We visited this historic lighthouse in August of 2014.  The lighthouse is a rather short white conical light that sits just feet away from the water.  It was first lit in 1827.  

Although it was closed to visitors at the time when we visited, I was still able to walk the grounds and take photos of the lighthouse from various angles.  The cloudy skies of the day helped to give the photos an interesting look.

In the photo above you will see the keepers house which is located just across the street from the lighthouse. 
For more information on Concord Point Lighthouse stop by my Hubpage at Concord Point Lighthouse Here is a greeting card I made from my photos of Concord Point Lighthouse.

Concord Point Lighthouse-Maryland Greeting Card by lighthouseenthusiast

For more information stop by my Hubpage at http://mbgphoto.hubpages.com/hub/Concord-Point-Lighthouse

Hereford Inlet Lighthouse on the Jersey Shore

Hereford Inlet lighthouse is a beautiful Victorian house that has a lighthouse on it.  What a wonderful place for the lighthouse keeper and his family to live.  This lighthouse was built in 1874 and certainly must be one of the most beautiful lighthouses on the Jersey shore.

I visited the lighthouse on a beautiful August morning and was delighted by the wonderful lighthouse and the grounds that were full of gorgeous flowers.  All around the lighthouse grounds were paths with benches where you could sit and enjoy the beautiful view.  The back path in the garden leads out to a boardwalk along the shore.  What a great place to take a stroll.  Here are a view of the photos I took in the gardens.

For more of my stories on my lighthouse visits and photos stop by my Squidoo lenses.  I Love Lighthouses

Marblehead Lighthouse

Photographing a Historic Lighthouse

Marblehead Lighthoues is located in Marblehead Ohio on the banks of Lake Erie.  This lighthouse is the oldest active lighthouse on the Great Lakes.  It was first lit in 1822.  It is a beautiful white conical lighthouse with a red dome and parapet.  The lighthouse is located in Marblehead State Park.  During the summer months the public may climb the 50 foot tower and stop by the Keepers House which has been refurbished and converted to a museum.  

On a recent visit we stayed across from the lighthouse at The Lighthouse Resort so we had easy access to the lighthouse grounds during our stay.  I was able to go over to the lighthouse during the open hours and then I returned early in the evening and again at sunrise the next morning.

The photo to the right was taken in the evening and you will note the shadows from the setting sun against the lighthouse walls.  There are several big boulders leading up to the lighthouse and then flatter rocks as it nears the banks of Lake Erie

I returned the next morning about an hour before sunrise.  In this next photo you will note the green light shining from the lighthouse in the early morning hour.

Here is the photo I was waiting to get.  Sunrise over Lake Erie.

If you would like to read more about my adventures at Marblehead Lighthouse stop by my Squidoo page at Visit Marblehead Lighthouse

Point Iroquois Light Station

On a September 2013 trip to Upper Michigan, we made a stop at the historic lighthouse at Point Iroquois.  This light station is located on the beautiful shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  We had visited Sault Ste Marie in the morning and found that this lighthouse was only 20 miles to the west.

The grounds of Point Iroquois were lovely.  There was a great walking path that took you around the lighthouse and out along the shores of Lake Superior.  In addition to being able to climb the 72 steps to the top of the tower the grounds held a museum that gave you insight into the families that called Point Iroquois Light Station home.

Point Iroquois Light Station was built in 1870 to guide freighters along the treacherous shores of Lake Superior between Whitefish Bay and the St. Mary's River.  In 1902 the originally building was added on to provide more living space.  The complex had room to accommodate the head lighthouse keeper along with two assistants and their families.  This group formed their own community complete with a schoolhouse and teacher for their children. 

I really enjoyed my time strolling around the lighthouse grounds.  Here is a photo I took as I walked along the path near the lake.

It shows the complex with the addition housing areas.

Stop by my Squidoo page to hear about more of the lighthouses we visited on this trip Michigan Upper Peninsula Lighthouses

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