Robbins Reef Lighthouse

Year Built

1839

Cost

$50,000

Type

Conical

Height

45 feet

Location

Bayonne, Hudson County

Automated Year

1966

First Lit

1883

Lens Type

Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), 12 inches (300 mm) (current)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

Lower half: brown - upper half: white - lantern: black

Last Keeper - Date

George E. Newman (1966 – 1967)

Description

The Noble Maritime Collection is restoring the lighthouse as a museum.

Brief History

•  The octagonal lighthouse contained a wooden circular staircase that provided access to the various levels of the tower and a ladder that led to the lantern room.
•  A fixed, fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower in 1855, replacing nine Argand lamps and the same number of twenty-one inch reflectors.
•  When the Coast Guard assumed responsibility for Robbins Reef Lighthouse in 1939, a three-man crew lived in the lighthouse to perform the duties.
•  Robbins Reef Lighthouse became officially automated on August 11, 1967, when George E. Newman, the last Officer-in-Charge of the lighthouse left along with his crew.
•  In 2009, Robbins Reef Lighthouse, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, was offered at no cost to eligible entities.