Conover Beacon Lighthouse

Year Built

1856

Cost

N/A

Type

Cylinder tower supported by external skeleton

Height

55 feet

Location

Leonardo

Automated Year

N/A

First Lit

1856 (orig.) - 1941 (current)

Lens Type

375 MM 1939. Present optic removed

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1988

Color

Red and white bands

Last Keeper - Date

Peter M. Peterson (at least 1925)

Description

It is now a private residence and set back off the road, making it hard to see.

Brief History

•  In 1852, Congress approved funding for the beacon to be established at Leonardo.
•  Original beacon was fueled with oil and then electrified in 1924.
•  In November 1931, a concrete-block saw-tooth jetty was placed along the shore to protect the lighthouse reservation.
•  Conover Beacon has been inactive since 1957, and its base is now protected by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire.
•   In 2004, the tower was transferred to Monmouth County for management by Middletown Township.