Saturday, April 17, 2021: Located high on a hill, more than 200 feet above sea level, the Twin Lights State Historic Site, 2 Lighthouse Road, Highlands (732-872-1814) looked like a brownstone castle. In 1841, this was the first lighthouse to use Fresnel lights, but the current building dated back to 1862. From what others told me, the reason there have been two lights here was because ships out at sea wouldn’t confuse it with the Sandy Hook Lighthouse. Among other things that happened there was that Marconi demonstrated the wireless telegraph in 1899. Although the main building was closed with its small museum and the entrance to climb the North Tower, due to covid-19, I did get a chance to observe the giant Fresnel light lens in the nearby former power plant. The staff opened the doors to this building, but they roped off anybody from entering the building. Nevertheless, I also got to see model-scaled sized power engines that once powered the lighthouse. Another nearby building had a life boat on display. Finally, I walked around the grounds of this building where signs outside provided pictures and text that explained the history of this lighthouse and its purpose. The best views from here showed the skyline of NYC! Be warned: Lighthouse Road was a very steep road. We had to put the car in second gear. In addition, the nearby towns of Highlands and Atlantic Highlands have some very interesting downtowns with different shops and other businesses.
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