Great Beds Light

40°29′12″N 74°15′12″W / 40.48667°N 74.25333°W / 40.48667; -74.25333TowerConstructed1880FoundationCaissonConstructionCast ironAutomated1945Height61 feet (19 m)ShapeWhite conical tower on black conical pier with black lanternHeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place LightFirst lit1880Focal height19 m (62 ft) LensFourth order Fresnel 1880Range6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi)CharacteristicFlashing red, 6 s Architectural styleUS Lighthouse BoardMPSLight Stations of the United StatesNRHP reference No.08000467^[1]NJRHP No.4106^[2]Significant datesAdded to NRHPMay 29, 2008Designated NJRHPMarch 6, 2008

Great Beds Light is a sparkplug lighthouse in Raritan Bay, about 1 mile (1.6 km) from South Amboy of Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. Over the years the lighthouse has become the symbol for the city of South Amboy. Named as Great Beds Light Station, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 2008, for its significance in architecture, engineering, transportation, and maritime history.^[3]

History and description

The light was built in 1880 with a fourth order Fresnel lens to mark the Great Beds Shoal, hazardous shallow water in the Raritan Bay. The 30-foot (9.1 m) foundation, a conical caisson, sits in about 11 feet (3.4 m) of water. The five-story tower and lantern are 47 feet (14 m) high.^[3]

Lighthouses of Raritan Bay

• Chapel Hill Rear Range Light, Sandy Hook Bay (deactivated 1957)
• Conover Beacon, Leonardo
• Navesink Twin Lights, Highlands
• Sandy Hook Lighthouse, Sandy Hook

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey
• List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
• Geography of New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary
• Raritan Bayshore

References