September 20,2017: Twin Lights is closed due to road construction. Please call for further information

Today is the 100th anniversary of the first celebration of Flag Day, an annual commemoration to honor Old Glory. This week’s episode of Discover DEP, which is now live on the DEP website, focuses on Flag Day and the history of the Twin Lights Historic Site. Bob Bostock spoke with Mark Stewart, Secretary of the Twin Lights Historical Society, about the history behind Flag Day and the first official reading of the Pledge of Allegiance, which occurred at Twin Lights Historic Site in 1893. They also discuss “Seeing Stars”, a special exhibit about the Stars and Stripes and its history, open through the end of the year in the Twin Lights museum.

This episode can be found at http://www.nj.gov/dep/podcast/.

Situated 200 feet above sea level atop the Navesink Highlands, Twin Lights has stood as a sentinel over the treacherous coastal waters of northern New Jersey since 1828. Named Navesink Lightstation, it became known as the "Twin Lights of Highlands" to those who used its mighty beacons to navigate. As the primary seacoast light for The Highlands, New York Harbor, it was the best and brightest light in North America for generations of seafarers. Many a life and cargo were saved by the sweep of its light.

The current lighthouse, built in 1862 of local brownstone at a cost of $74,000, replaced the earlier buildings that had fallen into disrepair. Architect Joseph Lederle designed the new lighthouse with two non-identical towers linked by keepers' quarters and storage rooms. This unique design made it easy to distinguish Twin Lights from other nearby lighthouses. At night, the two beacons, one flashing and the other fixed, provided another distinguishing characteristic.