navigation bar
DEP Graphic  
Division of Parks and Forestry Graphic
parks home njdep home
 
Home
Click to view Hours of Operation
other Historic sites
2007 History Fair
Commerative Items for sale
NJ living History Council
 

 

Twin Lights' elevation made it an ideal spot to conduct other communication activities not associated with the lighthouse. In 1829, the Merchant's Exchange, a commodity exchange for buying and selling goods, erected a semaphore tower here. The tower relayed messages between incoming ships and the Exchange's office in Manhattan, NY. In 1899, Guglielmo Marconi placed an antenna and receiving station at the lighthouse to demonstrate his Wireless Telegraph. His first demonstration was reporting on the America's Cup yacht races occurring off the tip of Sandy Hook. This demonstration worked so well he expanded his operations, making Twin Lights the nation's first wireless telegraph station capable of sending and receiving messages on a regular commercial basis.

The United States Army also saw the value of using Twin Lights as a test site for experimental electronics. In the 1920's and 30's, various radar devices, developed at nearby Ft. Monmouth, were tested here. Many of these prototypes were later used in the early days of World War II.

 

bottom footer

parks and forestry: find a park | forestry | forest fire | natural lands | education | historic sites| historic preservation
department: njdep home | about dep | index by topic | programs/units | dep online
statewide: njhome | citizen | business | government | services A to Z | departments | search

Copyright © State of New Jersey, 1996-2018
Department of Environmental Protection
P. O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402

Last Updated: April 26, 2007

nj home citizen business government services a to z departments dep home contact dep privacy notice legal statement accessibility statement nj home