Chapel Hill Rear Range Light

The Chapel Hill Rear Range Light is a lighthouse located off of Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, which functioned as the rear light of the now-discontinued Chapel Hill Range.

Chapel Hill Rear Range Light
Locationsouth of Leonardo, New Jersey
Coordinates40.3983°N 74.0587°W / 40.3983; -74.0587
Tower
ConstructionWood (orig.)
Height55 ft (orig.)
45 ft (current)
Shaperectangular house with central tower
Light
First lit1856
Deactivated1957

History

This light was one of three identical lighthouses built along the New York harbor approaches in the 1850s (the others being the New Dorp Light and the Point Comfort Light). It worked in concert with the Conover Beacon to mark the Chapel Hill Channel, which runs north-south between the main Ambrose Channel and the secondary channel into Raritan Bay. The light took its name from a Baptist church built in 1809.

In 1957 this light was discontinued and replaced by a steel tower much closer to the front light (200 ft, as opposed to 1.5 mi (2.4 km). for the original lights). The old house was auctioned off in 1959 and sold to a New York businessman who intended it as a present for his amateur astronomer son. The building has since had several owners, who put an addition on the east end, added dormers along the roof line, and added various decorative touches.

See also

References
  • "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New Jersey". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  • "Chapel Hill Rear Range Lighthouse". Lighthousefriends.com. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  • Chart 12401: New York Lower Bay (Southern Part) (Map). 1:15,000. NOAA Office of Coast Survey. 1988. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  • "Inventory of Historic Light Stations: New Jersey Lighthouses: Chapel Hill Rear Range Light". National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
  • "Chapel Hill Rear Range Light - Chapel Hill, NJ". New Jersey Lighthouse Society. Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
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