New York's Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse is one of the most famous in America, yet many people are surprised to find out that it actually exists. That's because the lighthouse was depicted in a classic children's book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. Readers of all ages fell in love with "Little Red" as it struggled to define its role next to its new neighbor, the Great Gray Bridge, which in real life is New York City's George Washington Bridge. The children's tale ultimately helped save the lighthouse from destruction in the 1950s, but the story of the Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse begins much earlier. 

Jeffrey's Hook, a rocky promontory along the Hudson River in upper Manhattan, was marked by a post light in 1889. From the wooden post hung two oil lanterns with fixed red lights, which were spaced 10 feet apart vertically. Apparently, the lights were inadequate for ships navigating the Hudson. In 1895, the Lighthouse Board's Annual Report noted that a larger light and fog bell were needed. According to this document, "The point extends well out into the river, with deep water close to its outer end. The usual route of steamers passing up and down the river is close to the point. The present post light should be replaced by a new structure, upon which should be the lantern with the bell below." 

The Lighthouse Board Annual Report in 1897 said that the New York City Department of Public Parks had granted permission for construction of a more powerful light at the site. Jeffrey's Hook was part of Fort Washington Park, which had been established a year earlier. Money for the light tower was not appropriated until 1916, and the lighthouse that stands today next to the George Washington Bridge was erected on the site in 1921. The red cast iron lighthouse was not a new structure, however. Originally, it had been erected in 1880 at Sandy Hook, N.J., replacing a wooden tower referred to as the East Beacon because it stood on the eastern side of the North tip of the Hook. When the cast iron tower was erected, it was known as the Hook Beacon or the North Hook Beacon. During World War I, the tower was in the firing line of Fort Hancock's gun batteries, and the Army requested its removal. The structure was dismantled and probably stored at the Third District depot on Staten Island. 

A 100-candlepower acetylene lamp and a fifth order lens were installed in the tower at Jeffrey's Hook. The 40-foot-tall lighthouse is the only lighthouse on the island of Manhattan, although there is a lighthouse on Roosevelt Island in New York City's East River. In 1921, when the tower was built at Jeffrey's Hook, the Lamplighter position was upgraded to Lamp Attendant with a base pay of $540 per year. 

Information about the lighthouse keepers at Jeffrey's Hook is scarce. An article in a Bergen County newspaper from the 1960s mentions that a building superintendent in Manhattan's Washington Heights area kept the light at the time the George Washington Bridge was constructed. In the article, a former manager of the bridge remembers a day when the bridge was under construction and a contractor was washing down a section of the roadway. Water landed on the keeper, and the bridge manager recalls, "[He] had just finished cleaning the interior and he came storming out, ready to lay hands on the culprit." The man also recalled for the newspaper that the lighthouse's fog bell was loud enough that the residents of Fort Lee, N.J., across the river, could hear it. 

Three years before the East Hook beacon was installed at Jeffrey's Hook, the New York City Commissioner of Parks sent a letter to the Lighthouse Service in Tompkinsville, N.Y., saying that if the lighthouse tower ever outlived its usefulness, it would need to be removed immediately and the park territory restored to its original condition. Perhaps even 80 years ago, city officials were concerned about liability, or maybe they didn't see how a lighthouse could enhance a city park. 

Whatever the reason, that agreement was the start of Little Red's troubles because the tower became obsolete sooner than anyone could have imagined. For years, engineers, politicians and others had been debating the feasibility of a bridge spanning the Hudson and linking New Jersey to Manhattan. Ultimately, the site for the bridge was chosen in upper Manhattan across the river from Fort Lee, N.J. Politicians and local residents crowded the area around the Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse in the fall of 1927 when a groundbreaking ceremony for the bridge was held. Construction crews then occupied Fort Washington Park when the New York bridge tower was built adjacent to the lighthouse. The bridge was opened in 1931, and its lights rendered the Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse obsolete.

The tower, which appeared miniature next to the massive George Washington Bridge, captured the imagination of author Hildegarde Swift, who lived in the area. Her book, illustrated by Lynd Ward, was popular with reviewers and children from the outset. Book Review Digest quotes a review in Booklist as saying, "There is just enough humanizing in the pictures-the intimation of a face on the tower, fog forming a grasping hand-to maintain the human spirit of the story and lead to its message: 'Each to his own place, little brother.' In three colors, the night scenes are especially beautiful." 

Alas, although the storybook showed that the bridge and lighthouse could work together, a happy ending was not to be in real life-or so it seemed. The Coast Guard decommissioned the light in 1947. In keeping with the Parks Department's wishes, the Coast Guard put Little Red up for auction in 1951. Interested parties were required to submit bids to the Coast Guard, with the stipulation that the successful bidder would remove the structure and the foundation within 30 days and clear away all debris without assistance from the government.

No one was prepared for what happened next. children began sending pennies, nickels and dimes to the Coast Guard so the lighthouse could be saved. A child psychologist was quoted in the New York Times as saying the lighthouse had "become a symbol of security for many of the city's children." A writer in the Times said: "Suddenly the darkened tower at the foot of 168th Street has become as conspicuous to New Yorkers as it was when it lighted up the shoals of Jeffrey's Hook, before it was overshadowed by the springing span of the bridge. They [passersby] lament its loss for the sake of the children, to whom it is a kind of fairy fortress on the river bank. Or for the sake of the birds that nest where the flashing lanterns used to be. Or for the sake of the picture it makes: it might have been placed there by an artist as an exclamation mark to point up the might proportions of the soaring arc above. Or just for the sake of itself, a useless little lighthouse that adds a smile to the landscape because it brings past and present into quaint and happy juxtaposition." 

One day before the bidding deadline, New York City Park Commissioner Robert Moses requested that the Coast Guard transfer the lighthouse to the city. Thirty-three prospective buyers had inquired about the lighthouse, but the Coast Guard received only one bid, according to the New York Times. The news that the Coast Guard would turn the tower over to the city was reported in the Times under the headline "Pet Lighthouse Is Saved for children; City Getting It as Gift from Coast Guard." 

Even so, Little Red's woes weren't over. The doors were welded shut, its concrete base was cracked, and it became a popular target for graffiti artists. Many years later, New York City Comptroller Harrison J. Goldin was driving down Riverside Drive with his 10-year-old-son Matthew, who had read the book about the lighthouse in school. Father and son began talking about how nice it would be if the lighthouse were open to the public. In 1982, the city's Parks Commissioner announced that the lighthouse and surrounding Fort Washington Park would be restored.

The wheels of government can turn slowly, however, and restoration was not complete until 1986. Little Red was declared a city landmark in 1991 by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. Today, the New York City Urban Park Rangers are responsible for taking school groups and visitors through the tower. The Park Rangers have organized a Little Red Lighthouse Festival every fall since 1992 featuring food, music and lighthouse tours. Visitors can climb the top of the lighthouse and enjoy magnificent views from the 10-sided lantern room and the gallery.

On a clear day, you can see apartment buildings in Fort Lee, the skyscrapers in Manhattan and boats on the river. You can always hear and see the traffic on the George Washington Bridge. 

More than 40 years ago, a stationery company published an advertisement featuring famous lighthouses of the United States. Information about the Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse was included in the ad, which said "The Little Red Lighthouse now belongs to the City of New York as a beacon to children instead of to ships." Indeed it does, and children and adults everywhere are very, very proud of New York's Little Red lighthouse. 

About the Author 

Katherine House visited the Little Red Lighthouse often when she lived in Bergen County, N.J. While in the New York area, she researched the Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse. She grew up in the Washington, D.C. area and now works as a magazine editor for an Alexandria, VA based trade association. She has visited dozens of lighthouses in the US and Canada as especially enjoyed her trips to Little Red when she lived nearby. She is interested in hearing from other members who have written materials or photographs about Little Red. Her address is 233 Linden CT., Iowa City, IA 52245, or send e-mail to khouse3676@aol.com. 

If you would like information on the New Jersey Lighthouse Society Inc., their address is:
NJLHS Inc.
P. O. Box 4228
Brick, NJ 08723-4228

While the book was written as a children's book, we highly recommend it to lighthouse fans of any age. 

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