The lighthouse was erected in 1880 as the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, where it stood until 1917. It was reconstructed in 1921 in its current location by the United States Bureau of Lighthouses as part of a project to improve Hudson River navigational aids, and was in operation until 1947.The proposed dismantling of the lighthouse in 1951 resulted in a public outcry, largely from fans of Swift's book, leading to the preservation of the lighthouse by the City of New York/Parks & Recreation. The lighthouse is now a New York City landmark (New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are tours on an infrequent basis, especially on the Little Red Lighthouse Festival day in mid-September and Open House New York day in October. - Wikipedia
Here is the book that made this lighthouse famous:
The Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse, erected in 1880 and moved to its current site in 1921, has become widely known as the children's literary landmark, "The Little Red Lighthouse." The story of the lighthouse in Fort Washington Park was popularized by the children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, by Hildegarde H. Swift with illustrations by Lynd Ward, published in 1942. In this fictional account of Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse, the structure was presented as a symbol of the significance of a small thing in a big world. The lighthouse became a celebrated "child's landmark," representing importance and permanence, after the proposed removal of the lighthouse in 1951. The public outcry of children and their allies prompted the preservation of the structure through its transfer to the jurisdiction of the City of New York/Parks & Recreation. - New York City Department of Parks & Recreation
You could say that the book saved the lighthouse, and we are all better off for it!
Little Red Lighthouse - Wikipedia
Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse, Fort Washington Park - NY Dept of Parks
