The Robbins Reef Light Station is a
sparkplug lighthouse located off
Constable Hook in
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
,
Hudson County,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, United States, along the west side of Main Channel,
Upper New York Bay.
[ Note that although the light is clearly shown on the USGS topo in Hudson County, New Jersey, it is listed on this site as being in New York State.] The tower and integral keepers quarters were built in 1883. It replaced an octagonal granite tower built in 1839. The U.S. Coast Guard owned and operated the light station until the 2000s.
Position
The light is located on a small ridge of sand named ''Robyn's Rift'' by the Dutch settlers of the area. The reef is now called Robbins Reef. It is situated near the entrance to the
Kill van Kull
__NOTOC__
The Kill Van Kull is a tidal strait between Staten Island, New York (state), New York, and Bayonne, New Jersey, Bayonne, New Jersey, in the United States. It is approximately long and wide and connects Newark Bay with Upper New York ...
, a
strait connecting
New York Bay to
Newark Bay. The
channel is one of the most heavily used in the
Port of New York and New Jersey, accessing
Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal.
History
The name derives from the
New Netherland era of the 17th century. In Dutch ''rob'' or ''robyn'' means ''seal'', groups of which would sometimes lie on the reef at low tide. The structure is also called ''Kate's Light'' for
Kate Walker who "manned" the station alone after the death of her husband Captain John Walker in 1886, until 1919. She rowed her children to school in
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
. Herman Westgate was the last keeper of the lighthouse before it was finally automated. In 2009 Robbins Reef was put up for sale under the
National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. In 2011, the
Noble Maritime Collection, a maritime museum on Staten Island, was granted stewardship of the light station by the
U.S. General Services Administration. The octagonal structure near Robbins Reef Lighthouse is not the base of the original 1839 tower but rather a sewer outfall that was constructed around 1915.
Recent developments
In 2011, ownership was transferred to the Noble Maritime Collection based at
Sailors' Snug Harbor in Staten Island, through the terms of the
National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Recently museum volunteers have been restoring the lighthouse, with the interior restoration nearly complete. Miller’s Launch, a local launch tug, and spill response team provides periodic transportation for the volunteers. Total renovations are expected to be complete in the early 2020s, at which time the lighthouse will offer tours and even serve as a bed and breakfast.
[Massarella, Linda. Volunteers to restore historic lighthouse off Staten Island. ''NYPost.com'' October 8, 2017]
Accessed October 14, 2017
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey
*
Geography of New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary
References
External links
Noble Maritime Collection virtual tour of Robbins Reef Light Station Robbins Reef
Data for station ID 8530973, Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System NOAA.
Robbins Reef Light
in NPS.
Keeper of Robbins Reef Light, 1894–1919, National Lighthouse Museum, 2001.
Lighthouses of the New Jersey Shore.
*''Mind the Light, Katie: The History of Thirty-three Female lighthouse Keepers'', Mary Louise Clifford and J. Candace Clifford, 2006. ()
Joel Lewis, ''Jacket Magazine'' 23, August, 2003.
{{Authority control
Lighthouses completed in 1883
Bayonne, New Jersey
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Transportation buildings and structures in Hudson County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Hudson County, New Jersey
1883 establishments in New Jersey