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Preservation New Jersey has declared the Romer Shoal Lighthouse as one of the New Jersey’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Properties. Lighthouse Digest agrees and we have added the lighthouse to our Doomsday List of Endangered Lighthouses.
Built in 1898 to replace an earlier tower, the lighthouse was staffed until 1966 when it was automated.
Located in New York Harbor near Staten Island, New York, the Romer Shoal Lighthouse is often referred to as being in New York State waters, but it is actually in New Jersey. The lighthouse is also sometimes incorrectly referred to as Romer Shoals Lighthouse.
After a storm damaged the tower in 1992, the Coast Guard wanted it torn down, but the late Joe Esposito, a local lighthouse historian, fought a battle to keep it standing. Eventually the lighthouse was offered up for adoption, free of charge, to any qualified applicant, but none came forward. In 2011 it was sold by the General Services Administration to businessman John Scalia for $90,000. However, Superstorm Sandy, which inflicted havoc and destruction on the east coast, put a fast stop on his plans, especially when the lighthouse was also heavily damaged. In 2013 the Coast Guard declared the tower as unsafe for their personnel. Recently the riprap around the lighthouse was reinforced.
Scalia had planned to open the lighthouse for tours with some type of arrangement with the new National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island. Some people would like to see the lighthouse moved to land as an exhibit near the museum where it once stood prior to being moved to the water in 1898. The National Lighthouse will open this August.
This story appeared in the
Jul/Aug 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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