Little Red Lighthouse

Washington Heights / Inwood

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Little Red Lighthouse

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. The Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse, which formerly had stood as the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, from 1880-1917, was reconstructed in 1921 by the United States Bureau of Lighthouses as part of a project to improve the navigational aids on the Hudson River.

Photo: Madeleine Isom

Kids: Recreation Free Sites & Attractions: Historic Parks & Outdoors: Parks Kids Sites & Attractions Parks & Outdoors Washington Heights / Inwood

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For information about visiting the lighthouse, please call the Urban Park Rangers at (212) 304-2365.