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The Great Beds Lighthouse sits about 3/4 of a mile off
Staten Island’s, Wards Point, in Raritan Bay. The 60 foot tall lighthouse is
a white boiler plated, caisson style structure, popular during that period. In
1878, the Lighthouse Establishment appropriated funds for the building of the
light, to aid mariners around the Great Beds Shoal.
A dispute between New York and New Jersey over the rights of the
shoal area delayed its final construction,
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until 1880 when New York ceded its rights to New Jersey.
Great Beds Light has been the victim of many collisions
by barges and ships during its long history. Fortunately, damages were always
minor and probably added some excitement to the keeper’s day. The USCG
automated the light in 1945, updating it with a modern lens that shows a
flashing red light.
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