Photos
cou tesy
NPS/Gateway
NRA
A
collectio
of
vi tage
postca ds
do ated
to
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
has
give
histo ia s
a
detailed
look
at
life
alo g
the
New
Je sey
coast
i
the
ea ly
20th
ce tu y.I
a
se ies
of
o al
histo y
i te views
co ducted
by
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
histo ia s
Tom
Hoffma
a d
Elai e
Ha mo ,
eti ed
Lieute a t
Colo el
Joh
Joseph
Pat ick
Mulhe
exami ed
items
f om
the
Paul
Koeptchem
postca d
collectio .
He
sha ed
memo ies
of
livi g
a d
wo ki g
o
the
Sa dy
Hook
pe i sula
betwee
1908
a d
1927.The
collectio
co tai s
24
colou
postca ds,
catalogued
as
se ies
umbe
272
at
the
Sa dy
Hook
museum.
It
e te ed
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
a chives
i
Novembe
1975
afte
Emily
Tepia,
the
executo
of
Koeptchem’s
estate,
do ated
it.
Koeptchem
lived
i
Highla d
Beach
f om
1907
u til
1962.The
i te view
t a sc ipt,
published
by
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
as
pa t
of
the
Gateway
Natio al
Rec eatio
A ea’s
histo ical
eco ds,
shows
how
coastal
commu ities
a d
ma itime
statio s
ope ated
befo e
mode
avigatio
tech ology
a d
la ge-scale
developme t.
Ea ly
ship
t acki g
a d
adio
expe ime ts
While
looki g
at
a
postca d
showi g
the
Twi
Lights
of
Navesi k,
Mulhe
explai ed
how
ships
we e
t acked
alo g
the
New
Je sey
coast
befo e
elect o ic
t acki g
systems
existed.Acco di g
to
his
accou t,
ma i e
obse ve s
wo ki g
fo
comme cial
telecommu icatio s
compa ies
watched
ships
headi g
towa d
New
Yo k
Ha bo
f om
towe s
alo g
the
coast.“All
these
me ,
ma i e
obse ve s
kept
3
x
5
ca ds
o
which
they
had
ma ually
p epa ed
the
silhouettes
of
all
k ow
vessels
that
would
come
i
a d
out
of
New
Yo k
Ha bo ,”
Mulhe
said
i
the
i te view.
The
obse ve s
could
ide tify
ships
by
featu es
such
as
the
umbe
of
smokestacks,
masts,
a d
the
ove all
shape
of
the
vessel.
They
also
k ew
whe
ce tai
ships
we e
expected
a d
could
epo t
thei
moveme ts
as
they
passed
specific
poi ts
o
the
way
i to
New
Yo k
Ha bo .Mulhe
also
emembe ed
his
ow
co ectio
to
ea ly
adio
tech ology.
I
1919,
he
a d
Ea l
Lucas,
the
so
of
Twi
Lights
keepe
Ea l
Lucas,
obtai ed
amateu
adio
lice ces
togethe .Lucas
placed
a
a te a
betwee
the
lighthouse’s
o th
a d
south
towe s.
This
helped
lau ch
a
lo g
ca ee
i
adio
e gi ee i g,
eve tually
leadi g
to
his
positio
as
chief
e gi ee
at
statio
WPAT.Mulhe
also
ide tified
la dma ks
i
the
postca d
images,
i cludi g
the
a cho s
of
a
ea ly
Ma co i
wi eless
towe
just
o th
of
the
o th
lighthouse.
The
a cho s
we e
still
visible
i
the
g ou d
decades
late .
How
the
Navesi k
lighthouses
wo ked
The
o al
histo y
also
explai s
how
the
Twi
Lights
ope ated
i
the
ea ly
1900s.Although
the
site
had
two
towe s,
Mulhe
said
o ly
the
south
towe
o mally
ope ated
as
a
avigatio
light.“The
lighthouses,
as
lo g
as
I
ca
emembe
the e
was
o ly
o e
ope atio al
light
a d
that
was
the
o e
at
the
south
e d
of
this
st uctu e,”
he
said
i
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
t a sc ipt.The
south
light
used
a
evolvi g
double
co vex
le s.
A
clock-like
mecha ical
system
tu ed
the
heavy
glass
le s.The
system
was
powe ed
by
a
la ge
weight
that
slowly
d opped
a d
had
to
be
ma ually
wou d
back
up
o ce
o
mo e
each
day.
The
mecha ism
powe ed
both
the
clockwo k
a d
the
otati g
le s.To
people
sta di g
close
to
the
lighthouse
o
la d,
the
light
appea ed
steady.
But
sailo s
about
15
miles
offsho e
saw
a
fast
flashi g
light
as
the
le s
tu ed.The
o th
towe
used
a
fixed
light.
It
mai ly
se ved
as
a
backup
whe
the
mai
south
light
was
bei g
epai ed
o
mai tai ed.Mulhe
also
ecalled
that
visito s
could
e te
the
lighthouse
o ly
whe
the
keepe
allowed
them
to.
It
was
ot
ope ated
as
a
public
pa k
at
the
time.Late ,
fede al
officials
added
otes
to
autical
cha ts
ide tifyi g
the
light
as
p ivately
mai tai ed.
This
helped
p otect
shipow e s
f om
maki g
claims
agai st
state
autho ities
if
a
vessel
a
ag ou d,
especially
as
ewe
tech ologies
such
as
Lo a
a d
ada
eplaced
t aditio al
lighthouse
avigatio .
Cha ges
to
the
la dscape
a d
ice
ha vesti g
While
eviewi g
postca ds
of
the
Highla d
Beach
eso t,
which
was
ope ated
by
the
Sa dlass
family
f om
1893
to
1962,
Mulhe
poi ted
out
cha ges
to
the
pe i sula’s
la dscape
a d
buildi gs.The
postca ds
show
ope
fields,
empty
lots,
a d
f eshwate
po ds
that
have
si ce
bee
eplaced
by
homes
a d
paved
oads.
Du i g
Mulhe ’s
childhood,
these
atu al
a eas
we e
impo ta t
pa ts
of
eve yday
life.“I
fact,
some
of
them
a e
built
ight
o
top
of
the
spot
whe e
the e
used
to
be
po ds
whe e
we
used
to
go
ice
skati g
i
the
wi te time,”
Mulhe
ecalled
i
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
eco d.He
also
explai ed
that
ice
was
cut
f om
the
po ds
du i g
wi te
a d
sold
to
ea by
homes
o
sto ed
i
icehouses.Mulhe
emembe ed
how
t a spo tatio
cha ged
ac oss
the
pe i sula.
Befo e
pe ma e t
oads
we e
built,
people
t avelled
ove
the
sa dy
g ou d
usi g
woode
t estles
a d
g avel
oads.Befo e
mode
highways,
flatca s
a d
ho se-d aw
wago s
t avelled
be eath
ailway
t estles
ea
the
Sa dlass
Bathi g
House.
The
a ea’s
fi st
si gle-la e
co c ete
oad
was
built
a ou d
1916
o
1917
du i g
the
Fi st
Wo ld
Wa
pe iod.The
postca d
collectio
a d
o al
histo y
t a sc ipts
emai
pa t
of
the
pe ma e t
histo ical
efe e ce
lib a y
at
Gateway
Natio al
Rec eatio
A ea.
Togethe ,
they
p ovide
valuable
p ima y-sou ce
evide ce
about
the
egio ’s
ma itime
activities,
tech ology,
commu ities,
a d
cha gi g
la dscape.