Monmouth Discovery

History & Lighthouses · Sandy Hook

Fort Hancock

The Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark, with batteries and Army buildings on Sandy Hook and free parking.

Two yellow officers' houses at Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook with a windswept tree between them.
Photo: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Fort Hancock sits on Sandy Hook within Gateway National Recreation Area and lies inside the Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook Proving Ground National Historic Landmark. The National Park Service says that since 1895 it was one of the places vital to American defense, up to the nuclear age. The site includes several batteries and historic Army buildings.

Sandy Hook also holds the oldest surviving lighthouse in the United States and a former U.S. Life-Saving Service station building. The park service has a Stories section with accounts from people who served at the fort.

Parking at Fort Hancock is always free, unlike the beach lots in summer. The Sandy Hook History House is open Friday to Monday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the visitor center in the Lighthouse Keepers Quarters is open Friday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The park is open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and follows a carry-in, carry-out policy.

Good for

  • History
  • Waterfront

Last checked 2026-10-24. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit

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