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1888 Map of Sandy Hook

Name: 1888 Topographic Map of Sandy Hook
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1888
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1888

About this map

Highlands of Navesink dominate the coastal topography of this Monmouth County landscape, where the Navesink Lights stand as a vital navigational landmark overlooking the Atlantic. The shoreline is defined by the narrow spit of Sandy Hook, dotted with specialized infrastructure including the L.S. Station Sandy Hook and the Sandy Hook Pier. Inland, the terrain transitions from the salt marshes near Raritan Bay to a complex network of creeks and brooks like Poricy Brook and New Swamp Brook that drain the interior.

Transportation networks of the late nineteenth century are clearly etched across the county, with the New York and Long Branch Railroad and the New Jersey Southern Railroad connecting established maritime centers like Keyport and Port Monmouth to the growing residential areas of Middletown and Red Bank. This 1884 survey by George H. Cook and C.C. Vermeule documents a coastline shaped by both maritime utility and the early development of shore communities such as Seabright and Atlantic Highlands.