Montauk Point State Park
Montauk Point State Park is located in the village of
Montauk at the eastern tip of
Long Island in
Suffolk County,
New York. Montauk Point is the easternmost extremity of the
South Fork of Long Island, and thus also of New York State. The park is at the end of
New York State Route 27, Sunrise Highway.
The park contains the
Montauk Point Lighthouse, which was authorized by the Second Congress, under President
George Washington in 1792. Construction began on
June 7,
1796 and was completed on
November 5,
1796. The lighthouse and adjacent
Camp Hero were heavily fortified with huge guns during
World War I and
World War II. Those gun emplacements and concrete observation bunkers (which are also at nearby
Shadmoor State Park) are still visible.
During the
Cold War a huge, long range radar was built at
Camp Hero. The decommissioned radar has become the topic of an
urban legend that it was used for time travel via the
Montauk Project.
The
Amistad, a Spanish ship taken over by slaves in 1839 was captured by the
USS Washington near here. The slaves were allowed to briefly disembark here before reimprisoned and taken to
New London, Connecticut for trial. The
Amistad case went before the
Supreme Court of the United States.
John Quincy Adams successfully argued that the slaves had been kidnapped and they were permitted to return to Africa. The case fanned the debate over
abolitionism of slavery.
Picnic tables, Food, Playground, Nature trail, Fishing, Hunting (Seasonal small and big game), Hiking, Cross-country skiing. Site of some of the best surf-fishing in the world; See seals sun themselves on rocks.
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List of New York state parks*
Lighthouses in the United States*
Camp Hero State ParkImage:Montauk Point Lighthouse.jpgImage:Sunrise June 17, 2006 MP.jpg*
New York State Parks: Montauk Point State Park*
Montauklighthouse.com*
National Park Service List of New York Lighthouses
