History House - Lieutenant’s Quarters No. 1

Very cool restoration and blast into the past. Definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the park.

This is a great exhibit! The house has been restored and decorated according to 1940’s style and décor to provide an immersive experience that transports visitors to a Coastal Defense fort during World War II. The house provides a lot of insight into what it was like to live on post at Fort Hancock during the busiest time in the fort’s history. Also, in December the house is decorated for the holiday season and represents how families might have celebrated Christmas during the war. – Be advised: the house is not open every day. In the winter, its usually just weekends, and in the summer usually Fridays through Mondays. Definitely check the Gateway National Recreation Area website before visiting.

Beautifully restored example of one of the officer’s houses. Constructed in 1898 the row of houses were for officers. Glad to see work is finally being started on many of the others. So sad they got into the condition they are today.

The Sandy Hook History House is part of what is known as Officers' Row, located along the road nearest Sandy Hook Bay in Fort Hancock. The Officers' Row houses are rather badly deteriorating, except this one that has been well preserved. There were 18 houses along Officers' Row with a 19th duplex house added after a small bay-side navigational light was removed. That house (3A/3B) is different in appearance from the others and has been renovated into a rentable space ($575 per night). Number 12 on Officers' Row was the commanding officer's house, with the higher ranking married officers occupying houses nearer to #12. The History House, therefore, would have been for the lowest ranking officer (a lieutenant) who was married. There was a large building along the parade ground that served as the Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ). They have done a wonderful job of recreating what the lieutenant's house would have looked like around the end of World War 2. Looking closely at the pictures of the rooms in this house, you will notice that the ceilings are lined in decorative tin sheeting. The tin ceiling liners were necessary in the earlier years of life on the Hook, because it was a proving ground and the constant testing of ordnance and munitions along the shoreline caused vibrations that would cause plaster ceilings to crack and fall down. The tin ceiling liners must be painted with oil-based paint, as water-based paint causes oxidation (i.e. rust).

I recommend visiting History House at Sandy Hook. It is nicely preserved. A look back in time when this was a functional military base.