The Electric Powerhouse
The United States Lighthouse Service installed an electrically lit lens in the South Tower of Navesink Twin Lights, in 1898. To provide the electricity for the arc lamp, a powerhouse containing two large engines and electric producing dynamos had to be built. The original wood building was later replaced with the current brick structure.

Nineteen years of continuous operation took a toll on the equipment. Costly repairs led to a decision by the Lighthouse Service to replace the lamp mechanism with incandescent oil vapor, and in 1917 the powerhouse was shut down. It was not until 1924 that the beacon was again lit by electricity, but by then commercial power was available and there was no need for the lighthouse to have generators. A notation in the keeper's station log from May 1927, reported that the old engines and dynamos had been removed. Stripped of the equipment, the brick structure became a workshop and garage. Keeper Murphy Rockette, found another use for the building. In 1948, he held a wedding reception there.