Gateway National Recreation Area
Sandy Hook: The Harbor's Front Door
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
Listen
Transcript
Before New York became a global city, it had a front door.
Sandy Hook is a narrow peninsula guarding the entrance to New York Harbor.
For centuries, ships approaching the harbor passed this point. That made Sandy Hook valuable for navigation, trade and defense.
The story of Gateway begins here because the harbor itself shaped American history. Whoever understood this entrance understood one of the most important waterways in North America.