26 Jun Two Down, One to Go!

This week was filled with new research and new sights! My research into the site has been picking up this week. I listened to some oral histories pertaining to Floyd Bennett Field (a part of the Jamaica Bay Unit) which was a Navy Air Station during World War II. These were recorded in 1998 and the two I listened to were interviews with African American Navy men who served right around that era. They had remarkable stories to tell and it was amazing to hear their perspectives about the station.

Tuesday was the real treat though because I got the chance to go out to the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway! The Cultural Resources Department went together and we toured the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in the United States, as well as the remains of Fort Hancock. The officer houses were beautiful and right along the coast! It was also interesting to see how they are still dealing with the effects of Hurricane Sandy which devastated the area a few years ago. Now that I have seen Sandy Hook, all that is left is to head over to Jamaica Bay Unit one of these days! While there, I chatted with Tom Hoffman, the historian at Sandy Hook. Everyone told me he knew more than anyone about the place and they were certainly right! He could talk about any point in Sandy Hook’s history which gave me some great background on the site. We talked about World War II for a while and I got some helpful leads to follow up on in my research. It has been a busy week but I am thrilled that things are coming together!