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“From the first, children took the story to their hearts. They could understand a small hero who felt uncertain and baffled in an overpowering world. Each reader knew how he felt. He was the Little Red Lighthouse.”
“From the first, children took the story to their hearts. They could understand a small hero who felt uncertain and baffled in an overpowering world. Each reader knew how he felt. He was the Little Red Lighthouse.”
Today the Little Red Lighthouse, also known as the Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse, sits proudly under the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan’s Riverside Park, its preservation due largely in part to Hildegarde H. Swift’s children’s book on the historic landmark.
Today the Little Red Lighthouse, also known as the Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse, sits proudly under the George Washington Bridge in Manhattan’s Riverside Park, its preservation due largely in part to Hildegarde H. Swift’s children’s book on the historic landmark.
The lighthouse, built in 1880, was moved to its current location in 1921 to Jeffrey’s Hook, though it was soon overshadowed and rendered nonfunctional by the George Washington Bridge (completed in 1931). The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1947 and soon after the Coast Guard slated it for demolition. Upon this announcement in 1951 thousands of children, families, and activists rallied to save the lighthouse from destruction. At the center of this fight for preservation was The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegard H. Swift.
The lighthouse, built in 1880, was moved to its current location in 1921 to Jeffrey’s Hook, though it was soon overshadowed and rendered nonfunctional by the George Washington Bridge (completed in 1931). The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1947 and soon after the Coast Guard slated it for demolition. Upon this announcement in 1951 thousands of children, families, and activists rallied to save the lighthouse from destruction. At the center of this fight for preservation was The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegard H. Swift.
Hildegarde Hoyt Swift (1890-1977), like many other travelers on the Henry Hudson Parkway, was no stranger to the Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse. She remarked how much she and her sons enjoyed it as one of the “sights of New York City.”[1] After witnessing the construction of the George Washington Bridge, Swift was inspired to write The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge (1942) about the relationship of the tiny red beacon and the looming overpass above. The story resonated with local schoolchildren and became a classic in the Greater New York City area.
Hildegarde Hoyt Swift (1890-1977), like many other travelers on the Henry Hudson Parkway, was no stranger to the Jeffrey’s Hook Lighthouse. She remarked how much she and her sons enjoyed it as one of the “sights of New York City.”[1] After witnessing the construction of the George Washington Bridge, Swift was inspired to write The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge (1942) about the relationship of the tiny red beacon and the looming overpass above. The story resonated with local schoolchildren and became a classic in the Greater New York City area.
The Coast Guard’s call for the demolition of the lighthouse in 1951 met with plenty of opposition. Children wrote their protest to the Coast Guard, “protesting they would be ‘very sad’ to see it taken away.”[2] Psychologists and child advocates backed this plea. Child psychiatrist Dr. Viola Bernard explained that the lighthouse was a “symbol of security” for the city’s children: “Children identify themselves with the lighthouse...because ‘it represents a solution to an anxiety problem that they all face at that age, when they are weak and little in an adults’ world. If they aren’t helped to handle the problem constructively, through cooperation instead of competition, they try to be bigger than they are--which often means aggression and hostility…’”[3]
The Coast Guard’s call for the demolition of the lighthouse in 1951 met with plenty of opposition. Children wrote their protest to the Coast Guard, “protesting they would be ‘very sad’ to see it taken away.”[2] Psychologists and child advocates backed this plea. Child psychiatrist Dr. Viola Bernard explained that the lighthouse was a “symbol of security” for the city’s children: “Children identify themselves with the lighthouse...because ‘it represents a solution to an anxiety problem that they all face at that age, when they are weak and little in an adults’ world. If they aren’t helped to handle the problem constructively, through cooperation instead of competition, they try to be bigger than they are--which often means aggression and hostility…’”[3]
Swift’s educational and vocational background in social work made her particularly aware of the psychological needs of children. She too recognized the power of the lighthouse as a symbol, explaining, “From the first, children took the story to their hearts. They could understand a small hero who felt uncertain and baffled in an overpowering world. Each reader knew how he felt. He was the Little Red Lighthouse.”[4]
Swift’s educational and vocational background in social work made her particularly aware of the psychological needs of children. She too recognized the power of the lighthouse as a symbol, explaining, “From the first, children took the story to their hearts. They could understand a small hero who felt uncertain and baffled in an overpowering world. Each reader knew how he felt. He was the Little Red Lighthouse.”[4]
Anne O’Hare McCormick, foreign news correspondent for the New York Times, interpreted Swift’s symbolism for adults by connecting the plight of the lighthouse to the wider state of global affairs. She wrote,
Anne O’Hare McCormick, foreign news correspondent for the New York Times, interpreted Swift’s symbolism for adults by connecting the plight of the lighthouse to the wider state of global affairs. She wrote,
"One of the real dangers of our time is that too many people in the free world are somewhat in the position of the little red lighthouse under the big bridge. They feel dwarfed and futile beside the two giants they see dominating the world and deciding its destiny. If something should be done to renew the individual’s belief in his own consequence, it is even more vital to revive the faith of nations in themselves and their power to maintain their independence. For faith is the fundamental element of strength."[5]
"One of the real dangers of our time is that too many people in the free world are somewhat in the position of the little red lighthouse under the big bridge. They feel dwarfed and futile beside the two giants they see dominating the world and deciding its destiny. If something should be done to renew the individual’s belief in his own consequence, it is even more vital to revive the faith of nations in themselves and their power to maintain their independence. For faith is the fundamental element of strength."[5]
Soon, the fight for the preservation of the lighthouse became widespread. Life magazine featured a two-page spread on the lighthouse, Eleanor Roosevelt voiced her objection to its destruction, and Berlin’s Das Neue Zeitung newspaper even featured an article about the lighthouse called “Der Leuchtturm der Kinder.” Ultimately, the appeals were not made in vain. The day before the Coast Guard accepted bids for the demolition project, Commissioner Robert Moses formally requested that the lighthouse be transferred to the City.[6]
Soon, the fight for the preservation of the lighthouse became widespread. Life magazine featured a two-page spread on the lighthouse, Eleanor Roosevelt voiced her objection to its destruction, and Berlin’s Das Neue Zeitung newspaper even featured an article about the lighthouse called “Der Leuchtturm der Kinder.” Ultimately, the appeals were not made in vain. The day before the Coast Guard accepted bids for the demolition project, Commissioner Robert Moses formally requested that the lighthouse be transferred to the City.[6]
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References
References
Hildegard H. Swift, “The Power of a Child’s Book,” The Saturday Review, May 11, 1963, 43.
"Pet Lighthouse is Saved for Children; City Getting it as Gift from Coast Guard." New York Times, July 21, 1951.
"Save Lighthouse, Child Experts Ask," New York Times, July 12, 1951.
Hildegard H. Swift, “The Power of a Child’s Book,” 43.
Anne O’Hare McCormick, "Abroad: The Little Red Lighthouse and the Big Bridge," New York Times, July 14, 1951.
"Pet Lighthouse is Saved for Children," New York Times, July 21, 1951.
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