Battery Lewis and the Navesink Military Reservation — Attraction in Middletown Township

Situated in Hartshorne Woods Park, Battery Lewis and the Navesink Military Reservation are among a number of different land and air-based military installations intended to defend New York Harbor and surrounding areas. During WWII, batteries for artillery were constructed on the site including Battery Lewis, a 600-foot casemated battery consisting of two 16-inch caliber gun emplacements connected by a corridor housing ammunition storage and power rooms. Battery 219 is also on site down range about a third...

Visiting the Battery Lewis, is a wonderful opportunity to connect with local history. They sometimes offer guided tours, and I would have loved to participated in one to learn even more about the history of this Battery. However, there are plenty of Informational panels, if you don't have the option for the guided tour. My son had a blast (not literally, because the artillery is out of service, of course! LoL) I definitely...

This is an airy, open space that is well kept by the Park Service. It's history is also well described by mounted reading stations appropriately placed around the site. I was surprised that one of the gun mounts housed an actual 16" naval cannon as I visited the site on a rainy day last year and didn't see it as it's mounted in the far battery. Being the largest rifled cannon ever made by the US it's an...