Fort Hancock is a former United States Army fort at Sandy Hook in Middletown Township New Jersey. The coastal artillery base defended the Atlantic coast and the entrance to New York Harbor. Between 1874 and 1919, Fort Hancock was operated in conjunction with the US Army's Sandy Hook Proving Ground. It is now part of Fort Hancock Memorial Park. The Sandy Hook Light, the oldest working lighthouse in the United States, is located on the grounds of Fort Hancock. The NPS is soliciting proposals for renovation and use to the more than 35 buildings in the fort complex.