Rose Island Light

This article is about the lighthouse in Narragansett Bay. For other uses, see Rose Island.
Location Newport, Rhode Island
Coordinates 41°29′43.68″N 71°20′33.78″W / 41.4954667°N 71.3427167°W / 41.4954667; -71.3427167Coordinates: 41°29′43.68″N 71°20′33.78″W / 41.4954667°N 71.3427167°W / 41.4954667; -71.3427167
Year first constructed 1870
Year first lit 1870
Deactivated 1971-1992
Foundation Masonry
Construction Wood
Tower shape Octagonal
Markings / pattern White tower on dwelling
Height 35 feet (11 m)
Focal height 48 feet (15 m)
Original lens 6th order Fresnel lens, 1870
Characteristic Flashing white, 6 seconds
Fog signal none
Admiralty number J0543
ARLHS number USA-703
USCG number

1-17857 [1] [2] [3]

Rose Island Lighthouse

1905 postcard
Architect Unknown
Part of Fort Hamilton Historic District (#01001158)
MPS Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR
NRHP Reference # 87000033[4]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP April 10, 1987
Designated CP October 22, 2001

The Rose Island Light, built in 1870, is on Rose Island in Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States. It is preserved, maintained and operated by The Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation.

One of a group of New England lighthouses built to an award-winning design by Vermont architect Albert Dow,[3] Rose Island Light has sisters at Sabin Point, Pomham Rocks, and Colchester Reef. The lighthouse stands atop a bastion of Fort Hamilton, which was built in 1798-1800.

The building was abandoned as a functioning lighthouse in 1970, when the Newport Bridge was constructed nearby. In 1984, the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation was founded to restore the dilapidated light on behalf of the City of Newport, which had received it for free from the United States government.[5] In 1987, the federal government listed the lighthouse on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1992 it was relit as a private aid to navigation.[1][2]

The lighthouse is today a travel destination, reached only by boat. For a fee to the Foundation, visitors can spend a night as a guest or a week as the "lighthouse keeper," completing many of the chores required to keep the lighthouse in good condition.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012. p. 179.
  2. 1 2 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Rhode Island". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  3. 1 2 Rowlett, Russ (2012-10-31). "Lighthouses of Rhode Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. ↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. ↑ www.roseislandlighthouse.org (accessed Dec. 9. 2008)

External links

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