Rose Island Light

This article is about the lighthouse in Narragansett Bay. For other uses, see Rose Island.

Rose Island Light
Map
LocationNewport, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°29′43.68″N 71°20′33.78″W / 41.4954667°N 71.3427167°W / 41.4954667; -71.3427167
Tower
Constructed1870 Edit this on Wikidata
FoundationMasonry
ConstructionWood
Height35 feet (11 m)
ShapeOctagonal
MarkingsWhite tower on dwelling
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalnone
Light
First lit1993 Edit this on Wikidata
Deactivated1971-1992
Focal height48 feet (15 m)
Lens6th order Fresnel lens, 1870
CharacteristicFlashing white, 6 seconds
Rose Island Lighthouse
1905 postcard
Part ofFort Hamilton Historic District (ID01001158)
MPSLighthouses of Rhode Island TR
NRHP reference No.87000033[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 10, 1987
Designated CPOctober 22, 2001

The Rose Island Light, built in 1870, is on Rose Island in Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States.[2][3][4] 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,[4] Rose Island Light has sisters at Sabin Point, Pomham Rocks, Esopus Meadows Light and Colchester Reef. The lighthouse stands atop a bastion of Fort Hamilton, which was built in 1798-1800.

Detail of the Rose Island Light Fresnel lens, a glass composite lens divided into angular sections.
Detail of the Rose Island Light Fresnel lens.

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.[2][3]

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

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ a b "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Rhode Island". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Rowlett, Russ (October 31, 2012). "Lighthouses of Rhode Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  5. ^ www.roseislandlighthouse.org (accessed Dec. 9. 2008)
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