The Prudence Island Lighthouse, more commonly known locally as the Sandy Point Lighthouse, is located on Prudence Island, Rhode Island and is the oldest lighthouse tower in the state.[2][3][4] Sandy Point is nicknamed Chibacoweda, meaning "little place separated by a passage", because the location is a little more than one mile offshore.
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| Location | Portsmouth, Rhode Island |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°36′21.1″N 71°18′12.7″W / 41.605861°N 71.303528°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1852  |
| Foundation | Natural / emplaced |
| Construction | Granite blocks |
| Height | 8.5 m (28 ft) |
| Shape | Octagonal tower |
| Markings | White |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Fog signal | None |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1823 on Goat Island moved here in 1851 |
| Focal height | 28 feet (8.5 m) |
| Lens | 5th order Fresnel lens (1852), 9.8 inches (250 mm) (current) |
| Range | 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) |
| Characteristic | Flashing green, 6 seconds |
Prudence Island Lighthouse | |
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| Architect | H. Vaugh, I.N. Stanley & Brother |
| MPS | Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 88000270[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 30, 1988 |
History
editThe lighthouse was constructed in 1823 and originally sat on a dike off Goat Island farther south in the Bay, where the Newport Harbor Light stands today. In 1851, it was transported to Prudence Island where it remains. It is one of the few lighthouses in the United States to retain its original bird-cage lantern. The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[1]
1938 New England hurricane
editThe lighthouse keeper's house was swept away in the 1938 New England hurricane, and five people were washed out to sea and drowned:
- the keeper's wife, Mrs. George T. Gustavus (née Mable Gertrude Norwood; 1888–1938),
- the keeper's son, Edward J. Gustavus (1926–1938),
- the former keeper, Martin Thompson (1868–1938),
- James George Lynch (1863–1938) and v, his wife, Ellen Lynch (née Ellen Wyatt; 1870–1938) – both of whom had sought refuge at the lighthouse residence.
The lighthouse keeper, George Theodore Gustavus (1884–1976), was also swept into the sea, but was swept back ashore and survived.[3][5][6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012. p. 170.
- ^ a b "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Rhode Island". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ (2012-10-31). "Lighthouses of Rhode Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ Hartford Courant, The (September 24, 1938). "Reports from Hurricane Stricken Territory Summarized by Regions: Rhode Island". Vol. 102. Hartford, Connecticut. pp. 1 (columns 4–5) & 8 (columns 4–5). Retrieved February 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com Re: 1938 New England hurricane.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ D'Entremont, Jeremy (born 1956) (June 2003). "Keeper George T. Gustavus, Survivor of Terror and Tragedy". Lighthouse Digest (magazine). East Machias, Maine. ISSN 1066-0038. OCLC 26863953. Retrieved February 22, 2021 (D'Entremont is president of and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation, founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and the historian for the United States Lighthouse Society)
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: postscript (link)
External links
edit- Lighthouse History
- RI Lighthouse History of Prudence Light
- National Park Service Prudence site
- LighthouseFriends.com