Pomham Rocks Light
Pomham Rocks Light in 2007, viewed from a boat.
LocationRiverside Rd., East Providence, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°46′39.062″N 71°22′10.394″W / 41.77751722°N 71.36955389°W / 41.77751722; -71.36955389
Tower
Constructed1871 Edit this on Wikidata
FoundationStone
ConstructionWood
Automated1974
Height12 m (39 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
ShapeOctagonal on square house
MarkingsWhite with black lantern and red roof on house
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalnone
Light
First lit1871
Deactivated1974-2006
Focal height67 feet (20 m)
Lens6th order Fresnel lens (original), 9.8 inches (250 mm) (current)
Range6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi)
CharacteristicFixed Red
Pomham Rocks Light Station
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
ArchitectAlbert Dow[1]
MPSLighthouses of Rhode Island TR (AD)
NRHP reference No.79000001 [2]
Added to NRHPJuly 09, 1979

Pomham Rocks Light (also known as "Pomham Lighthouse") is a historic lighthouse in the Providence River about 200 yards (180 m) off the shoreline of the Riverside neighborhood of the city of East Providence, Rhode Island. It is the northernmost lighthouse in Narragansett Bay.[3][4][5][1]

History

The light was established in 1871. The light was one of a group of New England lighthouses built to the same plan after an award-winning design by Vermont architect Albert Dow.[1] Nearly identical lights were constructed at Sabin Point, Rose Island, Esopus Meadows Light and Colchester Reef.

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1974, and its antique fourth-order fresnel lens donated to the Custom House Maritime Museum in Massachusetts.[3] The lighthouse was sold to a private family in 1974. In 1980 it was acquired by ExxonMobil, which operates a fuel terminal nearby.[3][6] In 2010, ExxonMobil donated the building and island to the American Lighthouse Foundation, the parent organization of the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse.[3]

Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse

The Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse was formed in 2004.[3] In 2006, the group restored the exterior and installed a new LED navigational light.[6][3]

When the group acquired ownership of the lighthouse from ExxonMobil in 2010, the floor was completely rotted and the tower was leaning 7 degrees off center.[3] The stairs were crooked, and the tower would sway in the wind.[3] The Friends raised over $1.5 million to restore the building.[3] The group installed a new floor, restored electricity to the island, and acquired a dedicated boat, among other repairs.[6]

In 2021, the original 2.5-foot tall fourth-order fresnel lens was restored and returned to the lighthouse, in time to mark the light's 150th anniversary.[3] The lens is displayed inside the lighthouse building for visitors.[3]

List of keepers

  1. C.H. Salisbury (1871 – 1893)
  2. Mary A. Salisbury (1893)
  3. Nathaniel Dodge (1893 – 1898)
  4. Thomas S. Fishburne (1898 – 1908)
  5. Adolf H. Aronson (1908 – 1937)
  6. William James Howard (1937 – 1951)
  7. Howard B. Beebe (1951 – 1956)
  8. Unknown (1956-1971)
  9. Dennis Tardiff (1971 – 1974)

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pomham Rocks Light.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rowlett, Russ (2009-12-08). "Lighthouses of Rhode Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  2. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Kuffner, Alex (3 September 2021). "Antique lens returns to Pomham Rocks Lighthouse". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 169.
  5. ↑ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Rhode Island". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  6. 1 2 3 Isenberg, Robert (1 February 2021). "Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Turns 150 – and is Ready to Celebrate". Providence Monthly. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.


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