Rose Island Lighthouse - Narragansett Bay

Rose Island Lighthouse is maintained by hired vacationers who sign on for a week at a time to keep this historical treasure operating.

You can find it on a small island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island (home to several small lighthouses, such as the Plumb Beach light we previously covered here.)

Very close to the town of Newport, the lighthouse began operating in January 1870.  It had undergone various restorations and improvements over the decades, but when the Pell Newport Bridge (which we covered previously here) was completed in 1969, that massive structure overshadowed the lighthouse both literally and in terms of acting as a better aid to navigation.  You couldn’t miss it.  That is a HUGE bridge.  The lighthouse was deactivated in 1971, and was abandoned, falling prey for the next 14 years to the elements, and vandals.

 

The Rose Island Lighthouse took on a new life when in 1984 volunteers formed the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation and began restore it to its 1912 appearance.  In August 1993, the light was re-lit and once gain serves both as an aid to navigation and an historical treasure.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

You can even stay at the lighthouse.  For more on renting accommodations, or visiting the Rose Island Lighthouse, and some great photos, have a look here at this website, and here for more history.