Near Newport, RI
Est..and built 1870
35 feet tall, light at 48 feet above sea

This lighthouse, first lighted in 1870 to help mariners through the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, is a shining beacon of successful preservation.

Jeremy's Lighthouse Guide #15

As Rose Island Foundation Executive Director Charlotte Johnson has put it, "The whole place is just one big blessing."

The early keepers on this pretty island kept a garden and a variety of farm animals. In 1904 officers at the Naval Torpedo Station on Rose Island complained that the keeper's cow had wandered into one of the magazines, so a fence was built to keep the cow from getting into further trouble.

Rose Island Light lost its navigational importance with the construction of the Newport Bridge in 1969, and in the early 1980s the badly vandalized lighthouse was declared surplus.

Preservationists founded the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation, and since the 1980s they have lovingly restored the building inside and out. The lighthouse has been restored to the 1912-1915 period, with a coal stove in the kitchen and a player piano in the living room.

In 1992 the Rose Island Foundation opened the lighthouse to the public, and a year later Rose Island Lighthouse was relighted as a private aid to navigation. You can stay overnight on the first floor for a taste of Lighthouse Service life. You can also stay in the upstairs apartment for a week, acting as keeper during your stay. Each day the keeper raises the flag, records the weather, electric and water data, and performs other maintenance chores.

The accommodations aren't deluxe, but guests love the experience. If you’re interested, act fast – bookings are made years ahead.

The Newport and Jamestown ferry makes daily loops in summer between Jamestown and Newport and will stop at Rose Island on request. For more information see their web site.

For a more detailed HISTORY of this light, click here

Copyright 2004 by Jeremy D'Entremont,New England Lighthouses
Photos are the property of the author and may not be used without permission.
Photos above from Jeremy D'Entremont.