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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.
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