Plum Beach Light was built in 1899 to help mariners through the busy west passage of the bay. The contractor complained that the area was "the stormiest place we have ever worked."

On September 21, 1938, it was becoming obvious that a major storm was on the way, so the two keepers secured all the windows and doors in the tower. The men were eventually forced to take refuge in the fourth level of the lighthouse, only to see wrecked boats and buildings sweeping past them. The keepers went to the fog bell room and lashed themselves to a pipe. It wasn't until the next morning that the men could get a clear picture of how lucky they were to be alive. The hurricane of 1938 did great damage to the entire structure.

In 1941 the completion of the first bridge between North Kingstown and Jamestown made Plum Beach Light obsolete. In the late 1980s Shirley Silvia and other local residents founded the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse. In October 1999 the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management transferred the structure to the Friends.

Restoration began in June 2003. An astonishing 52 tons of pigeon guano was removed from inside the tower. A work crew under Keith Lescarbeau of Abcore removed a half-inch layer of rust from the outside of the caisson foundation. The lighthouse has been repainted in its original color scheme.

The Coast Guard approved the return of a light to the lighthouse, once again making it an active aid to navigation. Plum Beach Light can be seen distantly from shore and as you're driving over the Jamestown-Verrazzano Bridge, but it is best viewed by boat.

To learn more about Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse: visit their web site
More more HISTORY of this lighthouse 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.