It's been a little less than a year since I featured a lighthouse from the great small state of Rhode Island. And when I checked, I was quite surprised to learn that this week's lighthouse wasn't one of the ones I'd featured from that state before. It's similar in design to the Pomham Rocks lighthouse, which I featured back in 2014.
Rose Island Lighthouse is on Rose Island, just a bit south of the Claiborne Pell Bridge, which is way into Newport from just about any location west of Rhode Island. So it's very definitely a major landmark on the gateway route into Newport.
Thus and therefore, it's reasonably well-known, and as might be expected, it has it's own Web site.
Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust
Oh, yes, Fort Hamilton is also on Rose Island.
First of all, it's a place where people can stay overnight. But not now, due to COVID-19 considerations. But probably again in the future.
From the Web site, the history: the lighthouse was built in response to increased shipping traffic in Narragansett Bay.
"As a result, a request to construct a lighthouse on Rose Island was made and in 1869 construction began to build Rose Island light at a cost reported to be $7,500. The lighthouse was built on the southwest bastion of old Fort Hamilton and its fixed red light was first shone over lower Narragansett Bay on January 20, 1870. A fog bell was added to the lighthouse on August 10, 1885 and then replaced with a fog horn on November 12, 1912."
Building and lighthouse specs, from the Lighthouse Directory:
"Focal plane 48 ft (14.5 m); white flash every 6 s. 35 ft (10.5 m) octagonal cylindrical wood tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a 2-story Empire-style wood keeper's house. Brick oil house (1912) and brick fog signal building (1912). Building painted white; lantern black."
A 6th-order Fresnel lens was reinstalled in the lighthouse in 2013.
Several pictures below, and of course there's a drone video.
 |
| Lighthouse model |
 |
| The lens |
No comments:
Post a Comment