Beavertail Lighthouse was built in 1856 and is the premier lighthouse in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

, marking the entrance to

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. ...

. The lighthouse lies on the southernmost point of Conanicut Island in the town of

Jamestown, Rhode Island Jamestown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island in the United States. The population was 5,559 at the 2020 census. Jamestown is situated almost entirely on Conanicut Island, the second largest island in Narragansett Bay. It also includes the ...

Beavertail State Park Beavertail State Park is a public recreation area encompassing at the southern end of Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. The state park's main attraction is the active Beavertail Lighthouse, the current tower of which dates from ...

, on a site where beacons have stood since the early 18th century. The light provides navigation for boats and ships entering Narragansett Bay in the

East Passage Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. ...

between Conanicut Island and

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

Aquidneck Island Aquidneck Island, also known as Rhode Island, is an island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. The total land area is , which makes it the largest island in the bay. The 2020 United States Census reported its population as 60,109. ...

. Other lighthouses are visible from Beavertail Lighthouse, such as

Castle Hill Lighthouse Castle Hill Lighthouse is located on Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island at the end of the historic Ocean Drive. It is an active navigation aid for vessels entering the East Passage, between Conanicut Island and Aquidneck Island. The ligh ...

, Point Judith Light, and

Rose Island Light The Rose Island Light, built in 1870, is on Rose Island in Narragansett Bay in Newport, Rhode Island in the United States. It is preserved, maintained and operated by The Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation. One of a group of New England lightho ...

History

Records of the town of Jamestown from 1712 make reference to a beacon, and they mention a watch house in 1705. A wooden tower was built in 1749 (attributed to architect Peter Harrison), and the light became the third lighthouse established in the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th cent ...

, known at the time as "Newport Light". A fire was lit at the top of the tower, as was common for the time. Four years later, it burned down and was replaced by a stone tower. British sailors retreating from Newport near the end of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

left a trail of destruction behind them in 1779. This included burning the lighthouse and removing the optics, which left the light dark for the rest of the war. Beavertail Light 4th order Fresnel lens

In 1856, the tower was replaced with the current tower, made of granite which is square and from ground to beacon. A 3rd order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the ...

was placed in service, and it was the site of numerous fog-signal tests over the next 40 years under the supervision of the United States Lighthouse board. In 1898, quarters were added to the keeper's house for an assistant keeper; the assistant helped with fog-signaling, among other things. The whistle house was destroyed during the

1938 hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The storm ...

, revealing the original base for the 1749 structure which sits from the current tower. Whale Rock can be seen a few miles southwest of Beavertail point.

Whale Rock Lighthouse Whale Rock or Submarine Rock is the smallest island in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. It is located in the West Passage of the bay in Narragansett, Washington County, Rhode Island, west of the Beavertail area on Conanicut Island. The island re ...

and its keeper Walter Eberle were swept into the waters of Narragansett bay during the hurricane of 1938; Eberle's body was never recovered. In 1939, the

US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

took command of all lighthouses and navigational aids, and in 1989 Beavertail light was automated as part of a program by the Coast Guard. The building was restored and opened to the public in 1989, following a joint effort by the US Coast Guard, Rhode Island Parks Management, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, and the town of Jamestown. In 1993, Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association (BLMA) was established to oversee the operations of the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum, which is located in the assistant keeper's house. The museum includes a

and the history of many Rhode Island lighthouses.

Keepers and assistants

Gallery

File:Beavertail Light from a boat, 2007.jpg, Beavertail Lighthouse in 2007 File:Beavertail Light from the water 2007.jpg, Beavertail Lighthouse in 2007 File:Beavertail Lighthouse from southeast.JPG, Beavertail Lighthouse in 2010

References

External links

*
Beavertail Lighthouse Maps and Plans 1817 - 1939
{{Authority control Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Lighthouses completed in 1749 Lighthouses completed in 1856 Museums established in 1993 Lighthouse museums in Rhode Island Museums in Newport County, Rhode Island Lighthouses in Newport County, Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Jamestown, Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island

History

Keepers and assistants

See also

Gallery

References

External links