Sakonnet Light, built in 1884, is a sparkplug lighthouse near Sakonnet Point, Little Compton, Rhode Island, on the eastern side of the state.[2][3][4]
 Post-renovation (2012) | |
 | |
| Location | Newport County, US |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°27′11.4″N 71°12′8.9″W / 41.453167°N 71.202472°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1884 |
| Foundation | Concrete / Iron caisson on rock |
| Construction | Cast iron with brick lining |
| Height | 20 m (66 ft)  |
| Shape | Conical tower on cylindrical base |
| Markings | White on black base |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Fog signal | none |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1997 |
| Deactivated | 1955-1997 |
| Focal height | 58 feet (18 m) |
| Lens | 4th order Fresnel lens, 1884 |
| Range | White sector 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) red 5 nautical miles (9.3 km; 5.8 mi) |
| Characteristic | Flashing white, 6 seconds red sector |
Sakonnet Light Station | |
 Sakonnet Light in 2008 | |
| Nearest city | Little Compton, Rhode Island |
| MPS | Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000179 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | February 10, 1983 |
The light was deactivated in 1954 after Hurricane Carol and was going to be destroyed, but local citizens protested, and eventually Carl and Carolyn Haffenreffer bought the lighthouse in 1961. Explaining his decision to purchase the lighthouse, Carl Haffenreffer said, "I was afraid someone was going to paint it pink or haul it away for scrap."[5] The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse acquired the lighthouse in 1985, and it was reactivated by the United States Coast Guard in 1997. A $1.45 million restoration[6] of the lighthouse it was completed in 2012. The Friends of the Sakonnet Light were awarded the 2012 Rhody Award by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission for their work.[7]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012. p. 166.
- ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Rhode Island". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ (2012-10-31). "Lighthouses of Rhode Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ "Sakonnet Point Lighthouse - History". Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- ^ Tom Killin Dalglish (November 9, 2011). "Lighthouse Job Nearly Done, Ends for Winter". Sakonnet Times. Retrieved February 13, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Bruce Burdett (October 5, 2012). "Lighthouse friends, Aquidneck Land Trust are Rhody winners". Archived from the original on May 24, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
External links edit
Media related to Sakonnet Light at Wikimedia Commons
- Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse. Lighthouse pics and info
- D'Entremont, Jeremy. "Sakonnet Point Light - History". New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guild. Jeremy D'Entremont. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
- Kochel, Kenneth (1994). America's Atlantic Coast Lighthouses: A Traveler's Guide. Clearwater, FL: Betken Publications. ISBN 0-9640765-1-9.
- Bachand, Robert (1993). Northeast Lights: Lighthouses & Lightships, Rhode Island to Cape May, New Jersey. Norwalk, CT: Sea Sports Publications. ISBN 978-0-9616399-4-5.