Point Judith Light
The Point Judith Light is located on the west side of the entrance to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island as well as the north side of the eastern entrance to Block Island Sound. The confluence of two waterways make this area busy with water traffic and the waters around Point Judith are very cold and dangerous. Historically, even with active lighthouses, there have been many shipwrecks off these coasts.
Point Judith Light in November 2007 | |
Location | Narragansett, Rhode Island |
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Coordinates | 41°21′39.7″N 71°28′53″W |
Year first constructed | 1810 |
Year first lit | 1857 |
Automated | 1954 |
Foundation | Granite blocks |
Construction | Granite blocks |
Tower shape | Octagonal conical |
Markings / pattern | Lower half, white upper half, brown Black lantern |
Tower height | 51 feet (16 m) |
Focal height | 65 feet (20 m) |
Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
Current lens | original |
Range | 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) |
Characteristic | Occulting 3 white 15 seconds 5s on, 2s off; 2s on, 2s off; 2s on, 2s off |
Fog signal | Horn, 1 blast every 15 seconds |
Admiralty number | J0628 |
ARLHS number | USA-625 |
USCG number | 1-19450 [1] [3] |
Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places |
Point Judith Lighthouse | |
Built | 1857 |
MPS | Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR |
NRHP reference No. | 88000279 [4] |
Added to NRHP | March 30, 1988 |
Three light structures have been built on this site. The original 35-foot (11 m) tower, built in 1810, was destroyed by a hurricane in 1815. It was replaced in 1816, by another 35-foot stone tower with a revolving light and ten lamps. The present octagonal granite tower was built in 1856. The upper half of the tower is painted brown and the lower half white to make the light structure a more effective daymark for maritime traffic. In 1871, ship captains asked that Point Judith's fog signal be changed from a horn to whistle. This change distinguished the Point Judith light from the Beavertail Lighthouse, which used a siren to announce fog. A whistle could also be heard more distinctly over the sounds of the surf in the area. Point Judith Light was automated in 1954, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
References
- Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2012. p. 181.
- "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.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.