Sakonnet Light

Sakonnet Light

2007
Coordinates 41°27′11.4″N 71°12′8.9″W / 41.453167°N 71.202472°WCoordinates: 41°27′11.4″N 71°12′8.9″W / 41.453167°N 71.202472°W
Year first constructed 1884
Year first lit 1884
Deactivated 1955-1997
Foundation Concrete / Iron caisson on rock
Construction Cast iron with brick lining
Tower shape Conical tower on cylindrical base
Markings / pattern White on black base
Focal height 58 feet (18 m)
Original 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
Fog signal none
USCG number

1-17577 [1] [2]

[3]

Sakonnet Light Station
Sakonnet Light in 2008
Nearest city Little Compton, Rhode Island
Architect Unknown
Architectural style No Style Listed
Governing body Private
MPS Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR (AD)
NRHP Reference #

83000179

[4]
Added to NRHP February 10, 1983

Sakonnet Light, built in 1884, is a sparkplug lighthouse near Sakonnet Point, Little Compton, Rhode Island, on the eastern side of the state.

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 is 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

References

  1. 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.
  2. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Rhode Island". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  3. Rowlett, Russ (2012-10-31). "Lighthouses of Rhode Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
  5. "Sakonnet Point Lighthouse - History". Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  6. Tom Killin Dalglish (November 9, 2011). "Lighthouse Job Nearly Done, Ends for Winter". Sakonnet Times. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  7. Bruce Burdett (October 5, 2012). "Lighthouse friends, Aquidneck Land Trust are Rhody winners". Retrieved May 23, 2014.

External links