Sakonnet Lighthouse

Year Built

1884

Cost

$20,000

Type

Conical tower on cylindrical base

Height

66 feet

Location

Newport County

Automated Year

Not automated

First Lit

1997

Lens Type

Fourth order Fresnel lens, 1884 - current 300-mm lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1955-1997

Color

White on black base

Last Keeper - Date

Joseph G. Hindley, Jr. (1946 – 1950)

Description

The lighthouse is not open to the public.

Brief History

•  In 1883, the Lighthouse Board picked Little Cormorant Rock, 1200 feet northwest of West Island, as the site for the Sakonnet Point Lighthouse and began construction on it.
•  Like many lighthouses in New England, Sakonnet Lighthouse was damaged during the great hurricane of September 1938.
•  In 1954, Hurricane Carol severely damaged Sakonnet Lighthouse.
•  In 1961, the lighthouse was sold to Carl Haffenreffer for $1,111.11. In 1985, he donated it to the Friends of Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Inc. The group raised $100,000 to restore the lighthouse.
•  In 2007, a campaign was launched by the Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse to raise funds to refurbish the lighthouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.