Beavertail Lighthouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Beavertail Light
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 Location in Rhode Island
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| Nearest city | Jamestown, RI |
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1856 |
| MPS | Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000024 |
| Added to NRHP | December 12, 1977 |
The Beavertail Lighthouse was built in 1856. It is a very important lighthouse in Rhode Island. It helps guide ships into Narragansett Bay. This lighthouse is about 64 feet tall. You can find it on the very southern tip of Conanicut Island. This area is part of Jamestown, Rhode Island, inside Beavertail State Park.
People have used beacons here since the early 1700s. The lighthouse helps boats and ships navigate the East Passage. This is the waterway between Conanicut Island and Newport, Rhode Island. From Beavertail Lighthouse, you can also see other lighthouses. These include Castle Hill Lighthouse, Point Judith Light, and Rose Island Light.
History of Beavertail Light
People in Jamestown talked about a beacon here in 1712. They even mentioned a watch house in 1705. A wooden tower was built in 1749. It was designed by an architect named Peter Harrison. This light became the third lighthouse in the Thirteen Colonies. Back then, it was called "Newport Light." A fire was lit at the top of the tower to guide ships. Four years later, this wooden tower burned down. A new stone tower was built to replace it.
During the American Revolutionary War, British sailors left Newport. As they left in 1779, they caused a lot of damage. They burned the lighthouse and took away its special lights. This left the area dark for the rest of the war.
In 1856, the current lighthouse tower was built. It is made of strong granite. The tower is 10 feet wide and 64 feet tall. A special 3rd order Fresnel lens was installed. This type of lens makes the light much brighter and stronger. For the next 40 years, many tests were done here. These tests were about fog signals. In 1898, more rooms were added to the keeper's house. This was for an assistant keeper. The assistant helped with the fog signals and other tasks.
A building called the whistle house was destroyed in the 1938 New England hurricane. This storm was very powerful. When the whistle house was destroyed, it showed the old base of the 1749 lighthouse. This old base is about 100 feet from the current tower. You can see Whale Rock Lighthouse a few miles away. That lighthouse was also destroyed during the 1938 hurricane. This shows how strong the storm was.
In 1939, the US Coast Guard took over all lighthouses. In 1989, Beavertail Light became automated. This means machines now control the light. No keeper is needed anymore. The lighthouse building was fixed up and opened to the public in 1989. Many groups worked together to make this happen.
In 1993, the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association (BLMA) was started. This group runs the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum. The museum is in the old assistant keeper's house. It has a Fresnel lens and tells the story of many Rhode Island lighthouses.
See also
Images for kids
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A 4th order fixed "beehive" Fresnel lens. This was the last lens used at Beavertail Light.
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Beavertail Lighthouse in 2007
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Beavertail Lighthouse in 2007
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Beavertail Lighthouse in 2010
