Newport Harbor Light

The Newport Harbor Light (also known as the Goat Island Light or Green Light), built in 1842, is located on north end of Goat Island, which is part of the city of Newport, Rhode Island, United States, in Narragansett Bay.

Newport Harbor Light
Newport Harbor Light, on Goat Island with the Newport Bridge in the background
LocationN. end of Goat Island, Newport Harbor, Newport, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°29′35.92″N 71°19′37.34″W
Year first constructed1823
Year first lit1842 (current tower)
Automated1963
FoundationGranite breakwater
ConstructionGranite blocks
Tower shapeOctagonal conical
Tower height35 feet (11 m)
Focal height33 feet (10 m)
Original lensFourth order Fresnel lens
Current lens9.8 inches (250 mm)
Range11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi)
CharacteristicFixed Green
Fog signalnone
Admiralty numberJ0540
ARLHS numberUSA-458
USCG number1-17850

[1] [2]

[3]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Newport Harbor Lighthouse
Arealess than one acre
Built1865
MPSLighthouses of Rhode Island TR
NRHP reference No.88000276[4]
Added to NRHPMarch 30, 1988

History

The first light on Goat Island was constructed in 1823-1824, but was later transported to Prudence Island in 1851 where the structure still remains as the Prudence Island Light. The current light was constructed in 1842 a few yards off the coast of Goat Island and was connected to Goat Island by a narrow dike (the area was filled in the 1960s for the hotel) because the previous light failed in adequately warning ships of a reef just a few yards off Goat Island. The original lighting apparatus was, however, transferred to the newer lighthouse in 1842.

In 1864 an attached lighthouse keeper's house was built. In 1921, a submarine hit the breakwater, damaging the foundation of the keeper's house. An electric light was placed in the tower the following year. The damaged keeper's dwelling was later torn down. After a private developer purchased Goat Island in the 1960s, the land between the northern end of Goat Island and the light was filled in to build a hotel. On March 30, 1988, the light was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000 the Coast Guard leased the light to the American Lighthouse Foundation; it is managed by the Friends of Newport Harbor Lighthouse.

  • ca. 1905 postcard of the Newport Harbor Light with the 1864 keeper's house still attached
  • Prudence Island Light, ca. 1824, was the original Newport Harbor Lighthouse until it was transported to Prudence Island in 1851

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. 2009. p. 162.
  2. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Rhode Island". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. Rowlett, Russ (2009-12-08). "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. March 13, 2009.
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