Point Judith Light

Point Judith Light

Point Judith Light in November 2007
Location Narragansett, Rhode Island
Coordinates 41°21′39.7″N 71°28′53″W / 41.361028°N 71.48139°W / 41.361028; -71.48139Coordinates: 41°21′39.7″N 71°28′53″W / 41.361028°N 71.48139°W / 41.361028; -71.48139
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
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] [2] [3]

Point Judith Lighthouse
Built 1857
Architect Unknown
Architectural style No Style Listed
MPS Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR
NRHP Reference # 88000279 [4]
Added to NRHP March 30, 1988

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.

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.

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. 181.
  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. ↑ Staff (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Point Judith Light.
Point Judith Lighthouse as seen from the Atlantic Ocean


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