Hog Island Shoal Light, built in 1901, is a
sparkplug lighthouse
A caisson lighthouse (also referred to as a sparkplug lighthouse, or bug light) is a type of lighthouse whose superstructure rests on a concrete or metal caisson. Caisson lighthouses were developed in the late nineteenth century as a cheaper alter ...
on a
shoal
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It ...
off of
Hog Island, Rhode Island.
It is located about southeast of the island, at the entrance to
Mount Hope Bay
Mount Hope Bay is a tidal estuary located at the mouth of the Taunton River on the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border. It is an arm of Narragansett Bay. The bay is named after Mount Hope (Rhode Island), Mount Hope, a small hill located on its ...
. It stands on a circular concrete foundation set in about of water, and rising about above the water line. It was built to replace a
light ship
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...
, and was the last light station formally established in the state.
The lighthouse was automated in 1964. In 1988 it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
In 2006 the lighthouse was auctioned by the
GSA as government surplus to a private buyer.
See also
*
References
Lighthouses in Newport County, Rhode Island
Narragansett Bay
Lighthouses completed in 1901
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island
1901 establishments in Rhode Island
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