Prudence Island Lighthouse
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The Prudence Island Lighthouse, more commonly known locally as the Sandy Point Lighthouse, is located on
Prudence Island Prudence Island is the third-largest island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island and part of the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, United States. It is located near the geographic center of the bay. It is defined by the United Sta ...
,
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
and is the oldest lighthouse tower in the state. Sandy Point is nicknamed ''Chibacoweda'', meaning "little place separated by a passage", because the location is a little more than one mile offshore.


History

The lighthouse was constructed in 1823 and originally sat on a dike off Goat Island farther south in the Bay, where the
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. The light was added to th ...
stands today. In 1851, it was transported to Prudence Island where it remains. It is one of the few lighthouses in the United States to retain its original
bird-cage lantern A bird-cage lantern was the style of lantern common to American lighthouses in the early years of the nineteenth century. The lanterns received their name because of their appearance; they are shaped like wire bird cages. When Fresnel lenses we ...
. The light was listed on 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 1988.


1938 New England hurricane

The lighthouse keeper's house was swept away in the
1938 New England hurricane The 1938 New England Hurricane (also referred to as the Great New England Hurricane and the Long Island Express Hurricane) was one of the deadliest and most destructive tropical cyclones to strike Long Island, New York, and New England. The stor ...
, and five people were washed out to sea and drowned:
  1. the keeper's wife, Mrs. George T. Gustavus ( Mable Gertrude Norwood; 1888–1938),
  2. the keeper's son, Edward J. Gustavus (1926–1938),
  3. the former keeper, Martin Thompson (1868–1938),
  4. James George Lynch (1863–1938) and v, his wife, Ellen Lynch ( Ellen Wyatt; 1870–1938) – both of whom had sought refuge at the lighthouse residence.
The lighthouse keeper, George Theodore Gustavus (1884–1976), was also swept into the sea, but was swept back ashore and survived.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Newport County, Rhode Island __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Newport County, Rhode Island. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, ...


References


External links


Lighthouse HistoryLighthouseFriends.com
Lighthouses completed in 1823 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Lighthouses in Newport County, Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Portsmouth, Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island {{NewportCountyRI-NRHP-stub