Sakonnet Light, built in 1884, 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 ...

near Sakonnet Point,

Little Compton, Rhode Island Little Compton is a coastal town in Newport County, Rhode Island, bounded on the south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by the Sakonnet River, on the north by the town of Tiverton, and on the east by the town of Westport, Massachusetts. The pop ...

, on the eastern side of the state. The light was deactivated in 1954 after

Hurricane Carol Hurricane Carol was among the worst tropical cyclones on record to affect the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island in the United States. It developed from a tropical wave near the Bahamas on August 25, 1954, and slowly strengthened as it ...

and was going to be destroyed, but local citizens protested, and eventually Carl and Carolyn Haffenreffer bought the lighthouse in 1961. Explaining his decision to purchase the lighthouse, Carl Haffenreffer said, "I was afraid someone was going to paint it pink or haul it away for scrap." The lighthouse 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 ...

in 1983. The Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse acquired the lighthouse in 1985, and it was reactivated by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

in 1997. A $1.45 million restoration of the lighthouse it was completed in 2012. The Friends of the Sakonnet Light were awarded the 2012 Rhody Award by the

Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, often called RIHPHC, is an agency run by the state of Rhode Island that aims to preserve the state's history and heritage. The commission works statewide to protect and upkeep histo ...

for their work.

References

External links

*Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse
Lighthouse pics and info
* * * {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1884 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island Lighthouses in Newport County, Rhode Island Buildings and structures in Little Compton, Rhode Island National Register of Historic Places in Newport County, Rhode Island

See also

References

External links