Pomham Rocks Lighthouse

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. . , Along the East Bay Bike Path, the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is perched on a rocky island jutting out approximately 800 feet from the Providence River's eastern shoreline. The lighthouse was constructed in 1871, was in operation until the 1970s, and was bought by the Mobile Oil Company in 1980. In 2005, Exxon Mobil lease the lighthouse to the American Lighthouse Foundation and the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, at which time full restoration efforts began. After the exterior restoration was completed, the lighthouse was re-lit in 2006. In the spring of 2010, the lighthouse was officially donated by Exxon Mobil to the American Lighthouse Foundation and the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse., History and Construction , In the early 19th Century, shipping traffic along the Providence River was increasing. New locations for aids to navigation were being established and the small islands of Pomham Rocks presented an ideal spot for a lighthouse. In 1828, a pyramidal daymark was placed, but with continued growth of shipping transport, a proper lighthouse was needed. On July 15, 1870, Congress granted $20,000 (a large sum at the time) and construction of the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse was completed at the end of 1871., The lighthouse structure consists of a 40-foot, beveled, square lighthouse tower sitting atop a two-story building with a mansard roof built on a granite foundation. The building served as the main residence for the lightkeeper and includes a second floor watch room. The property also includes a small stone-constructed oil house located a short distance from the main building. A boat house and other outbuildings were added and removed throughout the lighthouses history., Living Accommodations , The lighthouse residence includes a parlor and a hall that once contained a large library. Outside there are areas for flower and vegetable gardens. When it was built, the lighthouse did not have electricity or running water. While the station got its first telephone in 1940, electricity was not installed until the 1950s. Prior to that, the refrigerator and stove were run on kerosene, while a windmill provided power for the radio. To this day, the lighthouse does not have running water; instead, rain water is collected in a large cistern for its residents' use., The lighthouse was often difficult to reach from the mainland and usually only by boat. In winter, when the water had not completely frozen over, thin ice had to be cut for the boat to get to and from the mainland. Nevertheless, most lighthouse residents reportedly enjoyed living at a "lovely house," as described by an article in the 1891 Providence Journal., Operation , The lighthouse's lantern is fixed at 69 feet above sea level with a focal point of 54 feet. The original lantern was a sixth-order Fresnel lens (later upgraded to a fourth-order lens) first lit on December 1, 1871, showing a fixed, white light. On October 1, 1872, the white light was changed to a fixed, red light and this characteristic was maintained throughout the lighthouse's active service. An incessant foghorn installed in 1900 was described as "The Greatest Nuisance in the State" until it was replaced by a bell in 1903., The Pomham Rocks Lighthouse has housed many lightkeepers throughout its history, some for longer than 20 years. Until the 1950s, the keepers, their families, and their pets called the lighthouse home. In its final years in active service, two members of the U.S. Coast Guard served as keepers. After its decommissioning in 1974, local families lived in it as caretakers until it was sold to the Mobil Oil Company in 1980. The lighthouse is now owned and cared for by the American Lighthouse Foundation and the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse.