Opinion/Karentz: A day for celebrating RI's lighthouses
Varoujan Karentz, a retired corporate executive, lives in Jamestown and has been on the board of directors of Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association 20 years. He writes for smallstatebighistory.com.
National Lighthouse Day on Aug. 7 is celebrated annually by lighthouse organizations nationwide as the date our country recognizes the importance of America’s lighthouse heritage and its contribution to the nation.
Beginning with Beavertail Light on Conanicut Island (Jamestown), Rhode Island from 1749 to 1932 constructed or replaced 30 lighthouses plus two lightship locations. The lights guided maritime traffic at night and during day alerted navigators to safe traffic routes into channels and harbors.
Over the years, some lighthouses were destroyed by hurricanes, or purposely removed. To date, 22 lighthouses still exist. Thirteen are active navigation aids and five privately owned lights are still guiding vessels in and out of Narragansett Bay, Block Island waters and the dangerous approaches off Watch Hill into Long Island Sound. The remaining four lighthouses are private homes.
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Beavertail Light was the first constructed in Rhode Island and maintained by colonists in 1749 as America’s third lighthouse; its importance was further recognized in 1789 by the first Congress of the United States. Realizing economic transportation of goods and materials for the new nation was necessary, under the pen of President George Washington, a congressional act for the establishment, commissioning and support of lighthouses was recognized. Identified as the new “Lighthouse Establishment,” it was managed by Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the Treasury.
Beavertail Light was one of the 12 lighthouses selected under the federal act on Aug. 7, 1793, and from that date on was undertaken by the federal government. Remarkably, it continues in operation today, 273 years from its construction date, as an active navigation aid for vessels entering and leaving Narraganset Bay.
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In 1972, the U.S. Coast Guard began automation of its lighthouses and by 1976 vacated most of the nationwide keepers' buildings. Congress, recognizing the historic value of the sites and buildings, in 2000 enacted the Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act by offering ownership to municipalities and/or nonprofit organizations to preserve and maintain the historic sites and buildings. Lighthouses with no qualified takers are sold off to the highest bidder.
Some of the Rhode Island lighthouses were deeded to organizations prior to the preservation act. Conimicut Point Light was gifted to the City of Warwick. Presently, both Beavertail and Watch Hill lights are in process with submitted applications to the U.S. National Park Service for transfers.
As for public visitation, only six lighthouses are available. Beavertail and Watch Hill lights are easily accessible by automobile. Four others, Block Island North, Block Island South East, Rose Island and Pomham Rocks, require a ferry ride.
All six lighthouses will be open on Sunday, Aug. 7, to mark National Lighthouse Day. Pomham Rocks light with its limited 15-passenger ferry is sold out. Details as to open hours to visit some of the other lighthouses are on their web sites: www.beavertaillight.org, www.southeastlighthouse.org and www.roseisland.org.
Varoujan Karentz, a retired corporate executive, lives in Jamestown and has been on the board of directors of Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association 20 years. He writes for the web site smallstatebighistory.com.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island lighthouses open doors for natoinal celebration
