Dutch Island Lighthouse

Dutch Island Lighthouse, near

Jamestown,

RI

The lighthouse sits on Dutch Island in Narragansett Bay off the coast of Conanicut Island, near to Jamestown in Rhode Island.

First established in 1827 as a 30 foot tall tower built from stones found around the island, it was replaced by the 42 foot brick tower that we see today in 1857.

There was also a keepers house, and the light was a fourth order Fresnel lens. By 1924, the light was replaced by a flashing red light rotated using a weight and pulley system. In 1943, the Coast Guard replaced the kerosene lamp with an electric light, and automated the lighthouse.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, the light suffered extensive vandalism, and it was discontinued in 1979.

Although owned by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society maintains the lighthouse, and obtained a grant for refurbishment. The reconstruction work started in 2005, and was completed in 2007.

On November 17, 2007, the lighthouse was re-lit with a solar powered LED beacon, retaining its flashing red light.

This, and the next two pictures, were taken on a different and much sunnire day than the previous images.

A postcard from 1910 depicting the lighthouse.

Early Coast Guard photograph of the Dutch Island Light; date unkown.

The lighthouse sits on Dutch Island in Narragansett Bay off the coast of Conanicut Island, near to Jamestown in Rhode Island.

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