Ah, beautiful Rhode Island. This state will always hold a special place in my heart and not just because I used to live there and met my husband there... RI might be the smallest state but it makes up for it in personality, history, and sheer beauty. You're here so you probably like lighthouses. You'll find 21 lighthouses along Rhody's 400 miles of coastline. I try not to play favorites, but Rhode Island has some of the most scenic lighthouses, only rivaled by Maine in my mind.
The most well-known lighthouses in Rhode Island are probably the two lights on Block Island, the trifecta (Castle Hill, Goat Island, and Rose Island) in Newport, Sakonnet in Little Compton, and Watch Hill since it's right around the corner from Taylor Swift's house.
One of my personal favorites is Plum Beach Light, constructed in 1899. It's a lovely surprise along the Verrazano Bridge between the mainland and Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay. If you're a local or have spent time in and around Narragansett Bay, then you know that dense fog is quite common and can sometimes linger through half the day. It's for this reason that the Lighthouse Board determined a lighthouse was needed in the bay north of Dutch Island. Ships passing to and from Providence navigating west to avoid Dutch Island ran the risk of running aground on Plum Beach.
The 53-foot high structure is a pneumatic caisson-style lighthouse and was originally outfitted with a Fourth Order Fresnel light. A caisson is simply a watertight chamber, usually open at the bottom. Air pressure keeps water out and allows for work to be done below water level. Caissons are also used for foundations of water structures like bridge piers and concrete dams. A pneumatic caisson is a caisson that is dropped down in the water to the floor below the water, and then the water is pumped out. The resulting hollow chamber is then filled with concrete. At Plum Beach, pieces of granite were strategically placed around the caisson on the bay floor for extra support. Then the lighthouse was built atop the foundation.
Plum Beach Light was completed in 1899, and it dutifully performed its duties protecting the passing ships for almost two decades before needing significant repairs. The 1917-1918 winter was so cold that Narragansett Bay froze to the point that cars could cross the bay from the mainland to Conanicut Island.
When it finally started to melt, the shifting ice rammed into the base of the lighthouse causing it to crack in several places. The light was repaired in 1922 and a small granite barrier was built around the light to protect it from similar damage in the future. This protective granite island remains today.
The weather tested Plum Beach Light again with the Great Hurricane of 1938 that swept across New England. Rhode Island was hit particularly hard. Sustained winds of up to 100 mph were recorded along with gusts up to 125 mph. John Ganze, keeper, and Edwin Babcock, substitute keeper, were both in the lighthouse when the storm hit. As water levels surged in the bay, the lighthouse was flooded and thrashed by the high waves. They had to retreat to the highest level in the light and hope the water wouldn't rise any higher. Trying to brave the seas by boat was out of question.
Ganze and Babcock fastened themselves to the clockwork on the lantern to avoid being swept out to sea and managed to survive the storm. It was two days before anyone came to their rescue, but compared to others, they were lucky. Their fellow keeper Walter Eberle of Whale Rock Light to the south, did not survive the storm. The entire lighthouse with Walter inside was battered off its foundation and thrown into the sea. We'll look more into Walter's story later when we deep-dive into Beavertail Lighthouse.
Thankfully, Ganze, Babcock, and Plum Beach Light survived the Great Hurricane of 1938. Despite having survived such a harrowing experience, Plum Beach was soon abandoned after the completion of the Jamestown Bridge in 1941. The navigation lights on the bridge were enough to warn passing ships of the dangerous shoal and the lighthouse was simply no longer needed.
Plum Beach Light became home to seagulls, cormorants, and other shore birds over the next few decades since it was the perfect stopping point between the mainland and Conanicut Island. You can imagine the build-up of bird droppings! There was an effort to paint the lighthouse in the 1970s, but unfortunately one of the painters became ill from all the bird guano. The painter, James Osborne, actually filed a lawsuit and it became a complicated case of who was responsible. As it was no longer an active aid to navigation, did the light belong to the federal government or the state? The case wasn't settled until 1998, when the State of Rhode Island assumed ownership. Prior to that, the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission (RIHPHC) added all state lighthouses to the National Register in 1988.
Once the state took ownership, there were a lot of questions about what to do with the lighthouse. There were even some suggestions that the light be moved elsewhere and purchased privately. Shirley Silvia of Portsmouth stepped in and founded The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse. The group formally assumed ownership in 1999.
Just four years later, The Friends were awarded a federal grant and had raised enough funds to undertake a very extensive restoration project. An estimated 52 tons (104,000 pounds!) of bird guano was removed from the light. In the lower level, some areas has a depth of almost 4 feet of guano. The exterior was sandblasted, coated in marine epoxy, and repainted to match the lighthouse's historic look.
The glass was replaced and a new solar beacon was added, lighting the way for the first time in 62 years. Additionally, repairs were also made to prevent the 1918 cracks from worsening. The 1922 repairs had failed in the 1938 hurricane and hadn't been addressed. The 2003 restoration was extensive, but as you can imagine, any historic structure subject to the elements requires routine maintenance and care. If you're a local, an easy way to support The Friends' efforts is by purchasing a PBL license plate for your car. The plate is $42.50 and $20 of that goes directly to the non-profit. You can find out more at pblplate.org
If you plan to visit Plum Beach Light today, it is best viewed from the water. You can also see it from the Jamestown Bridge (not while you're driving!). From land, you can view the lighthouse from a distance from Plum Beach or after a short hike at the John H Chafee Rome Point Preserve.
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