Point Judith Light

Point Judith Light

Point Judith Light in June 2023
Location	Narragansett, Rhode Island
Coordinates	41°21′39.7″N 71°28′53″W / 41.361028°N 71.48139°W / 41.361028; -71.48139
Tower
Constructed	1810
Foundation	Granite blocks
Construction	Granite blocks
Automated	1954
Height	51 feet (16 m)
Shape	Octagonal conical
Markings	Lower half, white upper half, brown Black lantern
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Fog signal	Horn, 1 blast every 15 seconds
Light
First lit	1857
Focal height	65 feet (20 m)
Lens	Fourth order Fresnel lens
Range	16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi)
Characteristic	Occulting 3 white 15 seconds 5s on, 2s off; 2s on, 2s off; 2s on, 2s off
Point Judith Lighthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1857
MPS	Lighthouses of Rhode Island TR
NRHP reference No.	88000279 [1]
Added to NRHP	March 30, 1988

Point Judith Light is located on the west side of the entrance to Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island as well as the north side of the eastern entrance to Block Island Sound.^[2][3][4] The confluence of two waterways make this area busy with water traffic and the waters around Point Judith are very cold and dangerous. Historically, even with active lighthouses, there have been many shipwrecks off these coasts.

Point Judith Light

Three light structures have been built on this site. The original 35-foot (11 m) tower, built in 1810, was destroyed by a hurricane in 1815. It was replaced in 1816, by another 35-foot stone tower with a revolving light and ten lamps. The present octagonal granite tower was built in 1856. The upper half of the tower is painted brown and the lower half white to make the light structure a more effective daymark for maritime traffic. In 1871, ship captains asked that Point Judith's fog signal be changed from a horn to whistle. This change distinguished the Point Judith light from the Beavertail Lighthouse, which used a siren to announce fog. A whistle could also be heard more distinctly over the sounds of the surf in the area. Point Judith Light was automated in 1954, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.