Located a mile offshore from Newport, Rhode Island, is Rose Island Lighthouse, which began service in 1870. It consists of an octagonal lighthouse tower rising from the west side of a mansard roof on top of a one-and-one-half-story wooden keeper’s dwelling. The light lost its importance as a navigational aid with the construction of the Newport Bridge in 1969. In the 1980s, a group of dedicated local preservationists founded the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation, and the building was fully restored. You can stay overnight at Rose Island for a taste of Lighthouse Service life.

The organization is now known as the Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust to reflect the fact that the organization is also the steward of the island’s fort buildings. The guest in this episode, Sean O’Connor, is the executive director of the Trust. There is also a video version of this podcast episode, which you can see on the USLHS YouTube channel. Judianne Point, a volunteer for Pomham Rocks Lighthouse in Rhode Island, also takes part in the discussion.