Early in Rhode Island history, it was recognized that Watch Hill, located at the southerly most point of Rhode Island, at the juncture of Block Island Sound and Fisher’s Island Sound, should have a beacon or light tower. The first beacon or watch tower, meant to serve as a warning system for naval attack rather than a navigational aid, was established by the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations during King George’s War (1744-1748). This beacon was destroyed during a storm in 1781.

In 1806, Congress passed and President Thomas Jefferson approved and signed into law, January 22, 1806, ‘An Act to provide for lighthouses in Long Island Sound.’ It provided for the erection of a lighthouse on Watch Hill Point in Westerly, Rhode Island.

On May 3, 1806, George and Thankful Foster of Westerly sold four acres of land at Watch Hill Point for $500 to William Ellery, Superintendent of the United States Lighthouse Service, and a round, shingled, wood tower was completed in 1807. The light was supplied by a bank of ten whale oil lamps. There was a one-story house for the keeper built nearby. These structures stood for almost 50 years before being destroyed by gale winds.

In 1855, construction began on a new lighthouse. The gradual wearing away of the bluff by the action of the waves made it advisable to build the new lighthouse farther back from the shore, and the new structure was located some 50 feet northwest of the earlier one. At the same time, the shoreline was reinforced with large granite blocks taken from the quarries in Westerly.

The new tower was built in 1855-56 of gray Westerly granite. It measures 45 feet in height and 10 feet square and is constructed of rock-faced gray granite blocks about 12 inches thick, 18 inches high, and of two different lengths, 8 and 10 feet. The granite blocks were placed so as to create quoins at the corners. The three-story light tower is topped with a cast-iron and glass lantern that originally contained a single Fresnel fourth-order lens.

In 1822, French physicist Augustin Fresnel developed a revolutionary ring-like lens, beautifully cut glass prisms set in brass frames that collected and concentrated a high percentage of the light emitted by the lamp and directed it out along useful horizontal beams. This much brighter light was soon in service in principal lighthouses in Europe, but the Fresnel lens was not officially accepted by the Lighthouse Board of the United States until 1852.

At the same time that the light tower was constructed, so was a keeper’s house. The type of construction and architecture differed considerably from other New England light structures of the times. The availability of granite from the quarries in Westerly made common the construction of many public buildings in the immediate area of rock-faced granite. This practice was limited to and unique to southern Rhode Island. The light tower followed suit. The keeper’s house, built not of granite but of brick, was an example of a common style of 19th-century domestic architecture. An oil house was built sometime after the turn of the 20th century. The fog signal building, erected in 1909, was dressed up with simple Italianate detailing typical of the ornamentation used in Victorian-era industrial and commercial buildings. The visual impact of the new light tower at Watch Hill made it an immediate and important landmark, one valued by generations of residents and visitors alike as a monument forever associated with its shoreline.

Today, the buildings and grounds of the Watch Hill Lighthouse are preserved and protected through the efforts of the Watch Hill Lighthouse Keepers Association. The Lighthouse became automated on Sunday afternoon, August 31, 1986, and on that day, the Lighthouse Keepers entered into a lease –  later, a license – agreement with the United States Coast Guard allowing for the maintenance of the property for the enjoyment of all visitors. The WHLKA, now owner of the Light Station, continues to uphold this important mission and provides educational, informational, and recreational opportunities for the public so that all may learn about and experience this treasured historic landmark.

Watch Hill Light still serves as an important navigational aid to maritime traffic. Its historical associations, architectural quality, and scenic character make it a cultural resource notable in Rhode Island. The Lighthouse is part of the Watch Hill Historic District listed within the National Register of Historic Places since September 1985.

Download the Watch HIll Lighthouse Keepers Association Book