|
The 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. 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.
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.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Judith_Light) |
|