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By Louise Paiva
Captain Nathaniel Dodge (1844-1905) was honored this past June 7th with the placement of a United States Lighthouse Service Memorial Marker at his gravesite in the Island Cemetery on Block Island, New Shoreham, Rhode Island. An enthusiastic group from the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse (FPRL), located in Riverside, Rhode Island, gathered at the site for the dedication, delivered by the organization’s historian and one of its founding members, David Kelleher.
Initiated by Tim
Harrison, of Lighthouse Digest, the bronze markers, which hold a U.S. flag, honor the sacrifices made by lighthouse keepers of the United States Lighthouse Service.
Nathaniel Dodge served as head keeper at Pomham Rocks Lighthouse from 1893 to 1898, having served at seven other lights during his 31-year career, including Southeast Light on Block Island, Rhode Island, where he was 1st assistant keeper from 1874 to 1882. While not much is known about Captain Dodge’s personal life, it is certain from reading his logbook entries that he kept a good light, as his most common statement after his weather report was “lights bright all night!”
After the dedication at Island Cemetery, the FPRL members were treated to a tour at Southeast Light given by docent Jim Milner, followed by a trip to Settler’s Rock to view Block Island’s other iconic lighthouse, North Light.
This story appeared in the
Sep/Oct 2023 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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