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Warwick Lighthouse
When it was established in 1826, Rhode Island’s Warwick Lighthouse on Narragansett Bay was a 30-foot tower atop a stone dwelling. The tower was square at its lowest point, but its top corners were cut back, probably for aesthetic purposes. Over the years there were a number of changes to the keeper’s quarters, especially in 1889 when a new keeper’s house was built further back from the eroding bluff. However, by the 1930s, the old tower was beyond saving and was torn down to be replaced in 1932 by a traditional-style, round cast-iron tower, which still stands today; although, after the 1938 hurricane, it was moved back 50 feet from the eroding shoreline.
All Three Chandeleur Lights Destroyed
All three towers that bore the name of the Chandeleur Island Lighthouse in Louisiana’s Gulf of Mexico have been lost to storms. The first tower, built in 1848, was destroyed in an 1852 storm; and the second tower, built in 1855, became so heavily undermined, that it had to be demolished.Four days after a storm on October 1, 1893, The Daily Picayune newspaper gave the following account of the second Chandeleur Lighthouse: “The old light has been almost completely wrecked. The foundation has given away on one side and the old brick tower has begun to lean greatly towards the sea. So great is the angle that it is dangerous for a man to enter the tower.”The third Chandeleur Island Lighthouse, a 100-foot-tall structure built in 1896, vanished without a trace during Hurricane Katrina in 2004.
Lighthouse Set on Fire for Independence Day Celebration
Built in 1872 to mark a sharp turn in the Providence River in Providence, Rhode Island, life was good for the keepers who once lived at the Sabin Point Lighthouse. In fact, lighthouse keeper John F. Weeden (1842-1912) and his family lived at the lighthouse, surrounded by water, for an amazing 36 years. In describing the Weeden family life, an 1891 article in the Providence Journal described the keeper as a talented furniture maker, and his handiwork included a bookcase and a sideboard in the dining room. The airy living room was the scene of musical activity, with an organ, violin, and guitar. The house was described as bright, with lots of fancy needlework on display – the work of Mrs. Weeden and her mother. The keeper had collected and displayed relics from various shipwrecks, including some carvings of animals that had belonged to a passenger on the steamer Metis, which had wrecked off Watch Hill, Rhode Island in 1873. Charles E. Whitford, who became the keeper in 1916, with his wife, Annie, raised three daughters: Eleanor, Myrtle, and Lillian at the lighthouse. In a 1986 article in the Providence Journal, Myrtle recalled that she also had to be rowed ashore by her father whenever she had a date, adding, “And I always got wet.” However, Myrtle managed to get acquainted with George Corbishley of Riverside. They met at school and at parties, and according to a newspaper article, young George was “stricken early with her charms.” It wasn’t long afterward that 18-year-old Myrtle Whitford married George Corbishley. The wedding ceremony in August of 1932 took place in the living room of the lighthouse and was attended by approximately 50 guests. A wedding breakfast and cake were served on the lighthouse pier. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the fog bell was rung in celebration and the bridegroom rowed his bride to the mainland over the confetti-strewn water. But, as with all other lighthouses, family life at the lighthouse came to an end, and in 1956, the lighthouse was automated. A little over ten years later, the government announced that Sabin Point Lighthouse would be discontinued and removed to make room for the widening and deepening of the shipping channel. In 1968, the government used a crane to remove the fully-intact lantern and the 6th order Fresnel lens and they were carted away on a barge. That same year, as part of the 4th of July Celebration, the East Providence Rhode Island Fire Department lit up the night sky with a huge fire as they completely burned the keeper’s quarters. Although the Sabin Point Lighthouse was lost to the pages of time, its twin lighthouses still remain standing: Pomham Rocks Lighthouse in Rhode Island and Colchester Reef Lighthouse in Vermont. However, what happened to the lantern and the lens from Sabin Point Lighthouse? It was assumed that the lantern was removed so that it could be used elsewhere. But where? What happened to it? Also, what happened to the Fresnel lens? Is it on display somewhere? Or was it destroyed? Perhaps one of our readers can help us solve the mystery.
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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