Prudence Island Light

Prudence Island Light, locally known as Sandy Point Lighthouse, stands on Prudence Island in Rhode Island and is recognized as the state’s oldest lighthouse tower. Built in 1823 on a dike off Goat Island near the present site of Newport Harbor Light, it was unusually moved in 1851 to Prudence Island, preserving an early tower in active service. Its rare original bird-cage lantern adds to its architectural importance, and in 1988 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse also memorializes the 1938 New England hurricane, when the keeper’s house was swept away, five people died, and keeper George Theodore Gustavus survived after being carried out to sea and swept back ashore.

Portsmouth, Rhode Island · United States