The Assistant Keeper's House

Beavertail Light hired its first assistant keeper about 1859, and early assistant keepers appear to have shared part of the keeper's quarters or lived in an outbuilding. In 1898, the U.S. Lighthouse Board added a residence for the assistant keeper and family; it was smaller than the keeper's house and oriented 90 degrees from it so both floors had an unobstructed view of the sea. The Board provided not only for physical needs but also circulated portable libraries of 50 volumes that included history, science, poetry, good novels, and a Bible. In 1969, Beavertail's assistant keeper was George Light, who became well known for answering the phone, "Beavertail Light, Light speaking." Use of the building as a residence ended when the light was automated in 1972. On June 25, 1989, the Rhode Island Parks Association opened a museum in the building, and in 1993 the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association was formed to operate it. The work of a light keeper began before five o'clock in the morning with extinguishing the light, trimming the wick, preparing for the next night, caring for the tower and lens, and continued with painting, maintenance, and evening duties that reversed the morning routine.

Jamestown, Rhode Island · United States