Newport Harbor Light

The first light on Goat Island was constructed in 1823-1824, but was later transported to Prudence Island in 1851 where the structure still remains as the Prude...
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The first light on Goat Island was constructed in 1823-1824, but was later transported to Prudence Island in 1851 where the structure still remains as the Prudence Island Light. The current light was constructed in 1842 a few yards off the coast of Goat Island and was connected to Goat Island by a narrow dike (the area was filled in the 1960s for the hotel) because the previous light failed in adequately warning ships of a reef just a few yards off Goat Island. The original lighting apparatus was, however, transferred to the newer lighthouse in 1842.

In 1864 an attached lighthouse keeper's house was built. In 1921, a submarine hit the breakwater, damaging the foundation of the keeper's house. An electric light was placed in the tower the following year. The damaged keeper's dwelling was later torn down. After a private developer purchased Goat Island in the 1960s, the land between the northern end of Goat Island and the light was filled in to build a hotel. On March 30, 1988, the light was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2000 the Coast Guard leased the light to the American Lighthouse Foundation; it is managed by the Friends of Newport Harbor Lighthouse.
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