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Keeping the Light On

Grant funding helps an East Providence lighthouse museum continue illuminating history

Just 200 yards o the coast of East Providence, on a half-acre island, and atop a 42-foot tower is the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse lantern room – a literal beacon of Rhode Island’s maritime history. Along with panoramic views of the Narragansett Bay and the antique Fresnel lens, the site houses a time capsule of the early 20th century in its exhibits showcasing East Providence lighthouses in their heyday.

“Rhode Island is home to 21 lighthouses. Pomham Rocks is the only surviving of five that once protected the waters in East Providence. The lighthouse still serves as an active aid to navigation,” says Louise Paiva, board member of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. The other four – Bullocks Point, Sabin Point, Sassafras, and Fuller Rock – and the people who attended them are represented in rooms throughout.