Sakonnet Lighthouse

1884. Reactivated (inactive 1955-1997); focal plane 70 ft (21 m); flash every 6 s, white to the east and red to the west. 66 ft (20 m) round cast iron sparkplug tower (brick lined) with lantern, double galleries above and lower gallery, incorporating 3-story keeper's quarters, mounted on a concrete caisson. The original 4th order Fresnel lens is on display at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine. Lighthouse painted white except for a red band around the base of the lantern. The lighthouse was saved from destruction and restored by private efforts and local fundraising. In 2005, a grant of $843,000 to restore the tower was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Friends of Sakonnet Lighthouse have raised an additional $170,000. Work in the summer of 2010 concentrated on replacing rusted bolts in cast iron plates. Marking the entrance to the Sakonnet River estuary, the lighthouse stands on the westernmost of a group of rocky islets and ledges, 800 yards (730 m) southwest of Sakonnet Point in Little Compton