The United States of America is a federal union of 50 states and a capital district. The smallest of the states, the northeasten state of Rhode Island is in the southern New England region south of Massachusetts and east of Connecticut. Small in size but long in coastline, Rhode Island surrounds and includes Narragansett Bay, a complex inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. Historically Rhode Island is the name of the largest island in the bay. In 1644 the settlements of Newport (on the island), and Providence and Portsmouth (on the mainland) banded together as the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The state continued to be known officially as the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations until November 2020 when voters agreed to drop the reference to Plantations. Providence, at the head of the bay, is the state capital. Rhode Island is divided administratively into five counties but local government is provided by the cities and towns within each county. Jeremy D'Entremont's book, The Lighthouses of Rhode Island (Beverly, Mass.: Commonwealth Editions, 2006) is an excellent resource for the study of Rhode Island lighthouses. Navigational aids in Rhode Island are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England in Woods Hole, Massachusetts; an Aids to Navigation Team based at Bristol is responsible for the Rhode Island lights. However ownership (and sometimes operation) of historic lighthouses has been transferred to local authorities and preservation organizations in many cases. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. USCG numbers are from Vol. I of the USCG Light List.
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Newport County Lighthouses
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Castle Hill Light, Newport, December 2023 Instagram photo by steve_dito |
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Bristol County Lighthouses
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Providence County Lighthouses
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Kent County Lighthouses
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Washington County Lighthouses
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Watch Hill Light, Westerly, September 2023 Instagram photo by Jay McAnally |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: East: Southern Massachusetts | West: Connecticut
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key
Posted May 16, 2001. Checked and revised June 12, 2024. Lighthouses: 21. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.