Historic Watch Hill Lighthouse, Westerly Rhode Island, Circa 1808

Title

Historic Watch Hill Lighthouse, Westerly Rhode Island, Circa 1808

Artist

Skyelyte Photography by Linda Rasch

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Historical Watch Hill Lighthouse

"Watch Hill, a village of Westerly, Rhode Island, is a quaint resort area with an old carousel and many shops and stately mansions. Clark Gable, Groucho Marx, Henry Ford, and Douglas Fairbanks were among those who vacationed here."

"A watchtower and a simple beacon were first established at Watch Hill by the Rhode Island colonial government around 1745, giving the area its name, and earlier the point may have been used as a lookout by the Narragansett Indians. The watchtower and beacon were destroyed in a 1781 storm.
Discussion of a lighthouse to mark the eastern entrance to Fishers Island Sound, and to warn mariners of a dangerous reef southwest of Watch Hill, began in 1793. An act to build the lighthouse was signed in 1806 by President Thomas Jefferson. The government purchased four acres of land for $500 from George and Thankful Foster, and the lighthouse, Rhode Island's second after Beavertail, was completed in early 1808...

One of the worst maritime disasters in the vicinity of Watch Hill was the wreck of the steamer Metis in 1872.
The ship, carrying 160 people to Providence, collided with a schooner. At first it was not believed that the damage was bad enough to prevent the vessel from continuing, but about a mile from Watch Hill the Metis began to sink fast. Local residents managed to save 33 people, but the other 130 on board perished. A few years later a U.S. Life Saving Service Station was established at Watch Hill, close to the lighthouse. The station was abandoned in the 1940s and was destroyed in 1963....

In 1879, Sally Ann Crandall became the first woman to keep the light at Watch Hill, taking over for her husband following his death.
Keeper Crandall's salary was $500 per year. Fanny K. Sckuyler became the second woman keeper when she took over for Sally Ann Crandall in 1888.

In 1907 one of the most famous of all New England shipping disasters occurred four miles southwest of Watch Hill Light when the steamer Larchmont collided with a schooner in a February blizzard. Close to 200 people died in the disaster.
There was severe damage at the lighthouse during the hurricane of September 21, 1938, the worst storm in New England's recorded history. Many people died in the Westerly area during the storm.

The keeper reported that waves broke over the top of the lighthouse, smashing the lantern glass, damaging the lamp and sending seawater into the tower."

http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/watch-hill-light-history.html

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September 21st, 2017

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