Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Celebrate 20th Anniversary
More than a hundred members of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse gathered recently at their Annual Meeting at The Squantum Association to celebrate a milestone. In 2004, an abandoned building stood atop a rocky island in the Providence River, off the coast of East Providence. Once a majestic lighthouse, beaconing ships to the Port of Providence, its light was extinguished and its tower precariously shifted in the wind.
A handful of local residents joined together, founding Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, with their mission to save the historic structure and preserve it for future generations. Led by Don and Nancy Doucette, a small group of individuals set in motion a movement that continues to this day – to restore the local landmark and maintain it as a museum to share the maritime history of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse and the other four lighthouses off the coast of East Providence that provided safety to mariners in upper Narragansett Bay.
Built in 1871, seven civilian keepers and their families lived at Pomham Rocks Lighthouse before the U.S. Coast Guard assumed duties in 1956.
Decommissioned by the Coast Guard in 1974, Mobil Oil (now ExxonMobil) purchased the lighthouse in 1980. In 2005, Mobil Oil leased the lighthouse to the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF), the parent organization of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse.
The volunteer group set to work in 2006, completing the exterior restoration and the beacon was relit. In 2010, ExxonMobil conveyed the title of the lighthouse and island to ALF. In 2017, electricity was restored, via an underwater cable. In 2018, interior restoration was completed.
In 2020, Lady Pomham II, a 26’ canopied launch was custom-built to bring the public to the island. The Friends celebrated the 150th anniversary of the lighthouse in 2021, with the exterior painting of the lighthouse to its original colors and the return of its original fourth order Fresnel lens, now displayed in the museum. The year 2022 marked the first season of public tours.
The cistern in the basement was cleaned, repaired, sealed and became part of the tours. In 2023, the north downspout connection to the cistern was restored. A multi-year project was initiated to replace the 1939 chain-link fence surrounding the island with a replica of its turn-of-the-century white wooden picket fence.
In 2024, the original interior paint colors were researched and the rooms were painted in their historically accurate colors. And this fall, all the storm windows were replaced with the original wooden recessed design and operable shutters were installed, to return the lighthouse to the way it looked in 1871.
“Our work is never done,” noted outgoing Chair of the Board Dennis Tardiff. “There is still much to do and we welcome the community to join us in our efforts,“ added incoming Chair Alex Dias. To find out more or join Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, visit www.pomhamrockslighthouse.org.