Rose Island Lighthouse, Newport Rhode Island

The story of the Rose Island lighthouse begins in the mid-1860’s at a time when the state of Rhode Island was growing and shipping traffic was increasing on Narragansett bay. Steamship companies were building up during this time ferrying passengers and freight in the bay between Newport, New York and Boston. As a result, a request to construct a lighthouse on Rose Island was made and in 1869 construction began to build Rose Island light at a cost reported to be $7,500. The lighthouse was built on the southwest bastion of old Fort Hamilton and its fixed red light was first shone over lower Narragansett Bay on January 20, 1870. A fog bell was added to the lighthouse on August 10, 1885 and then replaced with a fog horn on November 12, 1912.
The first Keeper of the Rose Island light was George C. Williams, a Civil War veteran, who was appointed by the U.S. Lighthouse Service. Charles S. Curtis was Keeper at Rose Island for the longest period of time between 1887 and 1918. His appointment was significant for many reasons, but first and foremost was the connection with his grandson, who was Wanton Chase. Wanton Chase lived with Charles and Christina Curtis on Rose Island for many years in the early 1900’s until Charles retired in 1918. The significance was to the future, which will be told later in this story. The first assistant Keeper, Juilius Johanssen, arrived in 1912 to tend to the new steam powered foghorn. Other Keepers came and went over the years and they included Gustavas Clarke 1879 to 1887, Delancy E. Roode 1917-1919, Thomas Pickup 1919-1921, A.B Bassett 1920-1921, E.W. Newton 1921-1926, Jesse Orton 1926-1936, Charles Eldredge 1926-1941, and George Bell 1936-1941. The U.S Coast Guard took over management of the lighthouse in 1941 and remained in control until 1970 when the Rose Island Lighthouse was decommissioned and taken out of service. The reason for the lighthouse being taken out of service was simple: the construction of the Newport Pell Bridge was completed and all necessary aids to navigation were situated upon the bridge, rendering the Rose Island lighthouse obsolete.