Federal government gives Beavertail Lighthouse to the state. What to know

Wheeler Cowperthwaite, Providence Journal

JAMESTOWN − In the Town Council chambers, representatives of the federal government handed over a giant ceremonial deed to state officials, marking the transfer of the Beavertail Lighthouse to the state Department of Environmental Management.

For the president of the Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association, Varoujan Karentz, the transfer had been a long time coming. The association has been managing and fixing up the lighthouse since the group was founded in 1993. As part of the deal to transfer ownership, the state, which already owns and runs the Beavertail State Park, will own the lighthouse and leave management to the museum association.

In July 2023, the state's application for the lighthouse ownership had been approved, but the wait was on for the deed to be transferred.

For some of the board members, the final transfer means they can start drawing up plans for further restoration work, including wire brushing and then painting the rusted railings inside the lighthouse. The lighthouse is the subject of a three-way memorandum of understanding among Jamestown, the state and the museum association.

The Beavertail Lighthouse and its attendant buildings, now a museum, are now the state's property, but volunteers will continue to maintain the facilities.
The Beavertail Lighthouse and its attendant buildings, now a museum, are now the state's property, but volunteers will continue to maintain the facilities.

The biggest problem facing the lighthouse is the same problem faced by everything on the coast: erosion that has increased in intensity as storms have gotten worse. Plastic Jersey barriers along the rim of the road around the lighthouse mark where erosion has made it unsafe to get too close to the edge.

Perhaps the biggest recent issue that has been fixed is granite stones that were pulling away because of deteriorating mortar. The association brought in a mason from Italy, familiar with the type of mortar, to make the repairs. Getting money to fix the iconic lighthouse, the best place to propose and one of the most popular of Rhode Island's state parks, has never been very hard, like when the copper roof blew off one of the buildings and they quickly raised the $70,000 needed for the fix, Karentz said.

History of the lighthouse

The Beavertail Lighthouse is the third oldest in North America, dating back to the 1712 first official request for a lighthouse, followed by a tariff to raise money in 1731 and construction of the first lighthouse, a wooden tower, in 1749. After that structure burned down, the second version was built in 1753, this time with a stone foundation.

The Jersey barrier in front of the Beavertail Lighthouse, on June 21, 2024, marks where erosion has become more and more of a problem.
The Jersey barrier in front of the Beavertail Lighthouse, on June 21, 2024, marks where erosion has become more and more of a problem.

In 1856, a third lighthouse was built 100 feet behind the second one. The deteriorating 1753 structure was taken down and a "fog-whistle house" was put in its place. The Great Hurricane of 1938 revealed the foundation of the original lighthouse, which had been forgotten.

In 1972, the beacon was automated, ending the tradition of light keepers. In 1991, the Fresnel lens was replaced with a rotating beacon, and the old one is on display in the museum.

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: One of RI's most iconic lighthouses now belongs to the state

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