Nayatt Point Light

Nayatt Point Lighthouse
Nayatt Point Lighthouse, ca. late 1800s
Nayatt Point Light is located in Rhode Island
Nayatt Point Light
Nayatt Point Light is located in the United States
Nayatt Point Light
LocationBarrington, Rhode Island
Coordinates41°43′30″N 71°20′23″W / 41.72500°N 71.33972°W / 41.72500; -71.33972
Built1828
MPSLighthouses of Rhode Island TR
NRHP reference No.87001694 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 25, 1988
Nayatt Point Light in 2007

Nayatt Point Light is a historic lighthouse in Barrington, Rhode Island.

The current light was built of brick in 1856 and contains an 1828 keeper's house. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

First light[edit]

On May 23, 1828, the United States Congress appropriated $3,500 for a lighthouse to mark the narrow passage between Nayatt Point and a shoal extending from Conimicut Point."[2] Required by law to accept the lowest bid for the project, the government was forced to enter into the contract with William Halloway and Westgate Watson for the construction regardless of the qualifications of the contractors. This obligation was confirmed by Stephen Pleasonton of the U.S. Treasury Department, confirming the authorization to enter into the contract with Halloway and Watson. The tower was poorly constructed and was difficult to navigate for the lightkeepers.[3]

List of keepers[edit]

This list includes known keepers, but may not be exhaustive.[2]

Name Year Reference Service Notes
Daniel Wightman 1828-1845 [2]
John M. Carrie 1845-1849 [2]
Lewis B. Smith 1849-1852 [2]
Noel A. Mathewson 1852-1853 [2]
Wilmouth Heath 1853-1860 [2]
John Clark 1860-1861 [2]
A. W. Tripp 1861-1865 [2]
Davis Perry 1865-1868 [2]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j D'Entremont, Jeremy. "History of Nayatt Point Lighthouse, Barrington, Rhode Island". New England Lighthouses. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  3. ^ "Nayatt Point, RI". Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved May 8, 2014.

External links[edit]