WayfarrowRose Island Light
Lighthouse · Newport County, Rhode Island
Rose Island Light is a lighthouse in Newport County, Rhode Island. Rhode Island has 31 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 15 of them in Newport County.
It was built in 1870, in the late 19th century, making it the 11th oldest of the 22 in Rhode Island with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 35 feet tall (11th tallest of 15 measured in Rhode Island); its light sits 49 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W, 6s; it guards Narragansett Bay; it was deactivated in 1971.
Status check, 2026-11: Tower rises from the keeper's house, which was built in 1869 and first lit in January 1870; it was dark from 1971 to 1992, then relit, and the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation now cares for it. Rose Island Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 1 mile away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 41.4955° N, 71.3427° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1870 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 35 ft |
| Focal height | 49 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W, 6s |
| Deactivated | 1971 |
| Body of water | Narragansett Bay |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 41.49547, -71.34272 |
Nearby places
- Gull Rocks Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 0.7 mi
- Newport Harbor Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 0.8 mi
- Ida Lewis Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 1.5 mi
- Castle Hill Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 2.6 mi
- Gould Island Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 2.7 mi
- Dutch Island Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 3.2 mi
- Plum Beach Lightlighthouse · Washington County · 4 mi
- Beavertail Lighthouselighthouse · Newport County · 4.3 mi
- Brenton Reef Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 5.4 mi
- Whale Rock Lightghost town · Washington County · 5.5 mi
- Whale Rock Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 5.5 mi
- Conanicut Island Lightlighthouse · Newport County · 5.6 mi
Questions
Where is Rose Island Light?
Rose Island Light is in Newport County, Rhode Island, at 41.4955, -71.3427.
How many lighthouses are in Newport County?
Newport County, Rhode Island has 15 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
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- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.