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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
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ALF Plans to Restore Goat Island
Light to its Former Splendor as a
Jewel of Newport Harbor
By
Bob Trapani, Jr.
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The Newport
Harbor Lighthouse – known locally as Goat Island Light, may not be the
most widely recognized lighthouse in Newport Harbor, but it does have
the distinction of being the very first sentinel established in the
historic deepwater harbor to guide and protect the flourishing shipping
interests of Newport merchants in the early 1800s. Despite the beacon’s
faithful service to mariners though, the light station eventually found
itself center stage in a whirlwind of dynamic change over the past
century that forever reshaped Newport, Rhode Island.
No one
captures the essence of the change enveloping the surroundings
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Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Newport Harbor Lighthouse
(also
known as Goat Island Light)
Newport, RI
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of Goat Island
Lighthouse better than lighthouse historian Jeremy D’Entremont. An excerpt –
courtesy of Commonwealth Editions, from D’Entremont’s upcoming book, The
Lighthouses of Rhode Island, to be published in spring 2006, states, “No
location is more emblematic of the blend – or clash, depending on how you
view it – of Newport’s maritime past with modern development than Goat
Island, where this modest and relatively ancient stone lighthouse stands
alongside the massive Hyatt Regency Hotel. For almost 350 years, Goat
Island, about six-tenths of a mile long in a north-south direction and now
attached to the rest of the city by a causeway, has been utilized in just
about every way imaginable – from fort to hotel, torpedo station to marina,
barracks to condominiums. The lighthouse and its keepers have played no
small role in the island’s historical pageant”
Yet despite the
winds of change that have buffeted the present 1842 Goat Island Light over
the years, its keepers remain primed in the 21st century |
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Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
A close-up view of the failing
mortar at the joints of the light's
granite block construction
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to maintain a
key role in the “island’s historical pageant” by forging a new chapter
in the storied history of the lighthouse. The American Lighthouse
Foundation (ALF) -- the new “keepers of the light” thanks to a license
granted by the U.S. Coast Guard that enables the organization to save
and preserve the historic structure, is presently working to restore the
29-foot granite tower to its former splendor.
In the past
year, the American Lighthouse Foundation has asked Keith Lescarbeau of
the Abcore Restoration Company to examine the historic lighthouse and
ascertain what measures must be
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taken to preserve
the structure. Lescarbeau’s
findings included the need to remove old paint, clean the granite stone,
remove failing mortar at all joints – then repoint the granite blocks, apply
one prime coat and two finish coats to the exterior, replace deteriorated
railings and repair other components to the lantern room and gallery and
secure / repair the lightning deflection system. The estimated cost to enact
these much-needed restoration measures totals around $120,000.
Steps are now
being taken by ALF to raise the necessary $120,000 for the restoration of
Goat Island Lighthouse – for today’s generation can ill afford to defer this
responsibility for such a splendid monument to Newport’s way of life. The
success of the American Lighthouse |
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Foundation
lies in the organization’s ability to facilitate multiple preservation
projects simultaneously through its local volunteer chapters, dedicated
members, proven field experience and community spirit. As the steward
for 21 lighthouses, ALF recognizes the fact that a historic beacon like
Goat Island Light is naturally the most important project of all 21
lights under the organization’s care to the residents of Newport, Rhode
Island.
Given this
fact, the American Lighthouse Foundation is committed to working with
the Newport community to save Goat Island Light. In order to ensure that
the |
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
View of water damage inside the
lighthouse due to leaking seals on the windows and lantern room |
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lighthouse remains
a guardian of Newport Harbor in perpetuity though, ALF is reaching out to
the local community – including residents, businesses and legislators, for
financial assistance and volunteer support to “keep the light shining.”
The vanished
whaling, fishing, seagoing trade and shipbuilding industries that helped
build Newport’s timeless maritime past may now be relegated to the pages of
history, but its indelible stamp lives on in the embodiment of the
lighthouses that stand guard in and around Newport |
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
A view of the Hyatt Regency Hotel from
the lantern room of Goat Island Lighthouse
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Harbor. By
working together to save and preserve Goat Island Light, the American
Lighthouse Foundation and Newport community will ensure an old friend to
the maritime images of the past will continue to stand tall and shine a
bright light on Newport’s proud seafaring heritage for present and
future generations.
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Become a “keeper”
of Goat Island Light today by making a much-needed donation towards the
sentinel’s restoration…
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For more
information about the American Lighthouse Foundation’s efforts to save Goat
Island Light, call (207) 646-0245 or email ALF at
support@lighthousefoundation.org
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Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.
Goat Island Lighthouse stands along
Newport
Harbor as a tribute to Newport's proud
maritime heritage
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