This holiday season, Riverside’s Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is bringing the festive spirit to Narragansett Bay, and you won’t need to be on a boat to enjoy the view. Located just off the coast, this historic landmark captivates with a light display that delights all who visit. Starting daily at 4pm through December 27, the lighthouse transforms into a magical scene each evening until 11pm. Its catwalk, draped in shimmering white lights, shines like a beacon against the night sky. A massive, twinkling wreath adorns the east-facing oil house, while the lighthouse radiates timeless hues of red, white, and green. Even the flagpole and a recently added picket fence along the island’s south and west edges join the celebration, glowing in a cheerful rainbow of colors.
The Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, consisting of dedicated volunteers who maintain the historic site, have been quite busy in recent years. They restored the interior to Victorian-era elegance, replaced aging fences with charming picket rails, and installed storm shutters on all 19 windows. The lighthouse routinely welcomes hundreds of visitors from across the country annually, each drawn to this sentinel of upper Narragansett Bay. Since 2004, the Friends, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, have worked tirelessly to protect this National Register landmark. Their commitment shines as brightly as the holiday lights.
“Rhode Island is home to 21 lighthouses,” says Louise Paiva, board member of Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse. “Pomham Rocks is the only surviving of five that once protected the waters in East Providence. The lighthouse still serves as an active aid to navigation.” The other four – Bullocks Point, Sabin Point, Sassafras, and Fuller Rock – and the people who attended them are represented in rooms throughout the building.
Built in 1871, the lantern room in the 42-foot tower at the lighthouse offers a panoramic view of the bay. Seasonal docent-led tours allow guests to explore the interior museum which hosts displays of equipment and items used in lighthouses during the past century and a half. The centerpiece of the first-floor display is the antique fourth-order Fresnel lens that once lit the lighthouse. Note: The island and dock are not open to visitors traveling on their own personal watercraft.
Paiva explains that Pomham Rocks was chosen to help safely accommodate the increasing volume of shipping traffic traveling to and from the Port of Providence. “The northernmost lighthouse in Narragansett Bay, it was designed by Vermont architect Albert Dow in a French empire mansard style, with seven rooms and the tower,” says Paiva. “It has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.”
“Lighthouses have played an integral role in the history of our nation. By maintaining Pomham Rocks Lighthouse as a museum, we preserve for everyone a time in American history when maritime trade was essential to our economy,” notes Paiva. “Historical sites, such as this lighthouse, cannot be replaced. Once they are gone, the cultural history they embody is destroyed forever.”
The best views of the holiday lights can be seen along the East Bay Bike Path. Park at the corner of Bullocks Point Avenue and Washington Avenue and stroll the trail. Pro tip: Bring a camera for frame-worthy shots and a flashlight to navigate after sunset. Learn more at PomhamRocksLighthouse.org.
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