On a cool spring morning the Beavertail Lighthouse Beacon
cuts the morning fog, a job that has continued for over 250 years.
Built from stone, concrete and steel, the present day lighthouse stands
70 feet tall, 100 feet from the edge of the cliff and
it casts its beam every six seconds for 15 miles.
This is in stark contrast with the original structure built
in 1749 out of wood and whose long forgotten foundation was
unearthed during the hurricane of 1938.
Despite the advancement of other navigational aids including GPS,
there is nothing like the visual flash burning through the mist
to alert mariners of their location and their proximity to the reefs
and entrance to Narragansett Bay. Richard Chellis was 2 years old
when his father Carl S. Cehellis was the keeper of the Beavertail Light
from 1938 until 1946. He lived there with his parents
and he has memories of his father's duties keeping the Beavertail
Lighthouse. I remember going up the
stairs of thre Lighthouse when I was about 2 years old and I remember
that Fresnel lens was a very polished and a very pristine condition.
Being a Lighthousekeeper meant that you had to maintain the
property, you had to keep the light in working condition.
As I remember my mother saying when I was growing up recalling
those years that inspectors would periodically show up unannounced
to see how everything was maintained and what kind of condition
things were in. So needless o say you had
to maintain the light at all times you know. Basically it was a 24 hour a day job,
365 days a year you know. I mean navigation was essential
for that. Life was not as difficult
on the Beavertail Lighthouse which was built on land
as it was on scores of other ligfhthouses that were built
on outposts at sea. These homes needed supplies
and maintenance which was furnished by an early branch
of the Coast Guard called the Lighthouse Service.
Robert Dennis worked aboard the lighthouse tender "Shrub".
Shrub's duties included attending and supplying
the lighthouses not accessible by land and the sometimes
treacherous job of maintaining the buoys and navigational
aids up and down the New England Coast.
The winter of '39 we had alot of ice, the bay was frozen
way down below Prudence Island. Every time the tide went out,
the ice would pull these Navigational aids under the ice,
put the lamp out and the buoy would come back up
and it's out, so we had to go out to the buoy,
jump on it, and it was all covered with ice,
jump on it, open the lantern bale out all the salt water,
get it dry,light it again with a match. So that's all
It was an acetylene torch. and close it up. The next day
We came out and do it again. Ice would just sink it,
Just push it over. there wasn't much you could do,
Just go relight it. Despite the dedicated and hard work
By these civil servants, Calamities were unavoidable.
Shipwrecks did occur and still May occur due to extreme
Weather and human error. Lifelong Jamestown resident Jim West
Recalls the shipwreck of the early 1930's. A coal barge came over the
East shoal here between Hull's Cove And here, went ashore
And we could get down to The shoal so everybody hauled
Coal that winter. It was the fall of that year, September.
They didn't want to do Anything you know until
They sent out the word That anybody wanted to
Dig coal go down and do it. So we did.
It was good coal too. I'll say that.
It was red ash not the white ash, So it helped out alot of people
That year, I'll tell you On the coal bill.
As the fog begins to Burn off, the Beavertail Lighthouse
Beacon fades against the brightening Morning sky.
In addition to marking the coastline, This lighthose also houses a museum
That commerates the history And service of other lighthouses
In addition to the Beavertail Light.