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Watch Hill Light

Watch hill, ri

The original light was built in 1807 and was replaced by the present light in 1856.  It guards the eastern approach to Fisher’s Island Sound.

This lighthouse is a working Coast Guard Station and an active aid to navigation.

Standing forty-five feet high and sixty-one feet above sea level, Watch Hill Light shows alternating red and white flashes every five seconds.  During periods of fog, it puts out one blast every thirty seconds.

The first keeper, Jonathan Nash, served for twenty-seven years until 1834.  His starting salary was $ 200 per year.  Even with the light, Nash recorded forty-five vessels wrecked during his tenure.

In 1879, Sally Ann Crandall became the first woman keeper of this light at $ 500 per year and Fanny K. Sckuyler was the second woman, taking over from Sally Ann.