Rose Island (Rhode Island)
{{Short description|Island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA}}
{{other uses|Rose Island (disambiguation)}}
File:Aerial_view_of_the_1870_Rose_Island_Light.jpg visible in the background]]
{{coord|41|29|46.91|N|71|20|28.1|W|type:landmark_scale:5000_region:US|display=title}}Rose Island is an {{convert|18.5|acre|ha|adj=on|lk=on}} island in Narragansett Bay off Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It is allegedly named "Rose Island" because at low tide the island appears to be shaped like a rose.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000123011423/http://lighthouse.cc/roseisland/history.html Rose Island Light info]}} (accessed Oct. 9, 2009) The Island is only accessible by boat. The island and its lighthouse are run by the private, non-profit Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation.
History
The Native American name for Rose Island was "Conockonoquit". Fortifications were constructed during the American Revolution on the island. In 1798, the U.S. government began constructing Fort Hamilton on Rose Island, but never completed the fort. Units of the U.S. Infantry were stationed there. The stone barracks from the fort still remain. The U.S. Navy used Rose Island to store explosives during World Wars I and II as part of the Naval Torpedo Station. The government stopped using the island after World War II (except for the lighthouse) and declared it government surplus. The abandoned fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 as Fort Hamilton Historic District.
Lighthouse
Built in 1870, the Rose Island Light served as an aid to navigation for a century, and was deactivated in 1970 after the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge was built. In 1984, a group of citizens started the Newport Lighthouse Foundation to preserve the light. As of 2008, it has been restored to its Victorian appearance.
Visitors may pay to stay at the lighthouse for a night or one week as keepers.
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{Cite book |last=Denison |first=Frederic |year=1879 |title=The Past and the Present: Narragansett Sea and Shore, an Illustrated Guide to Providence, Newport, Narragansett Pier, Block Island, Watch Hill, Rocky Point, Silver Spring, and All the Famous Sea-Side Resorts of Rhode Island, with a Map of Narragansett Bay |location=Providence |publisher=J. A. & R. A. Reid |oclc=191326002}}
- {{Cite book |last=Seavey |first=George L. |year=1975 |title=Rhode Island's Coastal Natural Areas: Priorities for Protection and Management |series=Marine Technical Report 43 |location=Kingston, RI |publisher=Coastal Resources Center, University of Rhode Island |oclc=853036255}}
External links
- [http://www.roseislandlighthouse.org/ Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20091026194558/http://www.geocities.com/~jmgould/adamshist.html Military History]
{{Narragansett Bay}}
{{Islands and Peninsulas of Rhode Island}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Islands of Newport County, Rhode Island
Category:Geography of Newport, Rhode Island
Category:Islands of Narragansett Bay
Category:Islands of Rhode Island
{{RhodeIsland-geo-stub}}