History of Sakonnet Light
In 1852, Capt. George Brown of the U.S. Navy noted the need for a navigational light in the vicinity of Sakonnet Point. In 1882, the United States Congress approved $20,000 to build a lighthouse on Little Cormorant Rock at the entrance to the Sakonnet River. The rock was ceded by the state of Rhode Island to the federal government in early 1883. Construction began early that year and proceeded with difficulty at the rugged, exposed location. The base, a concrete-filled cast-iron caisson, was completed in 1883, but severe weather late in the season delayed progress. The sparkplug design included a cylindrical, cast-iron tower fixed atop a brick and concrete-filled caisson foundation. Work continued through most of the following year, and the lighthouse went into operation on November 1, 1884.
The station always had a principal keeper, an assistant, and in later years also a second assistant. As might be expected at a relatively isolated, wave-swept location, turnover was high. John Ganze was an assistant keeper in the late 1920s into the 1930s. Ganze is quoted in Sarah C. Gleason's book, Kindly Lights: A History of the Lighthouses of Southern New England. He described the isolation and bleakness of the off-season: "You could drop dead in the winter and no one would find you till spring." The only heat came from a stove in the kitchen. "They'd give you a cord of wood for the winter," said Ganze, "and when it ran out-that was it!" More than 50 men served as keepers or assistants before the Coast Guard took over in the early 1940s.
This friendly sparkplug light has survived countless storms, including two tidal waves which buried her tower during the Hurricane of 1938. In 1954, she was severely damaged by hurricane Carol. The cost of repair was too expensive and the U.S. Coast Guard deactivated her. The Coast Guard planned to blow the tower up, but the citizens of Little Compton fought to preserve her. The Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to Little Compton with the proviso that the station be maintained and left permanently unlighted. Thereafter, she suffered years of neglect until purchased by Carl Haffenreffer, president of Narragansett Brewing for $1,111.11 at auction in 1961. Concerned about her long-term upkeep, the family gifted her to The Friends of Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Inc. The group raised funds to restore the lighthouse. Workers and volunteers dug out pigeon guano two feet deep, sandblasted the tower and repainted it, among other repairs. She was not relit until 1996.
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