Notes:
(1) Block Island Southeast Light was built as a primary seacoast Light in response to public demand for a second Light on the Island as a important aid to navigation for the area.

      During the 19th century, Block Island was in the center of the shipping lanes between Long Island and Rhode Island sounds.  The shallow shoals and frequent fog around Block Island were hazardous to vessels sailing from New York City to points North.  After numerous shipwrecks, Block Island North Light was built in 1829 yet the two lights were too dim and ineffective on the foggy seas.

      As a result, Congress approved building a Lighthouse on the southeast end of Block Island in 1856.  The Lighthouse Board, in turn, used the appropriation to rebuild the existing North Light that was threatened by shifting sand in 1857.  The steamship Palmetto, sank off the southern shores of the Island in 1858.  Block Island continued to be perilous until Nicholas Ball campaigned to improve the aids to navigation around Block Island.

      By the 1870s, Block Island became a popular Victorian Vacation Resort.  As a result, the hazards around Block Island became prominent due to the crowded waters.  In 1872, Nicholas Ball, hotel proprietor and state Senator, circulated a petition among shipping to lobby Congress for a Lighthouse.  In response, Congress appropriated $75,000 for a lighthouse and and fog signal in 1872 and the plans were designed in 1873.

      In 1874, a Keeper’s house connected to a 67-feet high red brick octagonal pyramidal Tower was built by T.H. Tynan.  The Lighthouse was First Lit on February 1, 1875 exhibiting a 12,188 candlepower Fixed White light illuminated by a fixed six-panel First-order Fresnel Lens and a 4-wick Fink’s Hydraulic Float lamp.  The illuminant was refined lard oil stored in 1,000 gallon tanks.


      In 1907, the illuminant was changed to incandescent oil vapor (IOV) increasing the light’s intensity to 45,690 candlepower.  The Lighthouse was converted to electricity in 1928.

      The distinctive design of the Victorian Gothic Lighthouse was intended to highlight the technological and architectural advancements of the U.S. Lighthouse Board.

      The Lighthouse safely guided steamships to Block Island’s prominent vacation resort as well as aided the expanding maritime commerce during the second half of the 19th century.  During the 1870s, Providence became the largest coal receiving port in New England.  Coal was vital to fuel steam-powered ships, trains, and factories of the expanding industrial economy.

(2) Due to bluff erosion, Southeast Light was replaced by a automated steel tower by the Coast Guard in 1990.
     In 1990 and 1991, the National Trust for Historic Preservation included Southeast Light on America’s List of 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.  By 1993, 245-feet of Erosion placed the Lighthouse 55-feet from the edge.

      The Block Island Historical Society, established in 1942, led the efforts to save the lighthouse from destruction since 1983.  On July 27, 1992, Block Island Southeast Light was transferred from the Coast Guard to the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation of New Shoreham, Rhode Island for maintaining and preserving the lighthouse.

      From April to August of 1993, the Lighthouse was excavated and raised onto a support grid system of steel beams.  On August 11, 1993, International Chimney Corporation and Expert House Movers began moving Southeast Light 300-feet from the edge of the bluff.  Hydraulic ram jacks pushed the Lighthouse 5-feet along the track.  After each 5-feet of travel, the ram jacks were disconnected from the track, retracted, refastened to the track closer to the lighthouse and the process is repeated until the Lighthouse has been relocated to its new position.

      On August 24, 1993, the relocation of the Lighthouse was completed and the Light was automated and reactivated a year later on August 27, 1994.  This method of safely relocating Lighthouses threatened by the encroaching sea would be used to move Cape Cod Light in 1996 and Cape Hatteras Light in 1999.

(3) The original Characteristic was Fixed White.
      On April 16, 1929, the Characteristic was changed to Flashing Green every 3.75 seconds to avoid mistaking the Lighthouse Beam for the mast light of another ship and nearby Lighthouses. ? The Lamp was converted to a 50,000 candlepower electric lamp to increase the visible range of the Green light.  The optics were refitted with a eight-panel First-order Fresnel Lens installed on a revolving illuminating apparatus and pedestal.  To produce the flashing sequence, a mercury flotation bed was installed to rotate the eight Fresnel bulls-eye lenses.  The Lighthouse became the only New England primary seacoast light exhibiting a green light.
Currently, The Light remains lighted throughout 24 hours.

(4) Due to the risks of moving the Mercury flotation bed, the 1929 First-order Rotating Fresnel Lens was removed during the 1993 Move and is on display in the Museum.

(5) In 1994, the Optic was refitted with First-order Fresnel Lens from Cape Lookout Light, North Carolina.  At Sunrise, the Fresnel Lenses are covered by curtains to prevent solar radiation concentration overheating the lamp and melting the filament.

(6) Some sources list the height of the Tower as 52-feet yet this the height of the Light’s focal plane above the ground (exactly 52-feet 6-inches).  The Lighthouse was constructed on the 208.5-feet high Mohegan Bluffs placing the Light 261-feet above sea level, the highest Light in New England.

(7) Jan 1, 1874: A First-class Steam Siren (6-second Blast every 20 seconds) became operational thirteen months
      before the Lighthouse was First Lit.

      1907 Signal: -First-class automatic Compressed-air Siren (4-second Blast every 30 seconds)

      A radiobeacon was established and transmitted a Morse Code Identification signal, BI (_... ..), at 301-kHz to a range of 20 miles.

(8) A small museum is operated by the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation. For more information on Lighthouse tours and summer schedule, call (401) 466-5009 or 1-800-383-BIRI.

Directions from Point Judith, Rhode Island:
Block Island Ferry to Old Harbor and travel 1.6 miles: From the Ferry landing, Turn Left onto Water Street to Spring Street which becomes Mohegan Trail, and turn Left onto Southeast Light Road to the Lighthouse.
Block Island Ferry also departs from Newport, RI and New London, CT.  Directions to all three cities can be found at their web site.