Notes:
(1) Sakonnet Point Light was built on Little Cormorant Rock located 2,400 feet offshore to mark the entrance to Sakonnet Harbor.

      In 1675, Captain Benjamin Church and settlers from the Plymouth Colony expanded the settlement along the coastline by establishing Sakonnet settlement named after the the “Sagonate” or “Sakonnet” Indians.  Later, the town was renamed Little Compton and incorporated as a part of Plymouth Colony in 1682.

      In 1746, the small rural-farming and fishing community was transferred to Rhode Island.  During the Revolution, British Foraging parties invaded Little Compton and met stiff resistance from the settlers.  After the war, fish from the Sakonnet River was primarily used for fertilizer and the enrichment of animal feed until 1880.

      By 1880, Sakonnet Harbor became important to the food fishery, trap fishermen, and the developing fishing fleet.  From April 15 to November 1, 28 men fished between Sakonnet Point and Gooseberry Island and 40 men joined the fishing fleet in the fall after finishing the farm work.  A Lighthouse was needed on the east side of the Sakonnet River to mark the entrance to the harbor and wharf at Sakonnet Point.

      In 1883, a iron pier foundation was located on Little Cormorant Rock and filled with concrete.  Strong seas delayed construction of the Tower until the Spring of 1884.  The brick-lined iron “Sparkplug” style Lighthouse was completed in October 1884 and First Lit on Nov 1, 1884 exhibiting a flashing white light illuminated by a Fourth-order Fresnel lens 70 feet above sea level.

      Like many offshore Lighthouses, Sakonnet Point Light has been pounded by severe storms causing massive damage to the Lighthouse.  Keeper William H. Durfee reported waves swept over the top of the Lighthouse, washed away the boats, and damaged the Tower during the severe storm of August 1924.

      During the Great Hurricane of September 21, 1938, devastating tidal wave surges completely submerged the tower leaving a large crack in the base of the Lighthouse.  The Light-keepers survived the storm that destroyed many homes, the fish house, and wharves at Sakonnet Point with 13 lives lost.  In 1955, the Coast Guard decommissioned and abandoned Sakonnet Point Light after Hurricane Carol (1954) further damaged the Tower.

      In 1961, Carl Haffenreffer bought the Lighthouse at auction for $1,300 and bridge painters were hired to repaint the structure as needed.  The Haffenreffer family donated the Lighthouse to the The Friends of Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Inc. in 1985.  The preservation group raised $100,000 to restore the Lighthouse.

      After restoring the structure, the group persuaded the Coast Guard that the Lighthouse was useful to navigation and the fishing fleet entering the harbor.  On October 19, 1996, Senator John Chafee’s Sec. 1140. amendment to the Coast Guard appropriations bill, S.1004 was approved absolving the private nonprofit organization of all liability for operating Sakonnet Point Light.

      On March 22, 1997, Sakonnet Point Light was relighted as a Private aid to navigation exhibiting a flashing red light every six seconds illuminated by a solar powered lens as a band on the beach played for residents and visitors during the relighting ceremony.

(2) 1891 Characteristic: Fixed White for 30 seconds with 3 Red Flashes at 10 second intervals
     1999 Characterictic: Fl W 6s (R Sector) - Red from 195° to 350°; Range: W- 7, R- 5

(3) Fourth-order Fresnel lens on display at Shore Village Museum, Rockland, Maine.

(4) Carl Haffenreffer (private owner from 1961 to 1985) donated the Light to the Preservation Society.

(5) Directions from I-95 E in Providence, RI:
      Take exit number 8A towards Tiverton RI/Newport RI and Merge onto MA-24 S.
Take the Fish Road exit (exit number 6) and Turn Left onto Fish Road (1.4 mi).
Turn Right onto Bulgarmarsh Road/RI-177 (1.0 mi)
Turn Left onto RI-77 (Main Road for 10.3 mi)
Turn Slight Right onto Sakonnet Point Road/RI-77 and drive to Sakonnet Point to view the Lighthouse.