Musselbed Shoals Light
Encyclopedia
The Musselbed Shoals Light was a lighthouse
which once stood in Narragansett Bay
at the west entrance to Mount Hope Bay, south of Bristol Point. As with many Rhode Island
lights, it was a casualty of the New England Hurricane of 1938
.
at Hog Island Shoal
with a fixed light (the two shoals forming the edges of the channel leading into Mount Hope Bay). Appropriation was made in 1873 and the first light was activated in August of the same year. The form of the structure remained essentially the same over the years: a small square house with a lantern and fog bell set on the roof, all perched on a pier of stone blocks scarcely larger than the house itself. The building, however, had to be rebuilt or massively repaired several times over the years, due to damage from moving ice. Damage to the pier in the winter of 1875 (the whole structure was shifted some four feet) led to enlargement of the pier in 1878, with the house being temporarily relocated to shore. In 1920 the pier was again damaged by ice, and four years later the house was rebuilt, the original single room dwelling being enlarged to four rooms.
The hurricane of 1938 was devastating to the low-sited lighthouses of the region, and Musselbed Shoals was no exception. The light was judged not worth repairing, and in the following year it was demolished and replaced with a skeleton tower which remains in service.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
which once stood in Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
at the west entrance to Mount Hope Bay, south of Bristol Point. As with many Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
lights, it was a casualty of the New England Hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938
The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869...
.
History
The shoals in this area were already marked by a stone daybeacon when the lighthouse board recommended construction of a light in 1871. This followed some years of unsuccessful attempts to replace the lightshipLightship
Lightship may refer to:* Lightvessel, a permanently moored ship that has light beacons mounted as navigational aids* Light displacement, a displacement figure that measures a ship complete in all respects, but without consumables, stores, cargo, crew, and effects*Lightship, a type of blimp operated...
at Hog Island Shoal
Hog Island Shoal Light
-References and links:**- See also :* List of Registered Historic Places in Rhode Island...
with a fixed light (the two shoals forming the edges of the channel leading into Mount Hope Bay). Appropriation was made in 1873 and the first light was activated in August of the same year. The form of the structure remained essentially the same over the years: a small square house with a lantern and fog bell set on the roof, all perched on a pier of stone blocks scarcely larger than the house itself. The building, however, had to be rebuilt or massively repaired several times over the years, due to damage from moving ice. Damage to the pier in the winter of 1875 (the whole structure was shifted some four feet) led to enlargement of the pier in 1878, with the house being temporarily relocated to shore. In 1920 the pier was again damaged by ice, and four years later the house was rebuilt, the original single room dwelling being enlarged to four rooms.
The hurricane of 1938 was devastating to the low-sited lighthouses of the region, and Musselbed Shoals was no exception. The light was judged not worth repairing, and in the following year it was demolished and replaced with a skeleton tower which remains in service.