Explore beautiful and historic lighthouses in Providence/Warwick

The picturesque Conimicut Lighthouse, a spark plug-style lighthouse best seen from the beaches and open space at Conimicut Point or by boat, still serves as an aid to navigation at the entrance to the Providence River, flashing its white light every 2 1/2 seconds. A 58-foot granite tower was built in 1868, but it was replaced with an iron tower in 1883. A keeper’s dwelling was constructed on the pier in 1874 but was destroyed the next year by drift ice and high winds. The lighthouse, on the National Register of Historic Places, was one of the last in the United States to convert its lantern from incandescent oil vapor to electricity, in 1960. Three years later, the beacon was automated.

There’s no denying the attraction of lighthouses, which guide us into the past in the same way they have guided mariners to safety for centuries. Warwick, RI boasts two fine examples of historic lighthouses. Conimicut Lighthouse, perched on a rocky ledge at the rim of Conimicut Point Park, was built in 1868. In 1960, it was the last lighthouse in the country to be electrified, its bright white light signaling every 2.5 seconds to those at sea. It can be seen from the park. Warwick Neck Lighthouse, built in 1827, is the last traditional lighthouse built in Rhode Island. The 51-foot-tall cylindrical cast-iron tower, currently operated by the Coast Guard, is a stately symbol of Warwick’s early seafaring days.