Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse

Like many other Rhode Islanders I get coupons and flyers wrapped in a ProJo Express. Until today, when I needed a link to the PomhamRocks story, I had no idea how hated this piece of mail was – there are multiple Facebook pages dedicated to ending the delivery. Call me odd, but I get a restaurant review, a new yoga pose, and there’s usually a K-cup coupon in the bundle - what’s not to like?!

    This week, there was also a story about Pomham Rocks in East Providence. Now that ExxonMobile has given it up, the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse organization want to kick the restoration in high gear. The exterior has been restored to its original 1871 style, but the inside is uninhabitable.
     Ron Charbonneau lived in the lighthouse with is family as a kid in the 70s and is now the Vice Chair of the Friends. His former elementary school principle, David Kelleher, is the chairman. Kelleher also gives the Save the Bay Tours. The two say half a million dollars is needed for the interior work – plumbing, walls, etc. Their goal is to make it another Rose Island, with weekly stays for guests looking to briefly experience keeper life.

    So far their Facebook page only has 13 “likes.” Let’s help them change that, shall we?

Marblehead & Salem, MA

    Last year for his birthday lighthouse hunt, Rob chose Salem, MA as our destination. There are four lighthouses, and Salem is a tourist mecca in autumn.   
    We began at Marblehead Light (1895) in Chandler Hovey Park in Marblehead. This cast iron giant resembles a water-tower, the only such design in New England.

Its history shows the dedication of lighthouse keepers – when the power went out during the infamous hurricane of 1938, keeper Harry Barden drove out in the storm and kept the light running by hooking it up to his car battery. I’m also impressed with the quality of early 20^th century car batteries.

    We knew Baker’s Island Light (1820) was technically visible in the distance, but not to our naked eyes. We could see it at all through the park’s coin-operated binoculars. We got creative – I aimed it at the lighthouse, and Rob fit his zoom lens into the eye. The image came out pretty cool – no Instagram required.

    In downtown Salem, we parked at a cheap South Harbor Garage on Derby St. and went next door to the Salem Brothers Deli for lunch. The two brothers/chefs/owners have a great sense of humor and fantastic food. They had me at All Day Breakfast.

    We walked across to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial. It’s simple but moving, designed with the belief that less is more. Each victim is represented by a stone bench inscribed with their name and date and manner of death, circling a grassy courtyard.

As a history buff and New Englander, I know all the theories – voodoo, moldy bread, spoiled teenage girls, etc. All of that is beside the point in this memorial. These people were murdered by our self-righteous ancestors. This memorial is the only dignified spot in town that doesn’t exploit that fact.

    Although the witch-theme dominates the tourism literature, Salem is about so much more than that. We highly recommend the Peabody Essex Museum near the memorial. Their most exciting exhibit is the Yin Yu Tang House, dismantled in Southern China and reconstructed in the museum (no photography allowed). Amy Tan recorded the audio-guide narration about the generations of the Huang Family who lived in the house for over 200 years. Everything is original – the walls, the furniture, the photos. Only the koi fish in the courtyard are new. The tour is an incredible trip back to another world, another time. After you exit the house, the hall leads you to the Yin Yu Tang Gallery of photos and testimony of the family and their descendents up to the present.

    The museum also showcases the scope of Salem’s rich maritime history. The equipment and captain’s logs from ships centuries ago are very cool. They also have a decent collection of lighthouse replicas.

From there we walked down to Derby Wharf Light (1870).

Not impressed. It’s tiny, bland, and never open, relit in 1983 as a solar-powered beacon for private navigation. But it was worth the walk to see the replica of the 171 ft, three-masted sexy beast “Friendship of Salem, docked nearby. We're planning to go back at some point for the tour.

    We took a detour before it got dark to Winter Island Maritime Park to see Fort Pickering Light (1871). It was used by the Coast Guard until 1969, then left to rot. The blizzard of 1978 took the door off the hinges and it was left underwater until the new formed Fort Pickering Light Association started refurbishing in the 80s. It’s also worth visiting to explore the awesome fort surrounding it. 

     By then it was getting dark and cold – pizza time! We finally tried The Upper Crust, a pizza chain in and around Boston. Fantastic pizza, but illegal labor practices have led to this franchise’s closing. Apparently this was occurring under both individual franchise owners and the corporate-owned locations. Personally, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth, so I’ll be going elsewhere next time. But that night it was pleasant eating outside, listening to the accordion player at the French restaurant next door, and watching kids play and pose on the Bewitched “Samantha” statue.

    After eating, we didn’t want to leave yet. We turned left down an inviting path and, unbeknownst to us, lo and behold, there it was, like a glowing siren summoning us – Harrison’s Comics &Collectibles. Three floors of nerd heaven. In out opinion, this is the best large comic store in New England. We love the others, and closer to home we are loyal to Friendly Neighborhood Comics in Bellingham (we also have no doubt that owner/lawyer/savy-business man Ernie Pelletier Jr. will one day turn his enterprise into a Harrison’s-size destination). We spent hours browsing back-issues, listening to the gamers downstairs, and left with 11x17 movie posters for our new living room.

    Still not ready to leave, we continued into the Essex St. Pedestrian mall, but most of the shops were closed. Except for Derby St. Books. When I say floor to ceiling books, I’m speaking literally. 

There are no shelves or bookcases – the books are piled under and onto tables as high possible. It’s awesome! The owner will happily help you dig out a book – he stacked them up and he knows how to get them down. You will not like this place unless you are a hardcore book lover.

    Only after that were we ready to go home.  

Avery Point, New London Ledge, and New London Harbor

    Rob and I both took the Monday after Columbus Day off from work with a trip to the Berkshires in mind. We wanted it to be our final lighthouse hunt of the season. Yes, there is technically a lighthouse in western Mass – Mount Greylock. But after it was built, the powers that be decided it was too pretty and wouldn’t survive the water and winters in Boston, to it was installed at the top of the highest mountain in Massachusetts as a monument. Unfortunately, the weather was not mountain-top ideal – wind, rain, fog. We weren’t going to see any foliage in that weather. We also didn’t want to drive 3 hours each way and pay for a motel (even a cheap one) for nothing. Even though the weather was going to be terrible no matter which direction we went in, we still had a day off. As always, Rob came up with a brilliant plan.

    For our Berkshires trip, we had also planned a side stop to a book barn over the New York border. The only type of destination we love more than lighthouses is bookstores, so he searched for other book barns in the area (yes, we’ve already visited the Montague Book Mill near Amherst). He found the Book Barn in Niantic, CT. And there just happens to be three lighthouses nearby. Hot dang!

    All three lights can be viewed from the University of Connecticut in Groton, overlooking the Thames River. This is the ideal viewing place – it’s open to the public and parking free. You will see the first two from the lot – New London Harbor (or “Pequot Avenue,” 1801) on the western side, and New LondonLedge (1909) in the middle of the river. Walk along the water and you’ll arrive at Avery Point Lighthouse (1944).

    N.L. Harbor is a classic conical white tower. The original 1761 structure was the first lighthouse built in Connecticut and the fourth in the U.S., but only lasted until 1800. The current tower is the tallest in the state and, incredibly, still uses the fourth order Fresnel lens from 1851, despite being automated in 1917. The light and land are privately owned, but this past summer the New London Maritime Society gave the first ever tours.

    N.L. Ledge was built so close to N.L. Harbor because the first light could not prevent ships from crashing into the coast. The local citizens begged for over 100 years for another lighthouse. When their wish was finally granted, they wouldn’t accept any old lighthouse – it had to fit in with the neighborhood. Apparently, beggars can be choosers. Hence the mansion-style structure with a tower. Tours are given three days a week in summer and Saturdays in fall.

    The UConn campus is home to Avery Point Lighthouse. It’s not an official light – it was built in 1944, only in use until 1967, and left to rot until the 90s. The many lighthouses that have been rescued, restored and cared-for are testament to how much Americans treasure their local history. This one is no exception. Half a million dollars and many years later, local volunteers and craftsman have rebuilt this with their time and resources. The small tower even contains a beautiful solar-powered, hanging LED lantern. Unfortunately, the tower is closed to visitors. But you can still sneak a peek in the window.

Avery Point also gives visitors the advantage of seeing two other lighthouses in the distance in Long Island Sound – Race Rock and Little Gull Island.

    The Book Barn was a half hour drive, and we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Halloween-decorated grounds and buildings full of books. They even had a couple of lighthouses in their garden.

One of the many cats.

The bill goat:

When Rob saw this he declared, “these people are nerds. Card-carrying nerds. Love it!”

    What we loved even more were the prices. $1 paperbacks. $5-6 hard covers. But out of all the books we bought, we were most pleased with Vols. 1 and 6 of the Durants’ The Story of Civilization… for $3 each! I repeat, hot dang! Now our collection is complete.

    We ate at Charlie’s Place across the street (excellent), drove home just as the rain was starting, and spent the night watching the first season of Heroes.
And that, my friends, is how you spend a day off.

Watch Hill in Westerly, RI

Neither of us was impressed by Watch Hill (1856).
It resembles Beavertail in Jamestown, but this is coast guard territory surrounded by private property. It doesn’t have the picnic-worthy expanse or the adventurous rocky coast. Of course, the ocean is beautiful, and it’s just a short walk from the carousel and shops. There were some people fishing the day we went, but overall there’s a restrictive feel; you can’t relax here.

 

Our First Lighthouse Hunt

The first time Rob & I hit the road with the sole purpose of seeing lighthouses was his birthday in 2010. We chose one of those rare, perfect September days, and it was a blast!
We mapped out a route along the southeast coast of Mass., but first we started on the East Providence bike path, which has a decent view of Pomham Rocks (1871) in the river. It’s obscure but pretty, and until that year, it was owned by ExxonMobile. The oil conglomerate bought it in 1981, but for unknown reasons decided to donate it to the Friends of Pomham Rocks, a local chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation.

 

We got back on 95 south and crossed into Fall River to see Borden Flats (1881). We took a left off exit 5 to get to the Borden Flats Marina, which has a restaurant and outdoor lounge. Some people may look at you oddly for walking in, taking a picture of the tiny lighthouse with the hulking power plant in the background and then leaving. You’ll never see them again – onward to New Bedford.

Clarks Point  (1869, at Fort Taber), Butler Flats (1898), and Palmer Island are with 2.8 miles of each other. For the first two, just park at the fort and walk down the breakwater to see both.
Butler Flats is a sparkplug in the channel, so it’s completely inaccessible. Make sure your camera has a good zoom.

 

The fort is another story.
We didn’t know you weren’t supposed to go inside, not that we got very far. We got to only the first hallway, then turned and ran at the same time. It was a combination of seeing the broken beer bottles, the apparent homeless camp, and an inexplicable tingling in the spine telling us to get out of there. No offense to the homeless, and we’re not entirely convinced of ghosts and hauntings, but this is one fort we will never explore. It’s a massive, dark, labyrinthine place – just stick to the exterior and you’ll get some decent shots. 

By the time we got to Palmer Island (1849) it was already getting late (we like our sleep on the weekends). Between the hurricane of 38, arson, and vandalism, this light should be gone, but the good people of New Bedford won’t give up on it. It’s tricky to get to (and only at low-tide), and we barely got out! Park across the street, walk the hurricane barrier, get onto the beach area, and keep to the left to get to the northern tip of the island. I stayed behind on the beach area to text him when the tide was coming back in. I picked some shells, people watched, and relaxed. As the water got closer, I discovered that I didn’t have a cell signal. I also had no idea where Rob was. So I waited… toe-tapping… no Rob. So I did the only reasonable thing I could think of – started yelling his name. A guy walking past with his dog looked at me funny – like I wasn’t used to that! And it worked! Poison ivy and oak be damned, the birthday boy came bounding down through the brush in the center of the island, “I got the shot,” grabbed my hand and we ran through the watery beach.

The nerd-flag was flying high this day, my friends.

We lost some time getting lost on the way to Mattapoisett, but it turned out for the best – we got to Ned’s Point (1838) at sunset! Maybe I wouldn’t have liked it that much otherwise. That’s my favorite time of day – you don’t see those brilliant, naturally occurring ombre colors any other time. The land is a well-kept veteran’s memorial park, and on certain days in summer the lighthouse is open to visitors. We took the most photos this one (look, it’s a robot!).

Bird Island was so close, but the sun was gone and our friends were already texting us that they had a table at the restaurant… and we were an hour from home. Good thing they love us.

Rhode Island Lighthouse & Newport Harbor Tour

Even if you are not a lighthouse lover, we highly recommend the RI Bay Cruise Lighthouse Tour.

The 95 minute boat ride leaves from Quonset Point. The planned route is directly south and circle back around Jamestown, but the day we went the winds dictated that we travel in the opposite direction. Either way, the first site is a dull former lighthouse. No offense to the private owners – that’s just our personal opinion.
Conanicut at the northern tip of Jamestown tops a lovely house but the tower has been empty since 1933.

The tour really begins at the second light, Rose Island. As is common with lighthouses (at least in the northeast), this light sits on top of a fort (Hamilton). Unlike other, this one now serves both educational and leisure purposes. The island is a wildlife preserve where URI students study, and the house is a bed and breakfast where anyone (for a fee) can stay overnight or for a week as part of the “Keeper for a Week” program.

The 3^rd site is the Newport Harbor, or “Goat Island,” Light. This is the second light built here – the original was too small and now inhabits Prudence Island. This tower is also relatively small, as they go, but it survived when a WWII sub hit the island and destroyed the keeper’s house. The boat tour doesn’t take you close enough to see it (this photo wasn’t take from the boat) – the best way to see it is to park and walk through the Hyatt grounds. No one will stop you, and a friendly hotel guest may even offer to take your picture.

Next is Ida Lewis/Lime Rock Light, which is now the inaccessible, dull private yacht club. Named after the female lighthouse keeper – a ballsy, brave legend in U.S. maritime history – the boat barely even slowed down, and I didn't even take a picture.

In between, you’ll see the beauty of Newport (without having to deal with the crowds or traffic), countless sailboats and yachts, a glimpse of Fort Adams (now open, and awesome), and the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier. You’ll also experience passing under both the Newport Pell and Jamestown bridges. This tour is 90 minutes of constant beautiful scenery. That particular day, we even got to see the Nantucket Lightship.

We turned a corner and reached one of my personal favorites – Castle Hill. The structure is small but the setting makes it magnificent. The granite cone from 1890 is settled into the steep rocky coast, keeping watch over the bay. To see it in person, part at the Cove Marina and walk through the narrow path in the bushes.

Another personal favorite (and the site of our wedding next year) follows: Beavertail. I could write several posts about the light, and you can easily spend a day in the state park that surrounds it, but the view from the water is breathtaking. Unfortunately our photos aren’t the sharpest – this was when the boat hit turbulence.

The last lights cannot be visited by land, and one of them doesn’t even exist anymore.

Whale Rock was a casualty of the Hurricane of 38. The once humble cast-iron sparkplug now rests on the bottom of the bay. A scrappy nub with a lighted buoy remains.

Dutch Island is a bland second-generation tower on a dangerously rocky island (although that hasn’t stopped vandalism). It can also be seen from the Fort Getty area. There’s a fee for camper parking, but lighthouse hunters visit for free!

As far as I was concerned, the tour finished with the proud, lovely, restored Plum Beach Lighthouse. The hearty little sparkplug was abandoned in 1941. By the 1970s, 52 tons of guano had accumulated (the poor guy who had to clean it brought a health lawsuit against the state. In 99 the state gave it to the Friends of the Plum Beach Association. They removed the rust, painted it, and installed a solar-powered lens. It now serves as a private navigation aid for local boaters. You’ve probably seen the license plates – they only cost $10 more, and it all goes to the maintenance of the light.

Technically, the final site on the tour is Poplar Point - another empty tower above a private home. Meh. We just enjoyed the last few minutes on the water.

That was the best $25 I’ve ever spent, and I would definitely do it again.

Boon Island Ales, Formely The Hayloft

Last year, on our last day in Maine, we went for breakfast at The Hayloft in Wells only to see this sign:

Alrighty then.

This year we saw the transformation:

Boo Island Ales House is a casual restaurant specializing in microbrews but also serving seafood and entrees.
They only open at 4pm, so we didn't have a chance to try it, but the lighthouse replica outside is enough to make us want to it next time.