LIGHTHOUSE II

SAKONNET LIGHT, RHODE ISLAND

Order No. 041

HISTORY: In the early 1880’s, it was decided that a light was needed at Sakonnet Point, named for the Seaconnet Indian tribe, on the east side of the Sakonnet River.

Construction of the Sakonnet Lighthouse, Rhode Island's easternmost beacon, began in 1883. The iron pier was put into place on Little Cormorant Rock, about 800 yards offshore, and then filled with concrete. Heavy seas in the fall of 1883 caused the remainder of the construction to be put off until the spring, and the lighthouse was completed in October 1884.

After Hurricane Carol (the largest hurricane to ever hit Rhode Island) in 1954 caused additional damage, the Coast Guard elected to decommission and abandon Sakonnet Point Light.

Carl Haffenreffer bought the lighthouse for $1,300 at auction in 1961, saying, "I was afraid someone was going to paint it pink or haul it away for scrap." The Haffenreffer family kept the lighthouse painted, hiring bridge painters to do the job, but the upkeep was expensive. In 1985 the structure was donated to the The Friends of Sakonnet Point Lighthouse, Inc.

The group raised $100,000 to restore the lighthouse. Workers and volunteers dug out pigeon guano two feet deep, sandblasted the tower and repainted it, among other repairs. It was "relit" in 1997. Its original fourth order lens can be seen at the Shore Village Museum in Rockland, Maine.

STITCHING INFORMATION: Stitch count: 168 stitches wide x 107 high. Our model was stitched on a 13" x 16" piece of white 18-count AIDA fabric. To use a different type of fabric or different AIDA sized fabric, give the stitch count to your fabric store and they will help you select the correct amount of fabric to complete this design. Our threads were carefully chosen to depict the actual colors of the lighthouse to give it the most realistic appearance possible.