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Bullocks Point Rhode Island
Gone, But Not Forgotten
Harbour Lights #280
Providence, Rhode Island, is rich in American history and nautical lore. Families prospered and children grew in the fresh air of this flourishing township, standing as a jewel in the New World. All along the Providence River, residents fished, tended to orchards and traded their wares. It was natural that the waterways would contain hazards to shipping and fishing vessels and it didn’t take long for mariners to learn of a dangerous shoal in the Providence River.
By 1850, officials had located Bullock’s Point and placed a pyramid-shaped daymark atop the outcropping. Although the daymark helped navigators during the daylight hours, night travel grew in intensity and a lighted beacon was necessary. So in 1872, a portable beacon was installed on a granite pier until a permanent lighthouse could be built. Four years later, Bullock’s Point Lighthouse came into existence.
Constructed of wood, mariners were impressed by the unusual looking lighthouse, unlike any in New England. Workers had erected a lovely Victorian dwelling on a rectangular granite pier, complete with a lantern room on its roof. The attractive sentinel exhibited a fixed red light from its sixth order Fresnel lens, with a focal plane height of 50 feet. With no electricity at the station, kerosene was needed to fuel the light. Not only did the lighthouse beckon to mariners with its welcoming charm, the families aboard the station enthusiastically greeted visitors who livened up what could have been a lonely existence.
In the 1890’s, Joseph Eddy began his five-year assignment, keeping the light burning while tending to the station. To attend school, his four children rowed to shore each day. Mrs. Eddy was delighted by the lighthouse’s location, for there were plenty of visitors. She remarked that she enjoyed a far better social life on the water. In fact, the family thought that living on land could never compare!
The next keeper was Captain William Thomas Tenegren, who served from 1901 to 1909. He built a deck around the lighthouse for his three children so that they could play outside. The Tenegrens and their family also found life at Bullock’s Point to be pleasant, though not every day was a bed of roses. One grandson of Tenegren, who visited the station, said, “You ain’t been cold till you’ve sat in that outhouse in January with a good stiff breeze coming in off the bay.” Of course, the outhouse hung over the river, with an opening to the water below. Also, one winter, the Tenegrens reported that the river had frozen over and that they could walk to shore. Supplies were brought a month in advance in case bad weather hit and rainwater was boiled for drinking.
Andrew Zuius tended the light next. He became friends with the Tenegrens who spent time at their old home.
The happy, carefree existence at Bullock’s Point is an enviable dream, but was not to be enjoyed for much longer. The great hurricane of 1938 undermined the pier beneath the lighthouse and damaged the sentinel beyond repair. Throughout the storm, Keeper Zuius kept the light burning, despite an entire wall ripping away in the wind, scattering all of his belongings into the river. The stairs were swept away and the lighthouse ruined, yet thankfully, Zuius’ life was spared.
Shortly after this epic storm, Bullock’s Point Light was discontinued and torn down a few years later. If you visit this spot today, you will see a small lighted beacon on the old foundation, marking the spot where families once prospered and a lighthouse once stood.
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HL# |
Name |
MSRP |
Introduced |
Retired |
Edition |
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280 |
Bullock's Point RI |
$79 |
Jun 02 |
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5,500 |
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