Bullock's Point Light
Encyclopedia
The Bullock's Point Light was a lighthouse
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....

 in the Providence River
Providence River
thumb|The city of Providence as seen from the Providence River at its confluence with the Narragansett BayThe Providence River is a tidal river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 miles...

. It was irreparably damaged by the hurricane of 1938 and was replaced the following year by an automated light on a steel tower.

History

A large shoal extends out into the Providence River
Providence River
thumb|The city of Providence as seen from the Providence River at its confluence with the Narragansett BayThe Providence River is a tidal river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately 8 miles...

 from Bullock's Point, and in 1860 the Lighthouse Board set a daymark
Daymark
A daymark or a day marker is a structure such as a tower constructed on land as an aid to navigation by sailors. While similar in concept to a lighthouse, a daymark does not have a light and so is usually only visible during daylight hours...

 at the southwest tip of the shoal. Complaints about the adequacy of this grew as shipping increased, and in 1872 built a small pier at the site and set a portable beacon on it, maintained by the keepers of the Sabin Point Light
Sabin Point Light
The Sabin Point Light was a lighthouse in the Providence River. It was removed as part of a channel-widening project in 1968.-History:This light was constructed in 1872 to mark a bend in the shipping channel southwest of Sabin Point. The Second Empire style house was constructed according to a plan...

. This too was deemed inadequate, and starting in 1875 the pier was enlarged, and a unique frame house was perched upon it, with the lantern projecting from the center of the roof. Difficulties in construction due to bad weather delayed lighting of the new beacon until 1876. Over the years decking was added at the base of the house.

Although the hurricane of 1938 did not utterly destroy the lighthouse, the damage was severe. One of the end walls was totally stove in, and the stairs to the second floor were destroyed. Nonetheless, the keeper, Andrew Zuius, was able to take refuge upstairs and even kept the light burning through the storm. He continued to tend the light into the following year, while living on shore; but in 1939 he was transferred to the Palmer Island Light
Palmer Island Light
Palmer Island Light Station is a historic lighthouse in New Bedford Harbor in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. The lighthouse was built in 1849 out of stone rubble...

and the house was demolished. A modern steel tower was placed on the remains of the pier, and it remains in operation to the present.
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