Point
Judith Light
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Courtesy of the
National Archives
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Location: Point
Judith
 1810 - present  Lat 41
21 42 N - Long 71 28 54 W
Established: 1810
Original Lighthouse
Constructed: 1810
Current Lighthouse
Constructed: 1857
Automated: 1954
Original Illuminating
Apparatus: Ten lamps with
15 inch reflectors
Current Illuminating
Apparatus: Fourth Order Fresnel Lens
Height: 51 feet
Status: Active Aid to Navigation
Light Characteristic:
Flashing White every 15 seconds (1906)
 Group Occulting (3) White every 15 seconds (2005)
5 seconds flash, 2 seconds eclipse
2
seconds flash, 2 seconds eclipse
2 seconds flash,
2 seconds eclipse
Range: 13½ miles (1906)
 16 miles (2005)
The first Point Judith Light, an octagonal shaped wood tower,
was built in 1810. There's no record of what kind of lighting
apparatus was used in the light. The light was blown down during
the a hurricane in 1815.
The light was replaced by a stone tower in 1816. It is uncertain
how many lamps and reflectors were first installed in the light.
In 1838 Lt. George M. Bache reported that the light had ten
lamps with attached reflectors. They were also fitted with two-inch
green bull’s-eye lenses. It was believed that they would
intensify the light from the lamps. They didn’t and were
later removed. The interior of the light was very damp. During
the winter ice would sometimes form on windows in the lantern room.
In 1857, the lighthouse was
rebuilt. It was during this reconstruction that a keeper’s
dwelling was attached to the light tower. A fourth order Fresnel
lens was installed in the new light.
The lighthouse was automated
in 1954. The keeper’s dwelling was removed after the light
was automated.
In 2000 the Point Judith lighthouse
underwent its first major renovation in a hundred years. The
lantern was removed and repaired. It took four months to complete
the work. A temporary light replaced it while it was dark. Point Judith Lighthouse is
located on Point Judith Coast Guard Station.
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