In 1916, Charlie Whitford, Sabin Point's third keeper, moved to the light with his wife Anne and their three daughters Eleanor, Myrtle, and Lillian. He had served in the Navy before he went into the lighthouse service. He had served at Orient Point Lighthouse for several years, before coming to Sabin Point.
On September 21, 1938, while Charlie was away from the light, the 1938 Hurricane hit Rhode Island. It forced huge waves up the Providence River. They washed through the lighthouse, destroying all the furniture on the first floor.
Anne almost drowned during the hurricane, while trying to secure equipment on the outside of the lighthouse. She was swept off and washed back onto the light three times.
On April 1, 1943, after 27 years of service at Sabin Point, Charlie retired from the Lighthouse Service. The Coast Guard took over operation of the light. Charlie could have gone into the Coast Guard and stayed at the light, but chose not to.
On July 3, 1968, East Providence firefighters set fire to Sabin Point Lighthouse. It was burned by order of the Rhode Island Division of Harbors and Rivers to widen and deepen the Providence River. The Lighthouse was replaced by a light on a group of pilings called a dolphin. The new Sabin Point Light was later renamed Sabin Point Light 32A. It was discontinued in 1989 and was renamed Sabin Point Daybeacon SP.
See more of Sabin Point Lighthouse in Rhode Island Lighthouses: A Pictorial History at by R Holmes.
| Sabin Point Lighthouse in 1900 |
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| Courtesy of N.L. Stebbins |