By Louise Paiva, FPRL Board Member
(L to R) Mary Chace, Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse member, Paul R. Williams, Squantum Association board member, and Alex Dias, FPRL Board Chair, at the check presentation at the FPRL annual Taste of Summer event.
(FPRL photo)
Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse recently received a $5,000 grant from the Squantum Association Charitable Foundation to help restore their dock. The presentation was made at the ‘Taste of Summer” event that the Friends held in July at Squantum. “Restoring Pomham Rocks Lighthouse with historical accuracy is our mission,” noted Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Board of Directors Chair Alex Dias. He thanked Squantum Association Charitable Foundation for their continuing support. Previous years’ grants provided funding for the fence and the cistern restoration projects.
“We are pleased to continue our support of the efforts of Friends of Pomham Rock Lighthouse, our longtime Riverside shoreline neighbor, “said Paul R. Williams, Squantum Association Charitable Foundation Board Member. “Funded independently by our membership,” he added, “we initiated the Squantum Association Charitable Foundation to support charitable and community organizations which improve the quality of life in our state.”
This year’s $5,000 grant from Squantum will enable Friends volunteers to replace the 1939 wooden dock. Winter storm surges since 2022 have caused the dock to be submerged four times, resulting in structural damage. Plans are underway to replace it with an historically accurate dock, with a higher elevation to accommodate rising sea levels.
The Squantum Association Charitable Foundation’s generous $5,000 grant will help FPRL restore the dock at Pomham Rocks Lighthouse.
(FPRL photo)
“We appreciate the help of the Squantum Association Charitable Foundation,” Dias stated, ‘which has enabled us to bring the maritime history of our area to life for Rhode Islanders and hundreds of tourists from throughout the country who visit this historical landmark each year.”
As an island lighthouse, one of the most important structures at the site is the dock, which provides access for passengers. Pomham Rocks Lighthouse’s original dock was built in 1871 when the light station was constructed. The 1938 Hurricane severely damaged that dock and it was replaced in 1939. It has withstood many more hurricanes and storms over the last eight decades. However, climate change has taken its toll on the historical wooden dock. Winter storm surges since 2022 have caused the dock to be submerged four times, resulting in structural damage. Plans are underway to replace the 1939 dock with an historically accurate wooden dock. Original blueprints will guide the new construction and return the dock to what it looked like more than 150 years ago, with a higher elevation to accommodate rising sea levels.
Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. This important New England maritime light station and museum is an integral part of Rhode Island’s heritage and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
