Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Awarded $10,000 Grant from The 1772 Foundation/Preserve Rhode Island

By Louise Paiva, Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse

Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse was recently awarded a $10,000 matching grant for historic preservation from The 1772 Foundation in cooperation with Preserve Rhode Island.  Replacement of the deteriorating chimney on Pomham Rocks Lighthouse with a watertight, historically accurate one will be partially funded by a grant from the 1772 Foundation in cooperation with Preserve Rhode Island.

“This $10,000 award will enable us to protect the interior of the century-and-a-half-year-old light station from intrusion of water, especially during ever-increasing extreme wind and rain storms,” notes Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse President Alex Dias. “We are grateful to receive this prestigious award,” he added.

The grant will be used to replace the 20-year-old uncapped chimney with an historically accurate Victorian-era design with a functional, removable cap. The design replicates the original chimney which was erected when the lighthouse was built in 1871. The project is part of continued efforts to preserve the lighthouse and restore it to its original appearance. Work on the chimney will take place in July. Visitors on summer tours will be able to see the restored design.

Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse was one of 12 non-profit organizations that received a total of $105,000 in matching grants. The award was announced in May, which is designated as Preservation Month. Established in 1973 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the celebration honors important landmarks and efforts to protect and preserve them for future generations.

Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation.  The Lighthouse was built in 1871 on a half-acre island of the coast of Riverside to protect mariners as shipping traffic increased to the Port of Providence. It is the last surviving lighthouse of the four that once protected East Providence and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.