Wayfarrow

Prudence Island Light

Lighthouse · Newport County, Rhode Island

Prudence Island Lighthouse
Prudence Island Lighthouse · Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Prudence Island Light is a lighthouse in Newport County, Rhode Island. Rhode Island has 31 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 15 of them in Newport County.

It was built in 1823, in the first half of the 19th century, making it the oldest of the 22 in Rhode Island with a recorded construction date; its light sits 30 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl G, 6s, with a range of about 6 nautical miles.

Status check, 2026-11: The granite tower was built in 1823 on Goat Island in Newport, then moved to Sandy Point and lit there in January 1852. It is Rhode Island's oldest lighthouse. Sources give its height as 25, 28 or 30 ft. Prudence Island Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 41.6059° N, 71.3035° W.

Key facts

Current structure built1823
Focal height30 ft
Light characteristicFl G, 6s
Range6 nautical miles
Heritage designationNational Register of Historic Places listed place
National RegisterListed
Coordinates41.60586, -71.30353

Open the location on a map

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Prudence Island Light?

Prudence Island Light is in Newport County, Rhode Island, at 41.6059, -71.3035.

How many lighthouses are in Newport County?

Newport County, Rhode Island has 15 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.