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Rose Island located at 41° 29′ 48″ N / 71° 22′ 4″ W between Jamestown (Conanicut Island) and Newport (Aquidneck Island) offers up the opportunity; for the willing traveler, the chance to be lighthouse keeper. The Native American name was originally “Conockonoquit” but it is said that it was given the name Rose Island because at low tide in birds eye view it resembles the shape of a rose. Fortifications constructed there during the American Revolution paved the way for Fort Hamilton in 1798. The US infantry stationed there built stone barracks that remain on the Island today. It was used during World War II to store explosives and was part of the Navy Torpedo Station. After the War the Island was declared government surplus and only the Lighthouse is now used. The light house was built in 1870 and served as an aid to navigation for a century until the Newport Bridge was built in 1970. The whole island spans 18.5 acres, the Lighthouse sits on 1.5 acres owned by the city of Newport and the rest of the island was acquired by the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation in 1999. The Rose Island Lighthouse property is open year round from 10am-4pm but is only publicly accessible by the Jamestown Ferry on a scheduled daily basis during the summer. When the Ferry isn’t running the Lighthouse Foundations boat takes overnighters and volunteers to the Lighthouse aboard their “Starfish” their new 32-foot Jarvis Newman lobster boat.
Rose Island Lighthouse more…
Not an Inn — Not a B&B — but an OPERATING LIGHTHOUSE where YOU can become the keeper. . . You have two options. As a visitor enjoy the experience of exploring this wonderful lighthouse listed in the National Register of Historic Places 10am-4pm each day. As a Keeper after 4pm the two museum bedrooms on the first floor become available to those who want to get the full effect of turn-of-the-century lighthouse life. Inside everything has been restored and you will find it fully furnished down to the pots and pans. To give you the extra layer of time travel anyone who stays is responsible for changing the beds, adorning fresh linens and cleaning the museum for 10am when it opens to the public. Pack a cooler as there is no refrigerator/freezer, and prepare to wash your dishes the old fashioned way with a cold water hand pump. There is an indoor toilet inside the first floor, where you pump the water by hand, and low-flow toilets and solar showers outside. You are able to cook and heat water on a single propane gas burner in the kitchen or on an outdoor propane bass BBQ grill.For those wanting all the accommodations of today but the experience of old, stay in the upstairs apartment, fully furnished and equipped with a fridge, running hot/cold and a bathroom. Rose Island Lighthouse, an experience like no other!
