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This past July 24th, a crowd of around 100 people braved soaring temperatures and gathered at the Southeast Lighthouse on Block Island, Rhode Island, for a "First Day of Issue" ceremony for the new pre-stamped lighthouse postal card. The lighthouse card was only available at the lighthouse on this date, and not until July 26th was it available at post offices nationwide.
Deborah K. Willhite, Postal Service Senior Vice President of Government Relations, said, "The Block Island Lighthouse stamped card not only pays tribute to this historic landmark, it recognizes the spirit of the people who raised the necessary funds to save this lighthouse from years of soil erosion." She was, of course, referring to the historic event when the lighthouse was moved 300 feet from the edge of the Monhegan Bluffs in August of 1993.
Presiding over the event was Thomas G. Day, District Manager of the U.S. Postal Service in Providence, Rhode Island. Among the honored guests at the ceremony were Lisa Nolan, Administrative Director of Southeast Lighthouse Foundation and Martha Ball, a direct descendant of Nicholas Ball, the U.S. Senator who lobbied in 1873 to have the lighthouse built. One of the speakers was Jean C. Napier, a descendant of the first Keeper.
Other speakers included U.S. Representative Robert Weygand, who called the lighthouse "a perfect symbol of the resilience of Block Island," and U.S. Senator John Chafee of Rhode Island.
Senator Chafee announced $475,000 in federal funding for the lighthouse, a grant from the National Transportation Enhancement Program. The Southeast Lighthouse Foundation estimates that it will cost $ 1 million to fully renovate the structure. The plans call for part of the Keepers House to be converted into a museum, and the other part will be a bed and breakfast.
Senator Chafee also presented the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation with a plaque certifying the lighthouse's National Historic Landmark status. The lighthouse received this designation in 1997.
The Coast Guard deactivated the Southeast Light in 1990 and replaced it with a steel tower. However, in August of 1994 the lighthouse went back into service, and its first-order Fresnel lens is one of the few in use today.
Currently there is a small museum and gift shop in the lighthouse, and tours are offered in the summer. For more information or to help with the ongoing restoration of the Southeast Lighthouse, contact: Block Island SE Lighthouse Foundation, Box 949, Block Island, RI 02807. You may also call them at 401-466-5009.
This story appeared in the September 1999 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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