Rhode Island Picture Post Cards
Poplar Point Light - Wickford, Rhode Island

The Poplar Point Lighthouse overlooks the West Passage of Narragansett Bay. The lighthouse was built in 1831. The south arm of the breakwater protecting Wickford Harbor is to the left of the lighthouse. This point is also the site of the first land fortification (Coastal Artillery) in North America.

The Lighthouse was replaced in 1882 by the Wickford Harbor Light which stood 200 yards offshore from the Poplar Point Light. The Wickford Harbor Lighthouse was torn down and replaced by an automated light tower in 1930. (The automated light tower on the breakwater to the left marks the spot where the Wickford Harbor Light once stood.) The Poplar Point Lighthouse was sold to Albert Sherman in 1894.  It is now much enlarged and has remained a private residence since that time. It is believed to be the oldest wooden lighthouse in the United States.