In 1847, the first lighthouse on Rock Island was built. It was a brick Cape Cod style dwelling with a light tower mounted through the roof. The building was painted white while the lantern room was black. The height of the tower was approximately 39 feet tall. The land for the lighthouse was puchased from Chesterfield Pearson, and in return, he was assigned as the first keeper of the station.
In 1882, it was decided that a new tower be built at Rock Island. An iron tower was constructed at the center of the island atop a bedrock base. Not far from the tower, was the new one and a half story Victorian style keeper's dwelling. Once this new station was completed, the number of shipwrecks in the area actually increased. After an investigation, it seems that a number of factors contributed to the loses, such as lights from the surrounding shores, as well as trees on the island, and the keeper's quarters which obstructed the light.
In 1894, it was decided that the tower would be raised to make it visible over the keeper's quarters. The tower was set atop a five foot base of granite. For mariners, this was a little better, but not much. By 1903, it was decided that the tower would be moved to the northern end of the island closer to the shipping channel. The new base of the lighthouse would be submerged in the river. From there, a new brick base was built to give the iron tower some added height. Once the brick was was finished, the iron tower was set atop it. If you look closely at the picture on the page, the black line in the middle of the tower separates the original tower from the brick base.
The original lens used as the tower was a sixth-order Fresnel and was used until the tower was decommissioned in 1956. The tower is no longer an aid to navigation, but it still emits a fixed white light which is driven by solar power. Most of the buildings that were added to the station over the years are still present. They are a shop (1882), generator house (1900), and a boathouse (1920). In fact, one of the buildings, the smokehouse, dates back to the original light station of 1847.
This light station is now operated as a park by the Thousand Islands Region of the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. The grounds are open for day use, but none of the buildings are open to the public.
Here is a list of keepers that served the station:
- Chesterfield Pearson (1848-1849)
- John B. Collins (1849-1853)
- William Johnston (1853-1861)
- S.E. Spaulding (1861-1865)
- Joseph Collins (1865-1870)
- Willard L. Cook (1870-1879)
- Foster M. Drake (1879-1886)
- Michael J. Diepolder (1886-1901)
- Emma E. Diepolder (1901)
- Eugene J. Butler (1901-1912)
- John C. Belden (1912-1940)
- Frank K. Ward (1940-1941)
- J.W. Van Ingern (Coast Guard, 1955)
- Dennis Carroll (Coast Guard (1955-1956)
- John T. Trucker (Coast Guard (1956)
For more information on this lighthouse, please visit: http://www.rockislandlighthouse.org.
Directions: Since this lighthouse sits on an island off shore, the best viewing area for this lighthouse is from Fishers Landing just off of Route 180 at the St. Lawrence River or from Wellesley Island. There are several boat tours that operate out of Clayton and pass by the light.
To rate this lighthouse, click on a number below: 
Lighthouse Rating: 5.54
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