And o’er them the lighthouse looked lovely as hope,— That star of life’s tremulous ocean.
Paul Moon James (1780-1854)

To help mariners through the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, Congress authorized $10,000 for the erection of a fog signal at Castle Hill in 1875. A year earlier the famous Harvard professor and zoologist Alexander Aggasiz had built a large summer cottage at Castle Hill on the very property where the government wanted to put the signal.

Aggasiz refused to sell his property. He and other local landowners did not want a fog bell sounding "at their very doors." In 1886 a lighthouse was proposed along with the fog bell at Castle Hill.

In 1887 Aggasiz sold a portion of his land to the Government, but then refused to grant the Government the right to pass through his property to the lighthouse site. Castle Hill is steep and rocky, and landing by boat is difficult. In 1888 Agassiz finally granted the right-of-way and construction began the following year.

There is some evidence that the noted architect H.H. Richardson may have been involved in designing the tower. The 34-foot granite lighthouse was first lighted in May 1890, with a fifth order Fresnel lens exhibiting a flashing red light visible for ten miles. The first keeper was Frank W. Parmele, formerly at the Saybrook Breakwater Light. The keeper's house was a short walk away at Castle Hill Cove.

The station had a fog bell, but it remained in operation for only a year and a half when it was discontinued at Aggasiz's request. Five years later a larger, louder bell was installed and Aggasiz again complained; this time a screen was set up to soften the sound.

The tower was originally all gray; the upper half was painted white in 1899. According to some sources, the keeper's house still exists near the Coast Guard station at Castle Hill and is now privately owned.

In 1957 the light was automated and the fifth order lens was replaced by a modern optic.

A short walk through the woods from the parking area at the Castle Hill Inn will get you to the lighthouse. The handsome stone lighthouse and panoramic view are worth going out of your way for.

**From the New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Tour

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