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This past summer the Dutch Island Lighthouse Society (DILS) was founded as a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. The goal of this group is to restore and preserve the Dutch Island Lighthouse in the west passage of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. The lighthouse was abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1979 and is in rough, but restorable, shape. Campbell Construction Group, a company very experienced in lighthouse restoration, has estimated the job at $106,000.
Shirley Sheldon of Saunderstown, RI, has been busy making and selling Dutch Island Lighthouse t-shirts on behalf of DILS. These t-shirts and other items will be for sale in the coming months on the DILS website at www.dutchislandlighthouse.org. Shirley has presented DILS with a check for $1200 raised from t-shirt sales in recent months.
Other area residents have been contributing to the effort as well. One anonymous donor has given $1000 with a pledge of $4000 more in matching funds. That means that as soon as DILS raises an additional $4000 from other sources, they will also receive the $4000 from this benefactor.
Dutch Island Lighthouse has also been featured in the newly released book, Endangered Lighthouses by Tim Harrison and Ray Jones. The Dutch Island group would like to see this lighthouse not included in the next edition of this book, but can not do so without your help.
You can send your donation to:
Dutch Island Lighthouse Society
P.O. Box 435
Saunderstown, RI 02874
To learn more you can email DILS at DILScontact@gmail.com
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