Editor’s note: This interview was conducted by email.
GWM: Thanks, Sean and Michael for joining us at Ocean State Stories. Sean, you are the executive director of the Rose Island Lighthouse & Fort Hamilton Trust, so we are essentially neighbors! Let’s start with an overview of the island and the lighthouse today. To familiarize the unfamiliar, we’d like to note that the island is located in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, just south of the Pell/Newport Bridge.
Guests can visit the island for the day during the high season. Some details please, Sean.
Sean O’Connor: Absolutely! From mid-May through mid-October, the Jamestown-Newport Ferry includes Rose Island as 1 of the 5 stops on their hop-on/hop-off ferry service. The other stops are Jamestown (East Ferry Wharf), Fort Adams, and Anne Street Pier and Perotti Park in Newport.
In addition to the ferry fare, visitors pay a $12 landing fee to come onto Rose Island, where they can take a guided tour of our grounds and historic lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Barracks. Kids 5 and over and adults also have the option to climb the lighthouse tower. Some people are repeat visitors and rather than a tour, they prefer to picnic on the beach or sit in our Adirondack chairs or some other kind of relaxing, with incredible views of Newport Harbor and the Pell Bridge.
People can also bring small watercraft onto the island (kayaks, dinghies, etc). They can pay the per-person landing fee in our island gift shop. We can’t allow tie-ups to our dock, as we have our own launch boat and the ferry coming in and out. But touch-and-go drop off/pick-ups of people are okay. And if pulling your watercraft onto the beach, just do so just east or west of the main dock.
Much of the island’s 18 acres is closed for bird nesting season (March 1 – August 15), but after August 15, visitors are welcome to walk the full perimeter of the island.
Guests can also overnight in the lighthouse, the adjacent Foghorn Room, and the nearby Fort Hamilton Barracks. Again the details, please, Sean.
O’Connor: Staying overnight on Rose Island is such a unique, special experience like no other. All of our guests are given a tour of the property and learn about our island systems and really become the keepers for the night. Groups can stay on the first or second floor of the lighthouse, or the adjacent foghorn cottage. We also have a room in the historic barracks. Often a group of family and friends will rent all 4 island accommodations at one time for a special experience.
There are a lot of ins and outs of what you need to bring for an overnight stay, what you should leave behind, etc., so I recommend reading through our webpage for more information. We pick up overnight guests from Fort Adams most times of year for the 12-minute boat ride out to Rose Island.
It’s also important to note that we are completely “off the grid” on Rose Island, meaning we’re not connecting to an outside electrical network or water/sewer system. We produce our own electricity on the island with a solar panel installation and occasionally use our backup generator when needed. And we collect rainwater for use in our plumbing in 3 different cisterns (including one in the lighthouse basement, an original part of the design).
Newport This Week recently published a story about a research project titled “From Forts to Feathers: Rose Island’s Past, Present, and Future.” Tell us how it started and give us an overview, Michael.
Michael Simpson: The “From Forts to Feathers” project emerged from the desire of the Rose Island Lighthouse and Fort Hamilton Trust (RILFHT) to tell the full story of the island, one that encompasses not only its more traditional military and maritime past, but also its lesser-told Indigenous presence, environmental significance, and current role as a site of education and conservation. This research seeks to connect the island’s layered history with its present-day responsibility as both a wildlife refuge and heritage destination. The ultimate goal is to create a cohesive narrative that reflects centuries of human and natural interaction with the island.
Who is involved in the project?
Simpson: The project is being managed by a team of historians and preservationists, led by RILFHT’s Executive Director, Sean O’Connor. Following the successful award of a grant from Rhode Island Commerce, the Trust was able to hire two additional staff members to research, conceive, and implement the project’s deliverables.
Trinity Kendrick, M.S., holds a Master’s in Preservation Practices from Roger Williams University and currently serves as Special Projects Coordinator for the Newport Historical Society. She was hired as the Trust’s Museum Research Coordinator. Michael Simpson, M.A., A.M., holds graduate degrees in History from New York University and Brown University and currently teaches U.S. History at Johnson & Wales University. He was hired as the Trust’s Public History Program Coordinator.
Additionally, the Trust is partnering with a range of educators and institutions, including the Public Archaeology Lab, Newport Historical Society, Naval War College, Fort Adams Trust, and the Tomaquag Museum.
Where is the research being conducted?
Simpson: Primary research is being conducted at local archives across Rhode Island, especially at the Newport Historical Society and, more recently, the Naval War College. Online research is facilitated through digital collections maintained by the Rhode Island State Archives and Newport Public Library.
To ensure an ethnohistorical approach, and with the help of additional grant funding we hope to receive, archaeological research will be conducted in collaboration with the Public Archaeology Lab. The most recent formal archaeological survey of the island dates back to 1985. RILFHT hopes to begin a new phase using ground-penetrating radar and metal detectors to identify sites of significance for future excavation, an effort that may provide critical context often absent from traditional historical sources.
When will it conclude?
Simpson: The project will roll out in phases through the end of 2025, with public exhibits and educational content launching in the fall. However, as with any living site of historical and ecological significance, the work of interpretation and stewardship will extend well beyond this research cycle. Good history takes time, like the difference between fast food and fine dining. Ideally, the project will continue with the support of ongoing grant and donor funding. The possibilities for preserving and expanding Rose Island’s historical narrative are limited only by the resources available to support them.
Read the rest of the interview here.
Copyright ©2025 Salve Regina University. Originally published by OceanStateStories.org.
