Historical Markers
A group of people standing on a dock by a lighthouse - historic lighthouses

Self-guided · city, Rhode Island

Historic Lighthouses in Cranston, RI

Lighthouses and light stations on the coasts, lakes and rivers, with the history of the keepers who ran them.

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Photo: Peggy Sue Zinn on Unsplash

Cranston has a population of about 80,566. Buildings like these are easy to drive past because they are still in use. The register listing is what tells you why they matter.

A group of people walking towards a light house - historic lighthouses
Photo: Yeji Jun on Unsplash
Two people walk towards a lighthouse on a rocky coast - historic lighthouses
Photo: Jim Tran on Unsplash
People walking near white and black lighthouse under blue and white cloudy sky during daytime - historic lighthouses
Photo: Nong on Unsplash

On the record near Cranston, RI

The 12 nearest

20 listed sites on the record match historic lighthouses within 30 miles of Cranston, RI, out of 773 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

  1. Pomham Rocks Light Station3.5 miles from the center of Cranston · Building · East Providence · listed 1979National Register of Historic Places
  2. Nayatt Point Lighthouse6.3 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Barrington · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  3. Conimicut Lighthouse6.4 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Warwick · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  4. Warwick Lighthouse8.4 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Warwick · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  5. Bristol Ferry Lighthouse13 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Bristol · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  6. Hog Island Shoal Lighthouse13 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Portsmouth · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  7. Prudence Island Lighthouse14 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Portsmouth · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  8. Borden Flats Light Station14 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Fall River · listed 1987National Register of Historic Places
  9. Poplar Point Lighthouse14 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · North Kingstown · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  10. Conanicut Island Lighthouse15 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Jamestown · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  11. Plum Beach Lighthouse17 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · North Kingston · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places
  12. Dutch Island Lighthouse20 miles from the center of Cranston · Structure · Jamestown · listed 1988National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Cranston, RI. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Lighthouses in Cranston, step by step

  1. 1

    See every listed site of this kind in the area

  2. 2

    Sort by distance and pick the closest few

  3. 3

    Read the record for the year, the builder and the use

  4. 4

    View from the public way and note what has changed

  5. 5

    Collect the set and move on to the next county

What people in Cranston, RI ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Cranston, RI?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are these buildings open to the public?

Some are, many are not. Churches, courthouses and libraries usually keep regular hours. Houses, barns and mills are often private and best seen from the road. The record for each site tells you which kind it is.

What does it mean when a site is on the National Register?

It means the property was documented and accepted as historically significant. Listing honors the site, it does not open it to visitors or stop an owner from using it.

How a visit works in Cranston

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Cranston, RI the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Cranston, RI are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Cranston, RI

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Lighthouses near Cranston

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