A lighthouse name originating from the Narragansett language: Pomham Rocks Light

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, constructed in 1871: Happy 150th Birthday!

The Pomham Rocks Lighthouse (Pomham Light, for short) was constructed in 1871. This historic Rhode Island landmark off the Providence River bank is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. It is the last surviving lighthouse in upper Narrangansett Bay [1]. How did it get its name? 

William Bright's book “Native American Place Names of the United States”  and the “American Indian Place Names In Rhode Island” website provide the information that the rock island, on which the lighthouse was built, originally belonged to the Algonquian leader Sachem Pomham. His name may indicate that “he traveled by sea” [2,3].

According to the “New England Lighthouses” website, the name is sometimes spelled Pumham,  pronounced with equal emphasis on both syllables [4].

The rocks and the light can be nicely viewed—with or without exercising the spelling—from the East Bay Bike Path in East Providence.

Happy Birthyear!

 

References and further reading

[1] Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Celebrates 150th Jubilee on the Rocks. Website: https://www.pomhamrockslighthouse.org/.

[2] William Bright. Native American Place Names of the United States. University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. ISBN: 0-8061-3576-X.

[3] American Indian Place Names In Rhode Island: Past & Present. Website: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/IndianPlaceNames6.html.

[4] Pomham Rocks is a stark islet of approximately one-half acre rising out of the Providence river, about 800 feet from the east shore in the Riverside section of East Providence. New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide. Website: http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/pomham-rocks-light-history.html.