Block Island Southeast Light Postcard

A vintage photograph of the Block Island Southeast Light in Rhode Island. The Block Island Southeast Lighthouse is significant as a primary aid to the navigation of an otherwise dangerous area, once referred to as the "stumbling block" of the New England coast. It marks the first island landfall for ships approaching New England from the south or southeast. It was the second light to be built on the island and the first on the south side. At the time of its completion in 1875 it was considered to be one of the finest and best equipped lighthouses on the east coast, featuring a first order Fresnel lens, the best in lighting apparatus technology. The lighthouse is also significant for its interesting design, a melding of Gothic Revival and Italianate styles taking form in an octagonal tower.