Through storms, shipwrecks, foggy weather, eroding bluffs and massive renovations including moving the whole structure, the Southeast Lighthouse has remained a popular destination on Block Island, drawing thousands of visitors annually to tour the tower and the grounds. But there is more to the lighthouse than the tower with its rare Fresnel lens beaming light out into the night, and its spectacular daytime views. Part of any lighthouse is the house part, where the keeperswho worked at the lighthouse actually lived. And no one from the public had been inside the keepers’ quarters at the Southeast Lighthouse in 28 years.The Southeast Lighthouse sits at the southeast corner of Mohegan Bluffs, 200 feet above the Atlantic, making it the highest lighthouse in New England. The lighthouse was built in 1874, with the first lighting occurring on February 1, 1875. The Southeast Light serves as a primary coastal light within the U.S. Lighthouse Service.The keeper’s cottage is set up as a duplex and originally housed three lighthouse keepers and their families. The keepers’ duties included lighting and supervising the oil lamp that was used to illuminate the original first-order Fresnel lens, operating the steam driven fog horn, and patrolling the
