In recent weeks, walkers and cyclists on the East Bay Bike Path in Riverside have been curious about the scaffolding easily visible on the east side of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, facing the path. It was in place for restoration of the chimney, which has just been completed.

Thanks community support, the chimney has been rebuilt to withstand the effects of climate change and restored to its original design. In recent years, heavy rains had caused damage to the basement level and debris had entered the museum’s Pomham Room, where The Lighthouse’s original Fresnel lens is displayed.

The Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is grateful for grants from charitable foundations, including The 1772 Foundation in cooperation with Preserve/RI, as well as the Madden Fund and the Felicia Fund. Additional funding was raised through a Business/Community Fund Drive and a SUNsational Raffle.

The new chimney is watertight and will protect the museum’s exhibits. The chimney replaces the previous one, built in 2005, when exterior restoration of The Lighthouse was just beginning. At that time, little was known of the structural design of the chimney when The Lighthouse was built in 1871. But since then, research uncovered vintage photographs and drawings of the original chimney design. These enabled masons from JWB Masonry Construction, Inc., of Rumford, to recreate the Victorian-era look of the original chimney to complement the Victorian style of the house.

“It was extremely satisfying to watch the chimney come down,” said Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse President, Alex Dias. “And then be ‘reborn’ into its Victorian form with its original 1871 details.”

Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse thanks the businesses, organizations, individuals and foundations that helped restore the chimney with historical accuracy.