This region is rich with spectacular places to live and unforgettable places to stay, yet few can match the home at the north end of Mount Hope Bay, nestled between the shores of Fall River and Somerset, Mass.

The Borden Flats Lighthouse, 144 years old, lovingly restored, fully booked for overnight rentals, is the only one of its kind, anywhere.

Owner Kevin Ferias is proud to boast that Borden Flats is the only offshore lighthouse in the world that you can sleep in. Other lighthouses have cottages or buildings attached to the lighthouse, but Borden Flats is the only one where guests actually live and sleep within the lighthouse itself.

Opened in 1881, it has withstood 144 years of storms, hurricanes, winters and blizzards, as well as decades of neglect, to remain standing, tall and proud, as a Coast-Guard-approved aid to navigation. For nearly a century, it was manned by full-time keepers, who lived and worked on the small outpost, warning mariners of the shallow ledge as they approached the busy Fall River waterfront, home to a booming textile industry.

Keepers were an unofficial arm of the Coast Guard, and they acted in the best interests of all mariners. Perhaps the most famous of all the keepers was John Paul, who took the job in 1912 and served for 15 years. He and his wife raised three boys, all while living in the lighthouse, and he was awarded the Carnegie Medal for Bravery for his role in saving the life of a fisherman whose boat had overturned. One of the two men aboard the boat drowned, but John Paul dove in and pulled the other man back to the lighthouse.

“So we’re pretty proud of John Paul,” Ferias said.

Ferias is endlessly proud of his lighthouse and its place in history, yet he is regrettably putting it up for sale, hoping to find the next keeper of the light. “The last thing I want to do is sell it, but I’m ready to retire,” said the Warren resident, who never dreamed he would one day own a lighthouse.

He purchased it eight years ago from James “Nick” Korstad, a lighthouse aficionado and resident of Portland, Oregon, who purchased it at auction when the U.S. Coast Guard was selling off hundreds of lighthouses around the country. After assuming ownership, the 33-year-old Korstad moved himself cross country and lived in the lighthouse while painstakingly renovating and rehabbing the entire structure.

Korstad was the first to open the lighthouse to the public and bring in short-stay guests. Ferias and his wife were two of his first guests, booking a stay for their wedding anniversary in August. “I fell in love with the place,” Ferias said. “About a year later, when I had the opportunity to purchase this, there was no way I could pass it up.”

He bought it from Korstad in 2018, and he’s been protecting it, maintaining it, and sharing it with guests ever since. Overnight rentals are fully booked for 2025, and Ferias is already taking reservations for the 2026 season, which runs from April to November.

The living spaces inside the lighthouse are snug, but what they lack in space, they gain back in character. With historic brick walls, period decor, porthole windows, and sweeping waterfront views, the interior of the lighthouse is charming, fascinating, mesmerizing — basically, it’s super cool.

Ferias has made small investments to modernize the living spaces, but some guests complain. They prefer he leave it rustic, so they can experience the lighthouse the same way the keepers did many years past.

In addition to a basement (which is beneath the water line, encased in a 21-foot-deep cylinder of thick steel), there are five levels to the living space. The first holds the kitchen, dining and bathroom. Next come two separate living areas, for sitting, relaxing, reading, watching TV. Above those is the bedroom. And up top is the light room, where the still functioning Coast Guard-approved light — now an LED bulb that shines 360 degrees — sits within an observation tower of glass, ringed by a steel deck 50 feet above the base. Standing up there, one can see in all directions, a marvel of both beauty and history.

The lighthouse is a remarkable edifice, considering how long it has withstood the fury of Mother Nature. However, there is one storm that pushed Borden Flats to its limits — literally. The great hurricane of 1938, considered the most destructive on record for this region, actually pushed the entire lighthouse about 100 feet to the north. Two other Rhode Island lighthouses were wiped off the map, with their keepers inside, but the Borden Flats lighthouse keeper hunkered inside and emerged hours later to find his home was still standing, just in a slightly different location.

Back in the 1880s, its original purpose was to support the thriving and bustling textile industry in Fall River. Cargo ships were frequent visitors to the Fall River docks, and the shallows in the narrow channel between Somerset and the city were both a hazard and a nuisance. Grounded ships not only blocked the way for other ships, they messed up the busy arrival and departure schedules at the docks. The lighthouse was built to protect mariners, but also to protect the textile merchants in the region.

Today, it still warns mariners of the dangerous flats, but much of its role has been negated by advances in marine technology. However, it’s not unusual for a lighthouse keeper to leap to the aid of mariners. In the seven years he’s owned the lighthouse, Ferias has assisted boaters 15 to 20 times. While doing work, or shuttling his guests, he’s heard boaters with engine trouble or boaters slamming into an area of rocks that are just off the western side of the lighthouse.

True to the mission of Borden Flats Lighthouse keepers, Ferias has launched his his boat and come to their aid. Now he’s hoping to find the next keeper, to protect a 144-year legacy.

The lighthouse is on the market for $895,000, listed with Cheryl Andreozzi of Mott & Chace Sotheby’s Realty.