Beyond the reach of utility lines and services, the lighthouse stands as an independent, energy-efficient building that was home to keepers and their families for over a hundred years.
After the Pell Newport Bridge was built the Light Station was abandoned. For the next 14 years it fell victim to scavengers, vandals and the weather. In 1984 volunteers of the newly formed non profit, the Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation, cleaned out and restored it to its 1912 appearance, installing environmentally sensitive, utilities for electricity, water, sewer, and heat.

On August 7, 1993, after the funds had been raised to pay all the restoration bills, the beacon was joyously relit. Rose Island Light is once again listed on today's charts as a private aid to navigation. It is one of only a few operating lighthouses maintained by working vacationers who sign on for a week at a time as part of our environmental education program. The Lighthouse is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places.