Located on the southern tip of Conanicut Island in Rhode Island, Beaver Tail Point marks the entrance into the eastern and western passages of Narragansett Bay. Early settlers knew the importance of the site to shipping and they erected a watch house on the site in 1705. As the city of Newport grew in importance, a petition for a lighthouse resulted in a tax on ship cargoes to pay for its construction. Finally in 1749 after several delays the first Beavertail Lighthouse was constructed.