A little over a half-mile east northeast of Hog Island Shoals Light lies Musselbed Shoals, a dangerous obstruction in the channel from Narragansett Bay to Mount Hope Bay and the approach to Fall River, Massachusetts.

A stone daybeacon marked the spot when, in 1871, the Lighthouse Board recommended the addition of a light and fog bell. A congressional appropriation of $3,000 was obtained in March 1873, and the new light was established on August 1 of that year.

The first lighthouse consisted of a hexagonal tower attached to the keeper's house, was built in 1873. It had a sixth-order Fresnel lens and exhibited a fixed red light 31 feet above sea level. A fog bell was struck at intervals of 20 seconds when needed.

From the collection of Edward Rowe Snow

Courtesy of Dorothy Bicknell

This structure didn't last long. Ice was a frequent problem; in the winter of 1874-1875 ice floes moved the entire station four feet. Repairs kept the light and fog bell running, but an appropriation of $6,000 was requested to rebuild the lighthouse and to add protective riprap around the pier. The funds were obtained in March 1877. The stone pier was enlarged and the combination lighthouse/dwelling was rebuilt. The fog bell was mounted on the roof along with the short tower and lantern.

Most keepers had fairly short stays at the isolated and claustrophobic station, but Andrew Smith (1881-91) lasted a decade, and James D. Leonard had the longest stint of 14 years (1891-1905). Keeper Edward Jansen, who stayed only a few months in 1908, went on to replace the renowned Ida Lewis as keeper of Lime Rock Light.

Ice threatened again in 1919-20 when chunks of the foundation were destroyed. An inspector called the lighthouse "a mere shanty" and recommended that the entire station be rebuilt. A new four-room dwelling was built, but the new structure was plagued by leaks and by 1938 the ceiling was caving in.

The light was discontinued in August 1938. The worst hurricane in New England history struck in the following month and did more damage. The building was torn down in 1939, and it was replaced by a steel skeleton tower with an automatic light.

The automatic light at Musselbed Shoals Light now stands near the Mount Hope Bridge.

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Keepers: Dennis Shea (1873-1874); William Dunnell (1874-1875); Thomas Smith (1876-1881); Andrew Smith (1881-1891); James D. Leonard (1891-1905); George Hansen (1905-?); Lucius Chadwick (?-1908); Edward Jansen (July 1 to October 1, 1908); John F. Anderson (Oct. 1, 1908 to April 1, 1909); William Tengren (1909-?); Otis Barstow (c. 1920)