Accessibility: 
Geographic coordinates: 42° 58' 02" N 70° 37' 24" W
Nearest town: Rye. Located on the southernmost of the Isles of Shoals.
Established: 1821. Present lighthouse built: 1859. Automated: 1986.
Height of tower: 58 feet. Height of focal plane: 82 feet
Earlier optic: Second-order Fresnel lens. Present optic: VLB-44 (LED).
Characteristic: White flash every 15 seconds.
Fog signal: One blast every 30 seconds.
The Isles of Shoals are a cluster of nine islands located about six miles off the coast of New Hampshire and southern Maine. The islands were once home to a thriving fishing community. The first lighthouse on White Island, established in 1821, was a stone tower, later encased in wood.
Thomas Laighton became keeper in 1839. His daughter, Celia, later gained widespread fame as Celia Thaxter, poet and author. In her book, Among the Isles of Shoals, Celia described the family’s arrival at White Island: “It was at sunset in autumn that we were set ashore on that loneliest, lovely rock, where the lighthouse looked down on us like some tall, black-capped giant, and filled me with awe and wonder.”
A new 58-foot brick lighthouse tower was built in 1859. The tower was fitted with a second-order Fresnel lens. In 1993, White Island became the property of the State of New Hampshire. Over the years, the lighthouse tower developed major cracks in its brick exterior. Seventh-grade students in North Hampton, New Hampshire, along with a science teacher, Sue Reynolds, started an organization called the Lighthouse Kids, dedicated to the preservation of the lighthouse.
Fascinating Fact 
The characteristic of the original lighthouse was unusually patriotic for a time, with red, white, and blue flashes. The blue flash was quickly discontinued because of its poor visibility.
In 2005, money raised by the Lighthouse Kids was combined with a federal grant and state funds to allow a restoration of the tower. More than 1,000 bricks were replaced, and the brick courses were strengthened with the addition of stainless steel ties. Visit www.lighthousekids.com for more on the Lighthouse Kids.
In 2008, the rotating VRB-25 optic that had been in use at White Island for several years was replaced by a VLB-44 light emitting diode (LED) unit.
You can see the lighthouse very distantly from some points on the mainland, but it’s best seen by boat. You can see it from sightseeing cruises offered by Portsmouth Harbor Cruises (603-436-8084, www.portsmouthharbor.com) and the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company (603-431-5500, www.islesofshoals.com) in Portsmouth. The Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse hold lighthouse cruises periodically; check www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org for the schedule. Island Cruises (603-964-6446, www.uncleoscar.com), leaving from Rye Harbor, also provides Isles of Shoals tours.
